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Jazz Middelheim Attracts Record Crowds
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American guitarist Larry Coryell performing at the
Jazz Middelheim festival in Belgium. Photo courtesy of VRT.
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With more than 20,000 visitors, the 31st edition of the annual jazz festival, Jazz Middelheim, drew in a record audience.
The event, which took place at the Park Den Brandt in Antwerp Aug. 16–19 and is a co-production of the VRT Radio Klara radio channel (www.klara.be) and Bertrand Flamang, has enjoyed increasing public attention over recent years, with the audience growing from 17,000 in 2009 to 20,000 in 2012.
“We wanted to maintain the high quality of the festival — and it clearly payed off,” said Bertrand Flamang, the festival director. “We were also prepared for what turned out to be this year’s most tropical weekend, with extra water installations and showers for the audience. Jazz Middelheim will remain a family festival, combining great jazz music with a friendly atmosphere.”
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Italian singer, lyricist and composer Paolo Conte
attracted a massive audience during the 2012 edition of Jazz Middelheim. Photo courtesy of VRT.
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Artists such as Toots Thielemans and Paolo Conte attracted a full house (or rather tent). One of the musical highlights was the “Night of the Jazz Guitars,” which brough back together on stage after some 30 years American jazz guitarist Larry Coryell and Belgian jazz guitarist Philip Catherine.
VRT Radio Klara broadcast all concerts live between 4 p.m. and midnight. The station also aired interviews by Klara presenters Bart Vanhoudt, Rob Leurentop and Karel Van Keymeulen.
“This undoubtedly was the ‘hottest’ edition in the festival history, not only in terms of temperature,” said Chantal Pattyn, Klara channel manager. “We reached both the jazz specialist and the music lover, combining avant garde jazz with artists such as Paolo Conte and Jef Neve.”
— Marc Maes
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Audience gathers at Park Den Brandt in August for Jazz Middelheim. Photo courtesy of VRT.
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