​

 
Op 18 juli heeft, naast de vakjury, ook het publiek een stem!

Wie de vakjury - bestaande uit enkele onafhankelijke prominenten uit de Belgische jazzscene - kan bekoren, wordt beloond met de prestigieuze titel én trofee 'Gent Jazz Talent 2026’, een geldsom van 10.000 euro om zijn droom binnen het jaar te realiseren en te verdiepen, een residentie in Ha Concerts, de kans om te spelen in Nova Express (Kunstencentrum nona) én een Main Stage plek op Gent Jazz in 2027. 
 
Wie dan weer het publiek kan bekoren, wordt beloond met een geldsom van 2.000 euro en krijgt de kans een residentie te doen bij creative space Edmond in Brussel.

 
Beide winnaars krijgen professioneel advies en begeleiding op maat van VI.BE (steunpunt voor artiest en muzieksector), Sabam en Playright.
 
“Gent Jazz is al jaren een vaste waarde in onze stad. Met deze festivaldag tijdens de Gentse Feesten stelt het festival zich open voor een zo breed mogelijk publiek. Jazz is vrijheid, improvisatie en samenspel – en dat voel je hier: jong talent krijgt niet alleen het podium, maar ook de steun om echt door te groeien. Zo geeft Gent Jazz de toekomst mee vorm.”
— Astrid De Bruycker, schepen van Cultuur

 
Gent Jazz Talent is een initiatief van Gent Jazz in samenwerking met VI.BE, Sabam, brouwerij Omer-Vanderghinste, Ha Concerts, PlayRight, Kunstencentrum nona en de muziekstudio en creative space Edmond.

 
Tukan en Omasta live op 18 juli
 
Daarnaast staat er nog meer moois op het programma: jazz/hiphopband Omasta en het electronic dance/jazzkwartet Tukan zorgen voor een stevige opwarmer richting de tweede avond van de Gentse Feesten.
 

 
Registratie voor de Gent Jazz Talent-dag

De toegang voor deze festivaldag is gratis, maar we vragen €10 als bevestiging van je registratie. Dat bedrag krijg je terug als tegoed voor consumpties (eten en drinken) ter plaatse. Registreren kan via deze link. Snel zijn is aangeraden, want vol is vol. De concerten vinden die avond plaats op de Garden Stage, het tweede podium van Gent Jazz.

Meer info:
www.gentjazz.be

​Trixie Whitley deelt nieuwe single Building Fences
Belgisch-Amerikaanse multi-instrumentalist in 2026 met nieuwe muziek en tour

​Trixie Whitley, de multi-instrumentalist met wortels in New York en België, keert terug met 'Building Fences'. De single is een rauwe, intieme reflectie op kwetsbaarheid en de dunne grenzen die we optrekken om onszelf en anderen te beschermen. 'Building Fences' is samen met 'Weather Girl' – over onzekerheid en transformatie – de eerste nieuwe muziek in jaren.

Het verlangen om er voor iemand te zijn staat centraal op 'Building Fences', terwijl je zelf ook behoefte hebt aan geborgenheid. Met de herhaalde regel "All I wanted was to take care of you / Was it wrong to need to be taken care of too" vat Trixie Whitley de spanning die ook binnen liefde kan ontstaan, wanneer toewijding en uitputting langzaam door elkaar beginnen te lopen.Het beeld van een glazen kooi versterkt die fragiele tegenstelling: nabijheid zonder echte verbinding, aanwezigheid zonder bescherming. Door het nummer heen beweegt Whitley tussen tederheid en terughoudendheid, terwijl ze de angst aanraakt om onderdrukte woede onder ogen te zien, en de pijn die naar boven komt wanneer die gevoelens niet langer onder controle blijven.

