De Werf
Encyclopedia
De Werf is a Belgian
art
s center based in Bruges
. It organizes concert
s and records CDs for jazz
musician
s. The first record it released (in 1993
) was Sketches of Belgium by K. D.'s Basement Party, a band
led by Kris Defoort
. The next year, Octurn
's first album went out on this label. In 1995, it released Variations On A Love Supreme
(compositions by Kris Defoort and Fabrizio Cassol
). In 2002, an 11-CD box was edited by De Werf under the name The Finest Of Belgian Jazz. It contained CDs by Greetings From Mercury
, Aka Moon
, Brussels Jazz Orchestra
, Octurn and Kris Defoort Quartet.
Rik Bevernage, De Werf's main collaborator, received a special prize at the 2002 Golden Django
ceremony.
In February 2009, the public funding for the venue was removed, it being felt that the club didn't produce relevant or up-to-date concerts and theatre performances, making a closure of De Werf from 31 December 2009 likely, unless an appeal can be accepted.
pieces and events for children.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
s center based in Bruges
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
. It organizes concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s and records CDs for jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s. The first record it released (in 1993
1993 in music
This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993.-January–February:*January 8 – The U.S. Postal Service issues an Elvis Presley stamp. The design was voted on in February 1992....
) was Sketches of Belgium by K. D.'s Basement Party, a band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
led by Kris Defoort
Kris Defoort
Kris Defoort is a Belgian avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. He was born in 1959 in Bruges. He also teaches at the Brussels conservatory. His brother is Bart Defoort ....
. The next year, Octurn
Octurn
Octurn is a Belgian polyrhythmic jazz ensemble led by Bo Van Der Werf . Its lineup as well as the composers are changed for every album...
's first album went out on this label. In 1995, it released Variations On A Love Supreme
Variations on A Love Supreme
Variations on A Love Supreme is a jazz album composed by Fabrizio Cassol and Kris Defoort. It contains variations on A Love Supreme, the classic jazz album by the John Coltrane quartet...
(compositions by Kris Defoort and Fabrizio Cassol
Fabrizio Cassol
Fabrizio Cassol is a Belgian saxophonist and the first user of the aulochrome .He was born in Ougrée, Belgium. Between 1982 and 1985, he studied at the Liège conservatory and obtained a first prize for saxophone while majoring in chamber music. He graduated in improvisation and composition...
). In 2002, an 11-CD box was edited by De Werf under the name The Finest Of Belgian Jazz. It contained CDs by Greetings From Mercury
Greetings From Mercury
Greetings From Mercury is a Belgian jazz fusion band led by saxophonist Jeroen Van Herzeele. The formation contains the members of Jeroen Van Herzeele trio plus bassist Otti Van Der Werf, rapper Steve Segers and sound engineer/producer/sitar player Michel Andina who recorded all their albums and...
, Aka Moon
Aka Moon
Aka Moon is a Belgian avant-garde jazz band. Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol, bassist Michel Hatzigeorgiou, and drummer Stéphane Galland are the founding members of the core trio...
, Brussels Jazz Orchestra
Brussels Jazz Orchestra
Brussels Jazz Orchestra is a Belgian jazz big band founded in 1993 by saxophonist and composer Frank Vaganée. They recorded their first CD in 1997...
, Octurn and Kris Defoort Quartet.
Rik Bevernage, De Werf's main collaborator, received a special prize at the 2002 Golden Django
Golden Django
The Golden Django, named after guitarist Django Reinhardt, is an award for jazz musicians in Europe. The trophy is a creation of the French painter Raymond Moretti. It was first introduced in France , then in Belgium , in Sweden and Italy and finally in Denmark .-Belgian palmares:Since 1995,...
ceremony.
In February 2009, the public funding for the venue was removed, it being felt that the club didn't produce relevant or up-to-date concerts and theatre performances, making a closure of De Werf from 31 December 2009 likely, unless an appeal can be accepted.
Live acts
De Werf has its own concert hall where many jazz bands perform. There are also theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
pieces and events for children.
1997 releases
- Octurn : Ocean
- Bart Defoort Quartet : Moving
- The Fonda/Stevens Group : Live From Brugge
1998 releases
- Laurent Blondiau Quintet : The Queen Of The Apple Pie
- The Chris Joris Experience : Live 1997
- Ernst Vranckx Quartet featuring Kenny WheelerKenny WheelerKenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC is a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. since the 1950s....
