What is your first memory of Kortrijk or the region?

“My first memory of Kortrijk is attending a concert by trumpeter Roy Hargrove with his quintet at the fifth edition of the ParkJazz Festival in 2006. Roy was at the peak of his life then and played with his top band like a star. At that moment, as a fifteen-year-old pianist, I was taking my first steps in the Belgian jazz scene, and my father took me to various clubs and festivals. Roy Hargrove's performance left a deep impression on me. Three years later, when I visited New York for the first time, I ended up at the Smalls Jazz Club. To my great surprise, Roy casually walked past me towards the stage to join the jam session. Once again, I was amazed, and this experience strengthened my desire to one day live, study, and play in New York. Three years later, that wish had come true. Just as I was able to fulfill a dream by playing with drummer Eric McPherson, who was previously part of Roy Hargrove's quintet.”

Do you have a specific place in Kortrijk that is special to you and why?

“I would like to get to know the city better. For now, the Muziekcentrum Track remains the most important place for me because of the dozens of concerts I have already played there. Almost all the bands I have played with in the last fifteen to twenty years have been on this stage. I always look forward to coming here to play. The piano, the hall, the audience, hanging out a bit in the cozy bar after the concert, browsing through the records…”

What place do your roots have in your artistic oeuvre?

“Roots have many meanings. Often it’s about the reasons why we do what we do: the influence of family, upbringing, culture, and the balance between tradition and experiment. For me, the love for music that I inherited from my father is perhaps the most important. I am also immensely grateful for the inexhaustible source of inspiration from the wonderful people around me. These influences have gradually shaped my artistic path and continue to motivate me to deepen and further develop my music.”

What would you like to say to the young generation of artists from Kortrijk?

“I like to look back on my time at the conservatories in Belgium and the period afterward in New York. For me, it was a time with one important constant: a lot of time to work on the artistic side. As a young artist, you can fully immerse yourself, on the edge of almost too much. It’s an important period where you can dig deep, hopefully, without having to deal with other time-consuming matters. You have the time to explore with the people around you, and these connections and relationships will likely last until the end of your life.”