Belgium's history of jazz is deeply rooted, but still very much alive in the capital today.
As the birthplace of the saxophone and world-renowned jazz legends such as Jean-Baptiste "Toots" Thielemans, and with heavy musical influences from its colonisation of Congo, it is no surprise that Belgium has strong ties to jazz.
Nowadays, Belgium boasts a variety of festivals throughout the year celebrating the genre, such as the Flagey festival and River Jazz, and there are a number of clubs dotted throughout Brussels. "Musicians come to experiment on the Brussels scene as it offers enormous opportunities to enrich yourself musically," the founding director of Brussels Jazz Weekend, Steven Palmaers, told The Brussels Times.
To mark the first day of Europe's biggest free jazz festival, we have compiled a list of some of the best clubs the city has to offer — so you can enjoy jazz not just for the next three days but all year round.
Toots Jazz Club - City centre
Named after Belgium's much-loved musician, Toots Jazz Club is the new kid on the block. The bar, located just off Grand Place, opened its doors on 15 May but has already attracted large crowds and enjoyed sold-out nights.
Renowned Belgian jazz pianist Joachim Caffonnette and his non-profit Toots Live spearheaded the project. Caffonnette aims to offer "a festive, eclectic and challenging vision" of what famous French jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani called "21st-century classical music."
Credit: Toots Jazz Club
The intimate, cabaret-style setting, with dimmed lights, wooden-panelled walls and table service, offers a rich programme, with at least eight musical events per week. There are both free high-quality jam sessions and paid concerts from Wednesdays to Sundays, depending on the day, ranging from early New Orleans jazz to today's New York scene, swing, hard bop, funk and more. On Tuesdays, however, there's no live music: instead, an open "blitz chess tournament" is held.
Find more information here.
The Music Village - City centre
Also a stone's throw from Grand Place is The Music Village. Established in 2000 and inspired by the great New York clubs, it offers over 300 live concerts a year in a warm, relaxed atmosphere. The Music Village is one of Brussels' larger jazz club, seating 100 people, and hugely popular among tourists and Belgians alike.
The Music Village prides itself on catering to a wide, international audience through a variety of genres, such as jazz fusion, Afro, Brazilian, Cuban and gypsy jazz, as well as blues, rhythm & blues, New Orleans and funk, among other world music. CNN Travel heralds it as one of the top three jazz clubs in Europe.
Credit: The Music Village
Every Tuesday of the year, young local and international musicians can take to the stage in the jazz jam. Every Wednesday, a rising star on the Belgian and international jazz scene is given carte blanche.
Find more information here.
L'Archiduc - City centre
Just a short walk away, L'Archiduc, with its distinctive turquoise façade and neon lights, has been a landmark on Rue Antoine Dansaert for nearly 90 years.
Having opened in 1937, L'Archiduc was originally this was a "café de rendez-vous", Jean-Louis Hennart, who took over the business in 1985 told Het Laatse Nieuws. It was meeting place where businessmen from the stock exchange came with their secretaries for romantic trysts, extramarital or otherwise. Curtains were drawn and there was a partition between the tables for privacy. Jazz only came later, when influential Belgian pianist Stan Brenders took over the bar in 1953.
Credit: L'Archiduc
Over the decades, it has welcomed a number of familiar faces: it was in the bar that Belgium's Jacques Brel met French singer Barbara, Arno Hintjes discovered jazz music, Miles Davis, Nat King Cole, Toots Thielemans and Johan Verminnen performed and Bono from U2 also visited. Pop sensation Angèle kickstarted her career here and Lady Gaga presented her jazz album with Tony Bennett.
"The soul of L'Archiduc has never changed," Hennart said. "It has always been a place where people from different backgrounds meet [...] It's a unique place, with a rich history and an unusual atmosphere."
Find more information here.
Sounds - Ixelles
Sergio Duvaloni and Rosy Merlini created this intimate jazz club on an Ixelles backstreet in 1986. It started out as a rock and blues café, but evolved into a trendy jazz venue reminiscent of New York. Since then, some big names in Belgian and international jazz have passed through this laid-back spot, including Philip Catherine, Melanie De Biaso and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra.
Sounds. Credit: Municipality of Ixelles/Elsene
After nearly dying during the pandemic and then teetering on the brink of closure last year due to a dispute between the two non-profits who ran it, the legendary club on Rue de la Tulipe has made a miraculous return. Now, the Buen Vivir collective and its non-profit organisation manage both the new 'Sounds Resist' programme – with resistance and resilience activities to uphold human rights – and the club's musical programme.
Now in its 40th season, the club's agenda is as exciting as ever. Under the direction of artistic director John De Martino, "who brings a fresh Italian perspective", Wednesdays are dedicated to innovative experiments, jazz jams are on Thursdays, jazz concerts on Fridays, Afro Latina, salsa nights and more.
Find more information here.
Jazz Station - Saint-Josse-Ten-Noode
In northern Brussels, Jazz Station is a particularly unique venue as it is the site of a former train station. Designed in the Flemish neo-Renaissance style with elements from Brabant baroque, the station opened in 1885 to serve the Brussels-Namur-Luxembourg rail line that connected the city's North Station to the Leopold Station. It was completely abandoned until the end of the century after the First World War, but then reemerged as a concert hall and jazz club.
The Jazz Station. Credit: Visit Brussels
Open day and night from Wednesday to Saturday, Jazz Station hosts an eclectic array of concerts, exhibitions, public rehearsals, artists residencies, festivals, courses, music conferences, open mics, workshops, and training sessions – and benefits from excellent acoustics. Don't miss the apéro-concerts on Saturday and make sure to take a peek at the view over the train tracks!
Find more information here.
