Sometimes, the birth of a band can turn out to be a happy accident. In 1999, guitarist Elko Blijweert (°1976) had a slight problem. In order to pass his final exam at the Antwerp Jazz Studio, he urgently needed a drummer, a bassist, an alto saxophonist and a keyboard player. The embryonic version of Franco Saint de Bakker was a reality.
Blijweert had already demonstrated his merit, of course. In the early nineties, he travelled widely with the band Kiss My Jazz. It was not without good reason that the New York avant-garde record label, Knitting Factory was their distributor. Despite his fascination with industrial and punk, Blijweert has been passionate about jazz, ever since discovering John Zorn's Naked City. There are a few rock musicians in his band (see: Zita Swoon, Novastar en Dead Man Ray), but they know their classics like no one else. Their live album ‘Live at the Ancienne Belgique II’ oozes energy and sounds like something between Sun Ra and Frank Zappa. Whoever likes the raunchy side of John Zorn, is barking up the right tree.

(c) Bart Cornand for Flanders Music Centre