De 'fences' uit de titel zijn geen muren die voortkomen uit conflict, maar grenzen die ontstaan uit kwetsbaarheid. Aarzelend en soms noodzakelijk. Met 'Building Fences' onderstreept Trixie Whitley opnieuw haar genuanceerd songschrijven: muziek die complexiteit omarmt, waar liefde, verdriet en veerkracht naast elkaar bestaan. Trixie Whitley tour dit jaar van New York tot Londen en van Amsterdam tot Zurich. Alle tourdata onderaan deze mail.

​Over Trixie Whitley
Trixie Whitley is een muzikant met wortels in New York en België, bekend om haar emotioneel onbevreesde songs, sterke ritmische drive en intense live optredens. Op haar albums laat ze soul, rock, experimentele pop en elektronica samenkomen.

Sinds haar veelgeprezen debuut ‘Fourth Corner’ (2013), gecoproduceerd door Thomas Bartlett (The National, Sufjan Stevens, Anna Calvi) en engineer/producer Pat Dillett (David Byrne, St Vincent, The Notorious B.I.G). In België behaalde het album in de eerste verkoopweek goud en leverde het haar een MIA (Music Industry Award) op voor Beste Vrouwelijke Soloartiest. De plaat werd lovend ontvangen door onder meer MOJO, Interview, ELLE, Vogue, Relix, The Village Voice, NPR en The New York Times.
Als multi-instrumentalist, op drums, gitaar, piano en zang, blijft Whitley zich ontwikkelen als een van de meest veelzijdige artiesten van haar generatie,  met nieuw werk op komst in 2026.

Tourdata
26/06 — Joe's Pub, New York, US
17/07 — Gent Jazz, Gent, BE
02/08 — Campo Solar, Damme, BE
18/11 — Prachtwerk, Berlin, DE
20/11 — Metropool, Hengelo, NL
21/11 — Bitterzoet, Amsterdam, NL
22/11 — BIRD, Rotterdam, NL
25/11 — Supersonic Records, Paris, FR
30/11 — Papiersaal, Zürich, CH
02/12 — The Grace, London, UK
06/12 — Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, BE
— — — 

Trixie Whitley Online
 
trixiewhitley.com • instagram.com/trixie_whitley
​

Jason Ricci's "13 Hours" Captures the Messy, Unfiltered Truth of a Life Lived Hard
​
Album release date: 29th May 2026.
​

​Multiple award-winning jazz, funk, and blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter Jason Ricci delivers one of the boldest and most diverse statements of his career with 13 Hours, recorded at the legendary Dockside Studios in Louisiana. Marking his third album for Gulf Coast Records, the release features Kaitlin Dibble and longtime band The Bad Kind, and serves as both a tribute to late drummer John Perkins and a fearless reflection of the world as Ricci sees it.

Rooted in the blues yet defying any limitations of genre, 13 Hours spans the full breadth of Ricci’s musical imagination. From greasy New Orleans funk to unfiltered blues confessionals, the record moves with restless energy, sharp humor, and raw vulnerability. The opening track, “Sick of This Shit,” sets the tone with biting social commentary and personal frustration capturing the exhaustion of modern life, a broken music industry, honesty and self-awareness.

Throughout the album, Ricci strips everything down to the nerve. The songs swing between defiance and fatigue, dark humor and brutal honesty. Renegade stands tall as an anthem of individuality, rejecting conformity with fire and conviction. In contrast, Long Twisted Night, written and performed by Kaitlin Dibble, unfolds as a haunting, cinematic portrayal of addiction, love, and helpless devotion. With lines that evoke “electric wires buzzing” and demons that “wear his clothes,” the song captures the quiet ache of loving someone at war with themselves. It is intimate, unflinching, and devastatingly human, one of the most vulnerable performances on the album.

Elsewhere, Bubble Gum Pop offers a tongue-in-cheek reminder that sometimes survival simply means taking a breath and stepping back from the noise. The New Orleans tribute Big DisEasey pulses with unmistakable Crescent City swagger, rich in grit and groove. Meanwhile, the title track, written in memory of late band member John Perkins and sung by Dibble, serves as the emotional centerpiece, an aching road hymn about loss, brotherhood, and the miles that bind musicians together.

