It's certainly worthwhile to discover the glowing jazz of Flemish pianist Jef Neve, who's making his debut at North Sea Jazz. Why? In short Neve is a representative of the new generation of Belgian jazz musicians. In the year 2000 the pianistcomposer graduated, both in classical music and jazz, at the Leuven Lemmens Institute. With his jazz trio he released two independent albums. His new, internationally well received CD Nobody is Illegal, marks the breakthrough of 'the crown prince of Belgian jazz'. The jazz of Neve, who also gives classical concerts (Bach's Goldberg Variations), is characterized by melodic turns. His compositions contain differentiated discharges, sublimely executed, but there are also moments of rest, with improvisations of drummer Teun Verbruggen and bass player Piet Verbist. This year Neve won the 'best jazz' prize at the Vlaamse Zamu Music Awards.
