Is it jazz? Is it world music? Soundtrack? Is it improvised or composed? It’s all of that, chopped up, packaged and presented à la Tricycle. Tricycle is a musical three-wheeler, pedalling along to the pace of jazz and world music, offering a fresh view of a familiar landscape and subsequently cycling away into an adventure. Tuur Florizoone (°1978), Vincent Noiret and Philippe Laloy, respectively accordion, double bass and soprano saxophone are former students of the Brussels’ conservatory, who used to play incidental music at circus performances. Ever since those days, this well-oiled threesome is letting success steadily blow their way. Their first recording, ‘Orange for Tea’, a collection of musical stories, confirmed that they obviously have more in store than mere amusing background. The follow-up, ‘King Size’, has since proved to be a classic and they are doing extremely well in France and Canada. The accordion in jazz is all too often pigeonholed under ‘miscellaneous instruments’, but everyone knows that Belgium consistently scores high in that category. It’s rare to hear as much revelry as melancholy coming from one band.

(c) Frederik Goossens for Flanders Music Centre