: A Child's Blessing
1999 releases
- Kris Defoort Quartet and Kris Defoort & Dreamtime : Passages (2CDs)
- Frank Vaganée Trio featuring John Ruocco : Two Trios
- Ode For Joe : Caribbean Fire Dance
- Brussels Jazz Orchestra : The September Sessions
2000 releases
- Ben Sluijs Quartet : Candy Century
- Octurn : Round
- Joe Fonda, Carlo Morena and Jeff Hirshfield : Step-In
- Mark DresserMark DresserMark Dresser is an American double bass player and composer.-Biography:He has performed and recorded with many of the luminaries of "new" jazz composition and improvisation. For ten years he performed with the Anthony Braxton Quartet, as well as diverse groups led by Ray Anderson, Tim Berne,...
and Mark Elias : The Marks Brothers
2001 releases
- Ernst Vranckx Quintet : Songs & Dances
- Ben Sluijs Quartet : Seasounds
- Erik Vermeulen Trio : Songs Of Minutes
- Rêve d'éléphant Orchestra : Racines Du Ciel
- Christoph Erbstösser Trio : Vive Les Etrangers
- Trio Grande : Signé Trio Grande
2002 releases
- Various artists : The Finest In Belgian Jazz (11CDs box) with :
- Brussels Jazz Orchestra : The Music Of Bert JorisBert JorisBert Joris is an internationally renowned jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger from Belgium. In 1996 he received the Golden Django.-References:*...
(2CDs) - Greetings From Mercury : Heiwa
- Aka Moon : Guitars
- Nathalie Loriers Trio + Extensions : Tombouctou
- Octurn : Dimensions
- Ben Sluijs Quartet : Flying Circles
- Philip CatherinePhilip CatherinePhilip Catherine is a Belgian jazz guitarist.-Biography:He was born in London from an English mother and Belgian father....
: Summer Night - Bert JorisBert JorisBert Joris is an internationally renowned jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger from Belgium. In 1996 he received the Golden Django.-References:*...
Quartet : Live - Erik Vermeulen Trio : Inner City
- Kris Defoort, Mark TurnerMark Turner (musician)Mark Turner is a jazz saxophonist and clarinetist with several recordings to his credit.-Biographical information:Born in Fairborn, Ohio, and raised in Southern California, Turner originally intended to become a commercial artist. In elementary school he played the clarinet, followed by the alto...
, Nicolas ThysNicolas ThysNicolas Thys is a Belgian bassist. He graduated in 1994 from the Hilversum Conservatory , where he also taught bass and double bass. Thys took private lessons with Dave Holland, Marc Helias and Marc Johnson. He received several awards, most notably the Golden Django award for best young talent in...
and Jim BlackJim BlackJim Black is a jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music....
: Sound Plaza
- Brussels Jazz Orchestra : The Music Of Bert Joris
2003 releases
- The Chris Joris Experience : Out Of The Night
- Bart Defoort Quartet : The Lizard Game
- Jan De Haas Quintet : Doing My Thing
2004 releases
- Mahieu-Vantomme Quartet : Whatever
- Rêve d'éléphant Orchestra : Lobster Caravan
- André Goudbeek, Xu Fengxia and Joe Fonda : Separate Realities
- High Voltage : Hoppin' Around
- Koen De Cauter, Fapy LafertinFapy LafertinFapy Lafertin is a jazz guitarist of Romani ethnicity, one of the foremost contemporary exponents of the Belgian-Dutch style of Gypsy jazz....
, Patrick Saussois, Joop Ayal, Tcha Limberger, Waso De Cauter and Dajo De Cauter : Django!
2005 releases
- Ben Sluijs Quartet : True Nature
- Kris Defoort, Koen Kessels, Claron Mc Fadden & Dreamtime : ConVerSations/ConSerVations
- Hendrik Braeckman, Bert Joris, Kurt Van Herck, Piet Verbist & Jan de Haas : til now
- Bart Maris, Zeger Vandenbussche, Mathias Van de Wiele, Dajo De Cauter & Giovanni Barcella : Konglong
2006 releases
- Fabrizio Cassol, Bart Defoort, Michel Massot, Stéphane Galland & Kris Defoort : Live at The Werf
- Robin Verheyen, Harmen Fraanje, Clemens van der Feen & Flin van Hemmen : Narcissus
- Nathalie Loriers, Sal La Rocca, Hans Van Oosterhout : Silent Spring
- Peer Baierlein, Ewout Pierreux, David Petrocca & Yves Peeters : Open Questions
- Brussels Jazz Orchestra : Countermove
- Nathalie Loriers & Chemins Croisés : L'arbre pleure
- Ben Sluijs, Jeroen Van Herzeele, Manolo CAbras & Marek Patrman : Somewhere in Between
- Eric Person, Bob Stewart, Fabian Fioriini, Reggie Washington, Chris Mentens, Baba Sissoko, Junior Mthombeni & Chris Joris : Rainbow Country
- Bart Quartier, Nico Schepers, Bart Defoort, Jean-Louis Rassinfosse & Jan de Haas : Thank You
- Laurent Blondiau, Jeroen Van Herzeele, Jean-Yves Evrard, Jozef Dumoulin, Sébastien Boisseau, Eric Thielemans, guest(s), Sophie Kokaj & Samanta7 : 5
2007 releases
- Pierre Van Dormael & Octurn : North Country Suite
- Saxafabra & Cezariusz Gadzina : Saxafabra
- Songs for Broadcoast : RadioKUKAorkest