At its core, 13 Hours is about endurance emotional, physical, and spiritual. It confronts burnout, addiction, grief, and resilience without polish or pretense. Ricci’s own life marked by Blues Music Awards, Grammy-winning collaborations, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame performances, and hard-fought battles with addiction and homelessness infuses the album with lived truth.

Dedicated to the memory of John Perkins, 13 Hours is a road-trip elegy in album form, a feeling of persistent presence in the landscapes and rituals, in the music shared between its creators and listener.
​

Album Tracklist:
1. Sick Of This Shit
2. Tired Of Tryin’
3. The Big Diseasey
4. Leo Watkins Rag
5. Long Twisted Night
6. Bubble Gum Pop
7. River’s Invitation
8. Renegade
9. Nuit Waltz
10. 13 Hours
 
____
Album Credits
Jason Ricci: Vocal & Harmonica
Kaitlin Dibble: Vocal
Brent Johnson: Guitar & Backing Vocal
Bill Blok: Bass & Backing Vocal
Benny Piazza: Drums & Backing Vocal
Guest Musicians: Mike Dillon : Vibraphone (Track 3), Khris Royal Alto Saxophone (Track3), Tom Fitzpatrick : Tennor Saxophone (Track 8), Santoru Ohashi : Trumpet & Flugelhorn (Track 8)
Producer: Jason Ricci
Executive Producers: Guy Hale, Mike Zito & Oliver Overton


Website:
jasonriccimusic.com

​Progressive rock legends Yes have announced the release of their 24th studio album, Aurora, arriving June 12 via InsideOut Music and Sony Music Entertainment. The new record features the current lineup of Steve Howe, Geoff Downes, Jon Davison, Billy Sherwood, and Jay Schellen, continuing the band’s evolution while honoring the unmistakable spirit that has defined Yes for more than five decades.

“For us, making this record was about exploration and collaboration,” says guitarist Steve Howe. “Someone may bring in the foundation of a song, but it only truly becomes a Yes song once everyone contributes their part. We’re not looking backward, we’re building on the legacy and pushing the music into new territory.”
Alongside the album announcement, the band has unveiled the new single “Turnaround Situation,” accompanied by a visualizer created by longtime collaborator Matt Hutchings, who also directed visuals for Aurora.

Frontman Jon Davison describes the track as one of the album’s most personal moments. “‘Turnaround Situation’ came from recognizing how ignoring your inner voice can slowly pull life apart,” he explains. “It reflects those moments when you choose the easy path, knowing deep down it’s the wrong one.”

Davison says the song became both a confession and a form of redemption. “The harder road is usually the right one,” he adds. “It asks more of you, but ultimately it gives back clarity, self-respect, and peace of mind. That’s what this song is really about finding freedom by finally being honest with yourself.”
​

Award-winning blues powerhouse Chris O'Leary returns with Blue Collar, his second release on Alligator Records an electrifying collection of original songs shaped by a lifetime of extraordinary experiences. A Marine combat veteran, former Federal police officer, and longtime frontman for Levon Helm’s legendary Barn Burners, O’Leary channels hard-earned wisdom, grit, and soul into timeless blues storytelling.

On stage and in the studio, O’Leary is a commanding presence, delivering powerhouse vocals and fiery harmonica playing with unmistakable authority. His songwriting blends humor, honesty, and sharp insight into a deeply personal sound rooted in Chicago blues, Memphis soul, and New Orleans funk. The result is a high-energy, genre-defying mix that feels both classic and unmistakably his own.

“I’ve lived the craziest life,” says O’Leary. “Going to war, touring with Levon Helm, learning from blues legend James Cotton, and now recording for Alligator—it’s something I never take for granted.”

