The musical dialogue between Beninese drummer Angelo Moustapha and Belgian saxophonist Sylvain Debaisieux—anchored by Italian bassist Federico Stocchi—reaches its latest milestone with Morayò (Challenge Records).

Those who have listened to the album already know the deep, fluid chemistry Wajdi Riahi brings to the track "Oli". For this upcoming JazzLab tour, the Tunisian pianist steps out of the studio and joins the trio live on stage, translating that specific studio magic into an expansive, modal live experience.

On January 21, 2027, they will bring this cosmopolitan Afro-jazz collaboration to Ghent’s Ha Concerts for an intimate club session.

Led by Alexandra Grimal, REWILD is less about a fixed repertoire and more about a shared sonic territory—they form a fluid, ever-evolving landscape—one that shifts constantly between moments of profound fragility and unpredictably wild improvisations, driven by raw textures and subtle listening.

The evening serves as a focal point for the ensemble’s raw, instinctive energy, introducing the local audience to the intricate leadership of Alexandra Grimal alongside longtime masters of the improvised and adventurous music landscape: Fred Frith, Marc Ducret, Susana Santos Silva, and Gerry Hemingway.

Alexandra Grimal REWILD brings together five prominent figures of international improvisation on the stage of Philharmonie Luxembourg on Friday, 15 January 2027..

While the audience will recognize familiar and celebrated collaborators like Susana Santos Silva, Fred Frith, Gerry Hemingway, and Marc Ducret, the evening offers a long-awaited opportunity to experience the ensemble's leader, saxophonist and composer Alexandra Grimal, for the first time in this setting.

Together, the quintet navigates a vast sonic landscape, moving freely between the finely disciplined and the entirely untamed.

Alexandra Grimal REWILD is a musical project that defies all aesthetic categorization. It forms an intersection between contemporary jazz, contemporary music, and experimental and improvised music: an ensemble at the crossroads of these worlds. This unique combination of personalities creates a constantly evolving soundscape.

Unexpected, magical, and definitely wild!

Artists:
Alexandra Grimal – soprano & tenor saxophones, voice
Fred Frith – guitar
Marc Ducret – guitar
Susana Santos Silva – trumpet
Gerry Hemingway – drums

soniqApart is delighted to share a series of remarkable moments from FOꓘKOP.UNPLUGGD’s performance at the Lotto Brussels Jazz Weekend 2026, celebrating the release of their album The Imposter Acoustic (Igloo Records).

Julio César Garza is a Belgium-based Mexican photographer and visual producer who wonderfully captured FOꓘKOP.UNPLUGGD’s show and the unique atmosphere at Brussels’ historical Bourse square.

soniqApart owes a great deal to Garza’s perspective and craft in delivering these frames.

Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel (KCB) features pianist and composer Piergiorgio Pirro in their latest Researcher Spotlight.

The feature tracks his artistic doctoral research into jazz improvisation, exploring the fluid thresholds between structural analysis, multi-layered listening, and real-time performance codes.

Read the full interview on KCB →

Following their album WE.ARƎ.FOꓘd,OK? with the electro punk-rap outfit FOꓘKOP.EЯA, rapper Herb Cells, pianist Martin Daniel, drummer Ben Tequi, now together with Nicolas Thys on double bass (on stage with Manolo Cabras) created their alter-ego FOꓘKOP.UNPLUGGD and as of today their debut album The Imposter Acoustic is out via Igloo Records.

FOꓘKOP.UNPLUGGD strips back the electronic framework of FOꓘOPEЯA and lean into a modern jazz piano trio sound yet in a highly groovy and soulful approach, adding another layer to the jazz and hip-hop/spoken word conversation coming out of Brussels.

An emergency call for our era The Imposter Acoustic is out now!

Laurence Cousseau Quintet‘s Les Groseilles de Novembre unfolds within an aesthetic of magical realism, moving between the tangible and the dreamlike. Inspired by Andrus Kivirähk’s literary universe, the album traces states of transition and memory as they pass through bodies, landscapes, and inherited gestures.

The quintet’s sound is shaped by the dialogue between alto flute and bass clarinet, expanding into a fluid field where composition and improvisation intersect. Across five pieces, the music moves between structure and openness, density and air, fragility and intensity.

Macondo Trio will perform at Citadelic Festival 2026 in Ghent on Friday 29 May at 20:00 as part of the festival programme.

The concert is part of the five-day open-air festival running from 27 to 31 May 2026, dedicated to jazz, improvisation, and experimental music.

Citadelic Festival brings together a wide range of local and international artists across multiple stages in a park setting, offering an open platform for adventurous live music experiences.

Laurence Cousseau Quintet will perform at Citadelic Festival 2026 in Ghent on Thursday 28 May as part of the Ensemble showcase programme in collaboration with Koeketiene and Citadelic Festival.

The performance takes place at 14:00 and opens a day of adventurous music within the festival’s multi-day programme

Citadelic Festival 2026 runs from 27 to 31 May in Ghent and presents an open-air programme dedicated to jazz, improvisation, and experimental music, bringing together a wide range of local and international artists.

The quintet’s appearance is part of the festival’s Ensemble showcase series, highlighting projects emerging from contemporary improvisation practices.