Aka Moon
Encyclopedia
Aka Moon is a Belgian
avant-garde jazz
band. Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol
, bassist
Michel Hatzigeorgiou
, and drummer
Stéphane Galland
are the founding members of the core trio. All three were already active musicians playing in various groups including the Nasa Na Band (with guitarist Pierre Van Dormael), but came together to record as Aka Moon after spending some time in the Central African Republic
studying the musical habits of the native Aka pygmies tribe. In 1992, they released their first album, inspired by the methodology that the pygmies used in creating their music. Their name is commonly mispronounced as "AKA Moon" referring to the acronym "also known as". The correct pronunciation is "AH-kah MOON".
Aka Moon's overall sound is a mixture of jazz
, rock
, world music
, and avant-garde
. They could be compared musically and philosophically with the M-Base
movement and artists such as M-Base founder Steve Coleman
, Belgian ensemble Octurn
, Stéphane Payen's Thôt, Vijay Iyer
, and Rudresh Mahanthappa
to name a few.
Their first few albums released in the early 1990s (Aka Moon, Rebirth, and Live at Kaai) featured the original trio configuration. In the mid-90s, they expanded incorporating Eastern elements, integrating musicians from India into their music. Akasha Vol.1 and Akasha Vol. 2 were released and included instrumentation such as flute
, tabla
, and mridangam, adding further dimension to their work.
They changed the group configuration again in 1997 with the release of three albums. Ganesh had an eastern tone similar to the Akasha albums, but added were the talents of two guitarists, notably Marc Ducret
. Elohim featured a more electric lineup with vocalist David Linx
and keyboardist Benoit Delbecq
on some tracks. They also started working more with the concept of recurring themes. Live At Vooruit featured the trio with a well-known percussionist from Senegal
, Doudou N'Diaye Rose
, and several members of his family.
In the late 1990s, the group endeavored to produce a trilogy of albums that were all designed to loosely intertwine, Invisible Mother, Invisible Sun, and Invisible Moon. The concept was based around the Chinese I Ching
(book of changes). Invisible Mother has the trio playing with the Ictus Ensemble
, a European chamber band. The music showcases a dark, chamber string-quartet side of the band and lays the groundwork for the follow-up albums in the trilogy. Invisible Sun is an 11-piece big band ensemble. Invisible Moon features Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
and Benoit Delbecq
and has a strong world music
vibe. Aka Moon revisits and rearranges several themes found in different spots throughout the trilogy.
In Real Time was released in 2001, and was originally music composed for a ballet. Guitars was released in 2002 which comprises the trio playing with 3 guitarists, including David Gilmore
. Like earlier works, there are examples of recurring, rearranged themes within the album as the group pays homage to several different guitarists and their styles: like John Scofield
, Bill Frisell
, and Paco De Lucia
.
In 2006, the new Album Amazir was released, with Magic Malik (flute, voice) and Fabian Fiorini (piano) appearing as guests.
Aka Moon is a leading band of an entire modern jazz
movement in Belgium with artists like Reve D’Elephant Orchestra, La Grande Formation, Slang
, Kris Defoort
, Pierre Van Dormael
, Octurn
, Maak's Spirit
, Tomas & Co, and others.
On De Werf Records
:
On Cypres Records:
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz
Avant-garde jazz is a style of music and improvisation that combines avant-garde art music and composition with jazz. Avant-jazz often sounds very similar to free jazz, but differs in that, despite its distinct departure from traditional harmony, it has a predetermined structure over which ...
band. Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol
Fabrizio Cassol
Fabrizio Cassol is a Belgian saxophonist and the first user of the aulochrome .He was born in Ougrée, Belgium. Between 1982 and 1985, he studied at the Liège conservatory and obtained a first prize for saxophone while majoring in chamber music. He graduated in improvisation and composition...
, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Michel Hatzigeorgiou
Michel Hatzigeorgiou
Michel Hatzigeorgiou is a Belgian bassist. He was born in Belgium from Greek parents. He started playing bouzouki at the age of 9, then switched to electric guitar at 11 and finally to electric bass at 14. He joined his first band "The Blackbirds" when he was student at Charleroi Technical...
