Joachim Caffonnette invites Bert Joris • Very Special Guest

Before fully devoting himself to the management and programming of a jazz club like the Toots, Joachim Caffonnette was, first and foremost, a pianist and composer. While he is often seen opening jam sessions or inviting Brussels-based musicians for aperitif duos, he returns here as a bandleader for a proper concert, built around his own compositions and a selection of standards he holds particularly dear.

For the occasion, he is joined by long-time musical partners: drummer Armando Luongo, with whom he has shared nearly 15 years of music-making and who already featured on his debut album Simplexity (2015); New Orleans-born bassist Jasen Weaver, whom Joachim invited for the recording of Bittersweet Times (2021) and with whom he shares a deep affinity for a certain tradition of American jazz; and Mathieu Najean, whose sound breathes the history of jazz, and who has long been entrusted by Caffonnette with leading the house band of his clubs.

To complete the quartet, a very special guest will appear on the Toots stage for the first time: Bert Joris. A true legend of Belgian jazz, composer, arranger, and above all a trumpeter of remarkable musicality, he stands as a major reference. Having admired him since first encountering his music through a competition piece in 2008, Caffonnette now relishes the opportunity to bring their musical worlds together for a unique and exceptional evening.