Toots Thielemans Jazz Award | 14th edition

Line-up

Gaspard Sicx, drums
Yuxiang Zhang, guitar
Harmen Fraanje, piano
Jim Monneau, double bass

Yuxiang Zhang

Yuxiang Zhang (1995), guitarist and composer from China, began his music training at the age of fourteen. In September 2019, Zhang moved to Brussels and continued his study at our conservatoire with Peter Hertmans and Diederik Wissels. He is currently working as an artist in Brussels, and he’s been playing in different projects such as “Mojo Jojo”, which toured in Italy in 2022 and recorded their first album in November 2022; “Francis”, a duet with drummer Victor Khaddaj; “Standard Deviation”, a duet with drummer Umberto Odone; and his own project “Yuxiang Zhang Quartet” which is preparing for their first album.

Gaspard Sicx

Born in Brussels, Gaspard started the drums at age sixteen. After a year at the Jazz Studio in Antwerp where he met Manolo Cabras and Marek Patrman, he entered the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel. He quickly started playing in and around Brussels with musicians such as Lynn Cassiers, Jordi Grognard, Quentin Stokart, Benjamin Sauzereau and many more. He is now leading various project such as the Gaspard Sicx quintet, Super Gum and his trio which just released their first album ‘‘There Is No Time’’. Finally, Sicx also plays as a sideman in bands like Fievel Is Glauque, Joseph Nowell Trio, Jordi Grognard Trio, etc.