Self-produced and emotionally rich, Blue Collar features 11 original tracks powered by O’Leary’s dynamic band, swaggering grooves, and deeply soulful performances. Every song draws from real-life experience, from the cautionary late-night tale “After 2 A.M.” to the wry and relatable “What Would I Do Without You?” The swampy burner “Live Baby Gators,” featuring acclaimed accordionist Wayne Toups, turns up the heat, while blues heavyweight Bob Margolin lends his unmistakable Muddy Waters-inspired guitar work to the haunting “Nothing But A Memory.” Fellow Alligator artist Lil' Ed Williams brings blazing slide guitar to the autobiographical “One More Cup Of Coffee.”

From his home in Virginia to festival stages around the globe, O’Leary has established himself as one of contemporary blues’ most respected harmonica players, compelling songwriters, and in-demand live performers. Since emerging in the 1990s, he has earned widespread acclaim for his soulful voice, masterful musicianship, and deeply authentic songwriting. His Alligator debut, The Hard Line, introduced audiences worldwide to an artist capable of delivering blues with equal parts passion, power, and razor-sharp wit.
​

Tracklist:
01. Bad Decisions 4:21
02. Lady Luck 3:32
03. Am I The Only Fool? 3:44
04. One More Cup Of Coffee 3:35
05. Nothing But A Memory 5:08
06. Justice Must Be Blind 3:43
07. After 2 A.M. 4:43
08. One Way Street 5:04
09. Live Baby Gators 4:45
10. How’d I Ever Get Along? 5:01
11. Daddy Was A Wolfman 3:51

Website:
thechrisolearyband.net


​

​Powerhouse vocalist, bassist and songwriter Danielle Nicole returns with her fourth solo album Fireflies, a bold and emotionally charged statement produced by Grammy Award winner Tony Braunagel. With a career spanning nearly 25 years, 10 Blues Music Awards, and a Grammy nomination, Nicole continues to redefine modern blues by fusing blues, soul and R&B into a sound that is both deeply rooted and unmistakably contemporary.

On Fireflies, Nicole expands her artistic vision through deeply personal songwriting shaped by collaboration and reflection. Following the loss of her brother and longtime bandmate Kris Schnebelen, she transformed grief into creative momentum, allowing trusted collaborators including Braunagel, guitarist Brandon Miller and keyboardist Jim Pugh to help shape the album’s emotional and musical direction.

A standout moment from the record is “Tug of War,” a gritty yet smooth blues-soul track that captures Nicole at her most self-assured. Built on an effortless groove, the song is a powerful declaration of emotional independence, delivered with her signature blend of strength and vulnerability. Featuring Tony Braunagel on drums, Jim Pugh on keyboards, Brandon Miller on guitar, and Nicole herself on bass, the track balances laid-back feel with razor-sharp emotional intent.

Few artists embody the intersection of technical mastery and raw soul like Danielle Nicole. Her commanding voice and acclaimed bass playing have earned repeated recognition from the Blues Foundation, including awards for bass performance, contemporary blues artist, and vocal excellence. She first gained international attention with the family band Trampled Under Foot, before launching a solo career in 2015 with the critically acclaimed Wolf Den. Subsequent releases Cry No More and The Love You Bleed further established her as one of the defining voices in contemporary American roots music.

With Fireflies, Nicole broadens her palette even further, embracing a deeper dialogue between blues, soul and R&B influences shaped by her Kansas City roots and inspirations such as Etta James and Aretha Franklin. The album moves fluidly between nostalgia, empowerment and emotional release, from reflective moments like “Take Me Back” to defiant anthems such as “Gaslight” and “Tug of War.”

Ultimately, Fireflies is not only a record of roots, but of transformation. It reflects an artist who continues to evolve through loss, collaboration and creative resilience burning brighter with every step forward in her musical journey.
​

​Tracklist Fireflies

​What is the soul of the blues? For The Bluescats and Greg Copeland, the answer lies not in definitions, but in the journey itself. Together, they bring that search to the stage with The Soul Of The Blues, a powerful live program rooted in groove, tradition and raw emotion.

