Mastersounds: Elias D’hooge Trio

Master student jazz piano Elias D'hooge is on fire. Together with his companions Zjef Van Steenbergen (bass) and Tom Peeters (drums), he recently cashed in his participation in the B-Jazz International Contest 2023 with a place in the final. That will be contested at Jazz in 't Park in September. Still so long, we hear you say. Fear not. With the Graduation Festival just around the corner, they can be seen at the Minard Theatre as early as 14 June.   

Elias D'hooge Trio starts from a solid musical tradition, which they spice up with their own invention in a completely casual way. On their vi.be page, we find a sample of that pleasant balance. 'Maybe Not' is just such a song. A captivating piano intro, is joined by bass, briefly flirts with something phrygian and then fans out into classical trio playing. The three gentlemen are not devoid of humour, by the way. 'Humpty Dumpty' – you know, after the lamented egg from the English nursery rhyme – is a snappy up-tempo tune, where a syncopated motif breaks into a thousand pieces. 'Circulation Plan', in turn, seems like a good-natured interpretation of an urban evening rush hour. Dissonant horn imitations and sudden accelerations suggest the urbane chaos of wriggling traffic. And while we're on the subject: if you don't have a bike or live too far, follow the signs Parking Gent Zuid, then walk 200 metres to Romain Deconinck's statue, get in, sit down and wiggle your feet vigorously.