, and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Stéphane Galland
Stéphane Galland
Stéphane Galland is a Belgian drummer.He got his first drumset at the age of 3 and six years later, he entered the Huy conservatory, from which he graduated in 1987. When he was 11, he started to perform with jazz musicians like Eric Legnini and Jean-Pierre Catoul...
are the founding members of the core trio. All three were already active musicians playing in various groups including the Nasa Na Band (with guitarist Pierre Van Dormael), but came together to record as Aka Moon after spending some time in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
studying the musical habits of the native Aka pygmies tribe. In 1992, they released their first album, inspired by the methodology that the pygmies used in creating their music. Their name is commonly mispronounced as "AKA Moon" referring to the acronym "also known as". The correct pronunciation is "AH-kah MOON".
Aka Moon's overall sound is a mixture of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
, and avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
. They could be compared musically and philosophically with the M-Base
M-Base
The term "M-Base" is used in several ways. In the 1980s, a loose collective of young African-American musicians including Steve Coleman, Graham Haynes, Cassandra Wilson, Geri Allen, Robin Eubanks, and Greg Osby emerged in Brooklyn with a new sound and specific ideas about creative expression...
movement and artists such as M-Base founder Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman
Steve Coleman, born , is an African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.-Chicago:...
, Belgian ensemble Octurn
Octurn
Octurn is a Belgian polyrhythmic jazz ensemble led by Bo Van Der Werf . Its lineup as well as the composers are changed for every album...
, Stéphane Payen's Thôt, Vijay Iyer
Vijay Iyer
Vijay Iyer is a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, producer, electronic musician, and writer based in New York City.-Biography:Born in 1971 and raised in Rochester, New York, Vijay Iyer is the son of Indian Tamil immigrants to the US. He received 15 years of Western classical training on violin...
, and Rudresh Mahanthappa
Rudresh Mahanthappa
Rudresh Mahanthappa is a New York-based jazz alto saxophonist and composer.Mahanthappa was born in Trieste, Italy, and grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1992 and received his Master of Fine Arts degree in jazz composition from Chicago's DePaul University...
to name a few.
Their first few albums released in the early 1990s (Aka Moon, Rebirth, and Live at Kaai) featured the original trio configuration. In the mid-90s, they expanded incorporating Eastern elements, integrating musicians from India into their music. Akasha Vol.1 and Akasha Vol. 2 were released and included instrumentation such as flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, and mridangam, adding further dimension to their work.
They changed the group configuration again in 1997 with the release of three albums. Ganesh had an eastern tone similar to the Akasha albums, but added were the talents of two guitarists, notably Marc Ducret
Marc Ducret
Marc Ducret is a jazz, and avant garde, guitarist, self-taught, who is most well known for his work with saxophonist Tim Berne.-Selected discography:As leader2011 Tower, vol.2...
. Elohim featured a more electric lineup with vocalist David Linx
David Linx
David Linx is a Belgian jazz singer, composer and songwriter.-As guest:*Diederik Wissels*Trio Bravo*Viktor Lazlo*Maurane*La Grande Formation*Aka Moon- Notes :...
and keyboardist Benoit Delbecq
Benoit Delbecq
Benoît Delbecq is a French pianist and composer.Born 6 June 1966 in St Germain en Laye, and raised in a musical environment, Benoît Delbecq started studying the piano in Bougival at the age of seven with Nicolle Mollard, a former student of Alfred Cortot...
on some tracks. They also started working more with the concept of recurring themes. Live At Vooruit featured the trio with a well-known percussionist from Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
, Doudou N'Diaye Rose
Doudou N'Diaye Rose
Doudou N'Diaye Rose , born Mamadou N'Diaye in Dakar, is Senegalese drummer composer and band leader, and is the recognized modern master of Senegal's traditional drum, the sabar...
, and several members of his family.
In the late 1990s, the group endeavored to produce a trilogy of albums that were all designed to loosely intertwine, Invisible Mother, Invisible Sun, and Invisible Moon. The concept was based around the Chinese I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
(book of changes). Invisible Mother has the trio playing with the Ictus Ensemble
Ictus Ensemble
Ictus Ensemble is a Belgian orchestra, founded by Jean-Luc Plouvierin 1994, specialising in Contemporary classical music...
