AKA Moon and Gregoire Marét shine at Jazz Middelheim

Jazz Middelheim in Antwerp is the sibling festival of Gent Jazz, operating with a similar grub’n’booze vibration, and a shared devotion to imaginative programming, particularly when it comes to excursions outside of jazz. Middelheim happens in the more concentrated setting of Park den Brandt, on the outskirts of Antwerp, with a single large, tented stage presenting acts over four days. All of the catering stalls surround this central stage, with the often radically imaginative deejay Nico Bogaerts spinning platters from Ken Vandermark to Palais Schaumburg, all weekend in the Duvel beer cabin, during the 45-minute breaks between acts.

There were various themes between the Friday and Monday (a Belgian public holiday), as the opening featured mostly hip hop artists, although the reality was closer to hip pop in its bland commerciality. Friday’s first two acts were significantly superior, as Nabou Claerhout led her Trombone Ensemble (five slide horns!) and the versatile singer, flautist, looper and percussionist Esinam fronted her electro-Afro-Brazilian combo.

Saturday’s line-up was the most ambitious and adventurous, headed up by the rockin’ Iggy Pop and Thurston Moore, with Taxi Wars next on the bill, featuring dEUS frontman Tom Barman along with jazzers Robin Verheyen (saxophone) and Antoine Pierre (drums). That day’s roster was completed by our own Alabaster DePlume, plus the punky improvising drummer Karen Willems. Her band featured two baritone saxophonists, as well as tenor, opening numbers with drones, then widening into a loping rock progress. Willems revealed a post-punk nature, but is amenable to softer songs, with concertina and harmonised horns. Gut-quaking baritone was augmented by effects, Willems encouraging a free-suspension gristle, with a circulatory honk-spread.

Iggy gave one of his most crazed, manic performances possible, his band featuring a soul-style horn section of trumpet and trombone, all the better to power his unhinged reading of ‘Search & Destroy’, as well as the lesser-heard ‘Five Foot One’ and ‘The Endless Sea’. The crowd were on the verge of violent anarchy.

Grégoire Maret - by Peter van Breukelen

Sunday involved a mostly Belgian programme, topped by a two-part centenary celebration of the departed Toots Thielemans, who always had a very strong connection to Middelheim. The Brussels Jazz Orchestra opened, but their set sounded quite unremarkable compared to the climactic Metropole Orkest presentation, featuring Grégoire Maret on Toots-ing harmonica. Vince Mendoza suavely emceed, and pianist Fred Hersch spontaneously guested at the beginning (he’d played with Toots in the 1980s). ‘Black Orpheus’ had a lush, exotic orchestration from this Dutch orchestra, with crisp horns, and harp flitting above the swelling strings during ‘Three Views Of A Secret’, by Jaco Pastorius. Tutu Puoane sang Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile’, which was followed by Kenny Werner arrangements of Jacques Brel and Ivan Lins. This set was mellower, but held a quiet concentration, a classic sensitivity for sweeping arrangements, and a continued change-of-scene that captivated the huge seated crowd into complete silence (what a contrast with the Iggy-chaos!).

The closing Monday focused largely on guitarists, with Jakob Bro, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Philip Catherine all operating on a placid level of liquidity. It was Aka Moon that leapt out with a shock, marking their 30th anniversary with guesting Portuguese accordionist João Barradas. This augmented trio nervily funked out after the fashion of Prime Time, James Chance and Steve Coleman, investigating flexible time signatures, entwined relationships and bold, sinewy riffing between drums, saxophone and electric bass. Barradas sometimes  triggered conventional electric piano sounds with his accordion, but the instrument’s natural voice provided the best solos. Could this be math funk? Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol’s sour alto veered towards the microtonal at times, in tandem with the accordion, as Stéphane Galland skimmed his drums into clipped patterns. Michel Hatzigeorgiou topped this with an exceptional strumming-and-picking solo on electric bass.

Anniversaries, anarchy and a returning internationalism: all of these made this a winning Middelheim.