Born in Virginia and now based in Hameln, Greg Copeland began his musical path after serving in the U.S. Air Force. With a voice that moves effortlessly from deep, velvety soul to gritty blues intensity, Copeland evokes the spirit of the late 1960s, when blues and soul stood side by side at the center of popular music.

Backing him are the Bluescats: guitarist Jens Filser, drummer Bernd Oppel and bassist Till Brandt, a trio known for its refined musicianship and deep understanding of the blues tradition. Their playing combines contemporary groove with classic feel, creating the perfect foundation for Copeland’s commanding vocal presence.

The Soul Of The Blues blends timeless blues and soul classics with original material written collaboratively by the band and Copeland, resulting in a set that feels both rooted and fresh. More than a concert, it is a musical exploration of rhythm, feeling and storytelling  a celebration of the enduring spirit of the blues.
​

Produced and distributed by Gorilla Punch Music, Low Tide Rituals will be released on June 15 on all digital platforms and on vinyl. The new album by Mr. Wob and the Canes marks another chapter in the band’s journey, a path that has evolved since 2012 between the Venetian lagoon and the industrial mainland through a musical language shaped by early blues, West African rhythms, Caribbean echoes, European folk traditions and rock.

Over the years, the band has built a distinctive identity through performances in clubs, taverns, festivals and musical storytelling projects, developing a sound where roots music and narrative instinct coexist naturally. With Low Tide Rituals, the group returns to the ritual and narrative core of its earliest work while pushing its songwriting toward a deeper and more mature expression.

The album follows the artistic trajectory established by Invitation to the Gathering (2014), The Ghost of Time (2015), Not Your Negro (2019), and the 2024 project Tales to the Sea, dedicated to the human and symbolic world of the Venice Lagoon. In this new work, the sea becomes the album’s central element: not simply a backdrop, but a living and symbolic space where memory, labor, waiting, danger and the desire for crossing all converge.

Low Tide Rituals unfolds through a sonic dramaturgy of currents, silences, rhythmic tension and melodic release, moving fluidly between ballad forms, hypnotic grooves and choral momentum. The album also marks the official arrival of bassist Matilde Ceccherelli, completing the lineup alongside Andrea “Mr. Wob” Facchin and Giovanni “Sugo” Natoli. Together, the trio shapes a raw and essential sound that balances blues-rooted intensity with ritual energy and narrative depth.

Released both physically and digitally through Gorilla Punch Music, the album reinforces the band’s commitment to coherence between sound, storytelling and artistic identity. More than a new record, Low Tide Rituals stands as a synthesis of the artistic vision of Mr. Wob and the Canes a work that reconnects with its origins without nostalgia, renewing their idea of music as something shared, physical and deeply human. Here, storytelling meets rhythm, and the sea becomes voice, threshold and destiny.
​

​Born between the Venetian lagoon and its mainland, Mr. Wob and the Canes have been carrying forward, since 2012, a personal sonic ritual they call Voodoo Roots Stew: a hybrid, raw, and pulsating blues in which the roots of the Delta intertwine with European folk, rock, and rhythms from West Africa and the Caribbean. Since their beginnings, the band has built a distinctive, visceral, and narrative voice, capable of bringing together storytelling, dance, and ritual tension.

After their early years, the group released Invitation to the Gathering in 2014, The Ghost of Time in 2015, and Not Your Negro in 2019 works that defined and expanded their language, always balanced between blues tradition, social urgency, and visionary imagery. In 2024 came Tales to the Sea, conceived as a narrative dedicated to the Venetian Lagoon, its waters, its boats, and the lives that move through it. Over the years, Mr. Wob and the Canes have taken their sound across Italy, moving from intimate taverns to festivals, as well as through theatrical experiences. More recently, the band has also recounted its first journey abroad to Portugal marking a live path that continues to widen its circle.