, a European chamber band. The music showcases a dark, chamber string-quartet side of the band and lays the groundwork for the follow-up albums in the trilogy. Invisible Sun is an 11-piece big band ensemble. Invisible Moon features Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman is an Indian mridangam player. He was awarded with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, on the occasion of the country's 61st Republic Day observance on January 26, 2010 and received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kerala in...
and Benoit Delbecq
Benoit Delbecq
Benoît Delbecq is a French pianist and composer.Born 6 June 1966 in St Germain en Laye, and raised in a musical environment, Benoît Delbecq started studying the piano in Bougival at the age of seven with Nicolle Mollard, a former student of Alfred Cortot...
and has a strong world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
vibe. Aka Moon revisits and rearranges several themes found in different spots throughout the trilogy.
In Real Time was released in 2001, and was originally music composed for a ballet. Guitars was released in 2002 which comprises the trio playing with 3 guitarists, including David Gilmore
David Gilmore
David Gilmore is an American jazz guitarist.Gilmore studied at New York University with Joe Lovano and Jim McNeely. In 1987 he began working professionally with the M-Base Collective and Ronald Shannon Jackson...
. Like earlier works, there are examples of recurring, rearranged themes within the album as the group pays homage to several different guitarists and their styles: like John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
, Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, and Paco De Lucia
Paco de Lucía
Paco de Lucía, born Francisco Sánchez Gómez , is a Spanish virtuoso flamenco guitarist and composer. He is considered by many to be one of the finest guitarists in the world and the greatest guitarist of the flamenco genre...
.
In 2006, the new Album Amazir was released, with Magic Malik (flute, voice) and Fabian Fiorini (piano) appearing as guests.
Aka Moon is a leading band of an entire modern jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
movement in Belgium with artists like Reve D’Elephant Orchestra, La Grande Formation, Slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
, Kris Defoort
Kris Defoort
Kris Defoort is a Belgian avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. He was born in 1959 in Bruges. He also teaches at the Brussels conservatory. His brother is Bart Defoort ....
, Pierre Van Dormael
Pierre Van Dormael
Pierre Van Dormael , born in Brussels, Uccle, was a Belgian musician and composer.In 1988, he played with the James Baldwin Project with a.o. David Linx and Deborah Brown , Slide Hampton , Diederik Wissels , Bob Stewart and Michel Hatzigeorgiou...
, Octurn
Octurn
Octurn is a Belgian polyrhythmic jazz ensemble led by Bo Van Der Werf . Its lineup as well as the composers are changed for every album...
, Maak's Spirit
Maak's Spirit
Mâäk’s Spirit is a Belgian avant-gardist jazz band. They recorded their fifth album live in Ghent in 1998. The band was then composed of Jeroen Van Herzeele , Laurent Blondiau , Salvatore La Rocca and Hans Van Oosterhout...
, Tomas & Co, and others.
Discography
On Carbon 7 Records:- Aka Moon (1992)
- Nzomba (1992)
- Rebirth (1994)
- Akasha vol. 1 (1995)
- Akasha vol. 2 (1995)
- Ganesh (1997)
- Elohim (1997)
- Live At Vooruit (1997)
- Live At The Kaai (1999)
- Invisible Mother (1999)
- Invisible Sun (2000)
- In Real Time (2001)
- Invisible Moon (2001)
- Amazir (2006)
On De Werf Records
De Werf
De Werf is a Belgian arts center based in Bruges. It organizes concerts and records CDs for jazz musicians. The first record it released was Sketches of Belgium by K. D.'s Basement Party, a band led by Kris Defoort. The next year, Octurn's first album went out on this label...
:
- GuitarsGuitars (Aka Moon album)Guitars is a 2002 album by jazz band Aka Moon. It was recorded in two days at Studio Jet . It is the third CD from the 11-CD box edited by De Werf...
(2002)
On Cypres Records:
- Culture Griot (2009) with Baba SissokoBaba SissokoBaba Sissoko is a musician and vocalist. Sissoko is a master of the talking drums...
and Black Machine