Guitarist Eliott Knuets (°2004) grew up in a musical family, surrounded by influences of rock and jazz music. At the age of 12, neighbour Peter Hertmans introduced him to jazz, quickly followed by lessons in harmony, arrangement and combo by Olivier Collette.
Meanwhile, Eliott describes jazz as “an inseparable part of my life” and was able to share that passion – despite his young age – with musicians such as Ivan Paduart, Nic Thys, Sal La Rocca, Stéphane Mercier, Toine Thys, Jérémy Dumont and Maayan Smith.
Eliott attends school at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussels, where he is taught by BJO musicians Dieter Limbourg and Jeroen Van Malderen, among others. After the Big Band Celebration in BOZAR (Brussels, February 2020), Brussels Jazz Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra organised a jam session at Café Victor. That night, Eliott was convinced by a friend to stay in the city a little longer: there were whispers that the one and only Wynton Marsalis would join the session. When that actually happened, Eliott took his chance. “I was thinking: it’s now or never. Afterwards, I exchanged numbers with the guitar player of the JLCO.” Following that jam, he received an invitation of Wynton Marsalis this year to play during a (virtual) session at Dizzy’s Club.
After Eliott received the ‘topkunstenstatuut’ (a recognition for top artists), he started following guitar lessons at the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels. This summer, he’s releasing a first album with Olivier Collette (piano), Sam Gerstmans (double bass), Daniel Jonckers (drums) and guests Peter Hertmans (guitar) and Stéphane Guillaume (saxophone). Numerous reasons for the Brussels Jazz Orchestra to invite this young, talented guitarist for a streaming session at CC De Werf in Aalst (B).
Presentation on stage by Ella Michiels.
You can watch the concert of June 6th through this page (see below).
