(Photo credits: Nele Meulemans, Alberto Monteleone, Jean Fleuriot)
Blend/React
Maxime Dereux, alto sax / Fang Hsuan-Hui, vocals / Guillaume Delbarre, trombone / Martin Blouet, vibraphone / Piergiorgio Pirro, piano and electronics / Marin De Nattes, el. bass / Jelte De Cock, drums
BLEND/REACT is a young collective that explores the many facets of what it is to play jazz in the present-day world. Influenced by the music of M-Base, Bo Van der Werf, Magic Malik, Steve Lehman, and other jazz pioneers, BLEND/REACT brings the compositions of many of its members into dialogue.
Mostly composed of young jazz players gravitating in the Brussels area, the group was formed to explore fresh approaches to composition and improvisation, laying the foundation for a collective that embraces transformative and daring interpretations of contemporary jazz.
NEW ALBUM PRE-MIXES
Play Along (Pirro):
Kukumka (De Nattes):
Après l’ouragan (Delbarre):
BLEND in a single, synthetic, unified sound or REACT as distinct voices and individualities? While this tension exists in every jazz band, this ensemble explores it programmatically, delivering music that is both adventurous and danceable. At times, the musicians blend their sounds and gestures, creating complex timbres that could not arise without a collective, coordinated effort. At others, the six people on stage tell their stories, acting as voices, as individuals.
The result is both daring and familiar, bridging jazz’s core elements with timbral structures, microtonal harmonies, and unconventional rhythms inspired by some of the best cutting-edge jazz of the 21st Century.