Discovering Brussels jazzy side
It is 1am at night and the streets are calm. I am alone on my way home, yet my thoughts are stuck in a different world, my mind is still filled with music and inspiration. Sometimes, when I go to a concert, I allow the music to take me to another place, another time, maybe a rarely visited corner of my soul.
Two weeks ago – how fast time goes by -, I enjoyed these moments twice – thanks to some wonderful young Jazz musicians. As you might know, Brussels is a great place for Jazz, for undiscovered talent, for the unique magic of livemusic – and this city has a way of uniting artists of all cultures and backgrounds.
On Monday, 13th February, I found the time to see the Margaux Vranken Trio at the Music Village close to the Grand Place, an evening of wonderfully arranged Jazz Standards in the charming atmosphere of Brussels historical centre. With the Italian guest vocalist Camilla Battaglia and the Canadian guitarist Mike McCormick joining the group, the concert had a unique feeling – and while all solos were performing exceptionally well, Camilla’s voice added a a particularly enchanting flavour to the concert.
Two nights later, with a changed line-up and a quite different setlist, the Sounds Jazz Club in Ixelles had the honour to host this wonderful collaboration. It 
allowed the artists to be more adventurous, and introduced the audience to some originial compositions of Margaux Vranken and Camilla Battaglia, mixed up with some Jazz standards. What I really love about these kind of concerts is the intimacy, being able to closely witness the growing understanding of musicians on the stage, the harmony, the challenges of creating something special, something new, right there, right in front of my eyes. This truly happened that night, and I can only recommend to anyone to tap into this often less appreciated aspect of Brussels‘ cultural life.
The musicians:
Monday: Fil Caporali bass, Martin Mereau drums, Camilla Battaglia vocals, Mike McCormick guitar, Margaux Vranken on piano
Wednesday: Camilla Battaglia vocals, Mike McCormick guitar, Margaux Vranken on piano, Félix Zurstrassen bass-guitar, Matthias de Waele drums
Upcoming concerts and interesting Jazz venues in Brussels:
02/03/2017 Margaux Vrancken invites Diederick Wisselsat Sounds Jazz Club: https://www.facebook.com/events/419298075075183/
03/03/2017 Etta James Tribute with Mariana Tootsie at Sounds Jazz Club
Every Saturday around 5pm: Jazz after Shopping at l’archiduc
Every Sunday around 8pm Jazz concert at Roskam
26-28/05/2017 Jazz Marathon Brussels https://www.facebook.com/BrusselsJazzMarathon/
25/09/2017 Diana Krall @Bozar https://www.facebook.com/events/418612035152702/
Venues:
L’Archiduc: http://www.archiduc.net/fr
https://www.soundsjazzclub.be/
http://www.themusicvillage.com/
Starkerkaffee 