​The band is now preparing for the release of Low Tide Rituals, the new album coming out on the Gorilla Punch Music label: both a return to the roots and a new voyage through their poetic universe. Here, the sea ceases to be a backdrop and becomes the true protagonist: a place of journey, nostalgia, risk, and collective invocation. Among briny ballads, crooked grooves, and tidal chants, Low Tide Rituals promises to be a record that gathers the full identity of Mr. Wob and the Canes: music made of salt, rope, and heartbeat, where blues meets ritual.

Mr. Wob and the Canes are:
Andrea “Mr. Wob” Facchin — vocals, guitar, banjo
Giovanni “Sugo” Natoli — drums, washboard, vocals
Matilde Ceccherelli — bass, vocals

​Website:
facebook.com/thewobpage


​

“De beste rocksongwriter sinds Dylan en de meest indrukwekkende elektrische gitarist sinds Hendrix.” Met die woorden vat de Los Angeles Times de impact van Richard Thompson treffend samen. Al meer dan vijftig jaar geldt hij als één van de meest invloedrijke en gerespecteerde muzikanten binnen de folk- en rockwereld. Samenwerkingen met onder anderen Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Jones en David Byrne onderstrepen zijn uitzonderlijke status.

Thompsons muzikale reis begon in de jaren zestig als medeoprichter van Fairport Convention, de legendarische band die de Britse folkrock mee vormgaf. Na een succesvolle periode samen met zijn toenmalige vrouw Linda Thompson bouwde hij verder aan een indrukwekkende solocarrière die inmiddels meer dan drie decennia overspant.

Met nummers als “I Feel So Good”, “I Misunderstood”, “Dad’s Gonna Kill Me” en “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” schreef Richard Thompson songs die een vaste plaats kregen in het collectieve muziekgeheugen. Na meer dan vijftig jaar op het podium is Richard Thompson nog altijd een klasse apart: energiek, verrassend en onmogelijk om in één hokje te stoppen. Zijn virtuoze gitaarspel, genre-overstijgende songwriting en warme podiumpresence maken elk concert tot een unieke belevenis, een avond met een levende legende van de folkrock.

​Richard Thompson (New West)
12 juni 2026    Eindhoven (NL) Muziekgebouw   Tickets
15 juni 2026    Groningen (NL) Oosterpoort   Tickets      
17 Juni 2026    Utrecht (NL) TivoliVredenburg   Tickets
18 Juni 2026    Antwerpen (B) De Roma   Tickets   


​

​The historic Phonotype label is set to release No War, the brand-new album from Baba Sissoko & Mediterranean Blues  a vibrant and deeply rooted musical journey where blues, rock, soul and Afrobeat meet Malian tradition and a universal call for peace.

Africa’s pulse, the spirit of rock, and the soul of the blues come together across the Mediterranean in nine fiery and electrifying tracks. Driven by Baba Sissoko’s unmistakable raspy voice, infectious grooves and a rich fusion of cultures and musical languages, No War captures the essence of connection, resistance and hope.

The album blends uplifting Afro-American influences with echoes of Jamaican rhythms, while expressive harmonica lines add a raw blues edge throughout the record’s hypnotic flow. Though collaboration and musical cross-pollination have always been central to Baba Sissoko’s work, Mediterranean Blues has evolved into a particularly strong and cohesive project over the years.

Following the band’s acclaimed live debut Mediterranean Blues (2017) and the 2021 follow-up Mali Music Has No Borders, No War marks a new chapter for the ensemble. The album was recorded over two intense days in November 2024 at the renowned Auditorium Novecento in Naples, capturing the raw energy and chemistry of the group in a live studio setting.

With No War, Baba Sissoko & Mediterranean Blues deliver more than an album  they offer a powerful musical statement celebrating unity, cultural dialogue and the enduring strength of peace.
​

​Tracks:
01. Afro Rock
02. Angha Ben
03. Immigres
04. La Vita è Bella
05. Le Monde Est Un Village
06. Leyla
07. Na Na Na e Napoli
08. Nene
09. No War

Website:
babasissokomediterraneanblues.com


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