Last nights performance of Belmondo and Yusef Lateef was strong and inspiring. Lateef on the outset look fragile but from the moment he started playing, he looked strong. Sure, maybe at times he missed the absolute lung capacity for the saxophone, but he knew it and blew beyond it. In the beginning I thought Lateef would be outplayed in brute force by the drummer and Stéphane Belmondo, however he responded with deep, thoughtful play. He enjoyed hearing the others playing around him. Towards the end Yusef Lateef read a poem and you could hear him getting emotional. He has seen it all, his eyes and his voice showed it, but he still has the drive to share his love for music. Beautiful concert.
Yusef Lateef – flute, tenor
Lionel Belmondo – flute, tenor, soprano, Flugelhorn
Stéphane Belmondo – trumpet, bugel
Laurent Fickelson – piano
Sylvain Romano – bass
Dre Pallemaerts – drums
Photograph © Hans Sirks
