Jef Neve Trio
Belgium
2013.10.04 09:30—10:30pm
Venue: B10 Live, North District, OCT-LOFT
Artists:
Jef Neve – Piano
Wouters Nathan – Double bass
Bouttery Jens Rougier Maurits – Drums
In 2001 Jef started his trio with Piet Verbist on double bass and Lieven Venken on Drumming. Their first album was released two years later. ‘Blue Saga’ (Contour, 2003) became a bestseller immediately. During this period, Teun Verbruggen, who already participated in this first album, became the new drummer. The second album “It’s Gone” (Contour,Nov 2004), was #1 jazz album in Belgium. It received the prestigious Radio Klaraprize for ‘Best International Jazz Album 2005’ and unanimous acclaim in theinternational press (for ex.: “From Belgium comes Jef Neve, an explosively gifted young pianist whose second album, It’s Gone, is without question one of the best I’veheard in 2005.” AllAboutJazz.com/Marc Meyers, 9/05).
Jef Neve signed with Universal Music Belgium, and the third album, “Nobody is Illegal” (2006) was again bestselling jazz album in Belgium and reviews superlative (for ex.: “On his major label debut ‘Nobody Is Illegal’ his highly personal approach to the piano trio announces the arrival of a young musician of enormous promise whohas the potential to become a major voice on the European jazz scene” – Stuart Nicholson, 12/06). Universal Music companies worldwide reacted equally enthusiastic and the CD was released in 20 countries. In FRANCE the album received the “CHOC” in the magazine ‘Jazzman’. In DENMARK it received 5-stars in ‘Politiken’ by Boris Rabinowitsch: “Klaverfænomen.” In the UK the ‘Guardian Monthly’ ranked it among “5 best new albums”, the cd received 4-stars in ‘Times2′ and in the ‘Evening Standard’. ‘The Observer’ wrote: “His concerts are almost like a religious experience, riveting audiences by the sheer power and imagination of his playing.”
The fourth album “Soul In a Picture” was released in May 2008 on Universal Music Belgium followed by world wide release in 24 countries. The trio’s concerts were sold out at all the main belgian venues ranging from 600 to 1000 people in Brussels, Anwerp, Gent, Leuven, Turnhout, Hasselt, followed by a series of concerts in the smaller towns as well as abroad, and the CD and concerts gets great reviews in the press all over the world. -JazzMan magazine: « Spectacular. His previous album had enchanted the critics and was crowned with a ‘Choc’ Jazzman. “Soul in a Picture” hits the nail right on the head and confirms all our expectations.
If Neve had been born somewhere jazzily iconic such as Chicago or New Orleans he would already have been fêted as the hottest new pianist on the block.
The Trio performed at major festivals like Paris Jazz, North Sea jazz, Vienna Jazz,Montreal Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz, Veneto Jazz, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Madrid etc. In 2008 the trio had great success at Bremen JazzAhead and their first shows in Japan, where theyalso recorded a piece with great artist TOKU for the Japanese release of the newalbum. The trio played their first concert in Hungary and were invited for a secondtour in Mexico, where they played in Monterrey at the two main theatres and inMexico city festival with standing ovations, as well as in England, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Holland. In 2009 they performed at the prestigious Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and toured in Spain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the UK, Poland, Czech Republic, France.. The outstanding musicianship combined with fine-tuned interactivity and visible joy while playing is very communicative and makes an event of each concert.
Jef Neve’s latest trio album “Imaginary Road” (September 2010, Universal/Emarcy),was recorded with his long time companion Teun Verbruggen on drums and a great
young bass player: Ruben Samama, from Dutch origin living in NY. The releaseconcertsin five of Belgium’s foremost venues in front of 700 to 800 people receivedstanding ovations from sold-out halls, as well as in Holland Amsterdam ‘Bimhuis’,Utrecht, The Hague Jazz as well as in Australia, Canada, France, Germany and Japan.
