The Ramon van Merkenstein Trio conveys their love for performing jazz music and adores connecting with their audience. These are jazz players who can make their music dance deviously or swell like ocean waves. The Ramon van Merkenstein Trio takes command of their music and they take it on a journey. Adventurous, with creative freedom and beyond what’s comfortable.
The trio’s debut album ‘Quiet Dreams’ was release October 2021 on the label homerecords.be
Vagos Kwintet is a contemporary jazz ensemble led by guitarist and composer Casimir Ostyn. The music blends influences from modern jazz, world music, and classical composition into a coherent and expressive group sound.
Rather than focusing on individual virtuosity, the band places interaction and collective shaping at the center of the music. Through flowing forms, dynamic interplay, and a strong sense of narrative, Vagos Quintet creates music that is layered, rhythmically alive, and accessible without losing depth.
Musicians
Casimir Ostyn (guitar, compositions)
Dieter Vaganée (sax)
Tim Eysackers (piano)
Ramon Van Merkenstein (double bass)
Olivier Wéry (drums)
The Lucas Bakker Trio – Saxophonist Lucas Bakker, winner of the Princess Christina Jazz Competition and the Dragon Jazz Contest, teams up with his brother Kobe Bakker on drums and bassist Ramon van Merkenstein in a project that pays tribute to the legendary saxophone trio.
With no chordal instrument — only saxophone, bass, and drums — the music draws on the open, conversational tradition of Sonny Rollins’ A Night at the Village Vanguard and the iconic trios of Joe Henderson and Ornette Coleman, focusing on interaction, space, and collective improvisation.
The New Yorkers perform The Great American Songbook. Popular jazz standards. Sinatra swing. Armstrong hits. Iconic love ballads. New York style. Born in the Bronx and longtime resident in Brussels, Tom McGuire loves to croon jazz. He also continues to entertain on Broadway in New York City.
In quartet, quintet or sextet, The New Yorkers always showcase soloist virtuosity that adds creative energy to jazz jewels. In 2024, The New Yorkers made their concert debut in Paris with sold-out shows and critically acclaimed.
Musicians
Mathieu De Wit – music director & piano, Tom McGuire – vocals, Ramon van Merkenstein – double bass, Lieven Venken – drums
Sara So Far is a jazz-based songwriting project centered on openness, reinvention, and poetic storytelling. The music moves between written song forms and improvisation, combining warm jazz harmonies with intimate vocal textures.
The project explores voice as a primary instrument, ranging from piano-led compositions to layered vocal structures and live looping. Rather than fixed arrangements, the focus lies on atmosphere, interaction, and presence.
In early 2026, Sara So Far releases the EP Vertical, featuring six original compositions developed in close collaboration with musicians from the Ramon van Merkenstein Trio, expanded with selected guest players.
JUPE is an international band from Brussels with a touch of jazz, world music and art pop. The compositions of Júlia Simkovits (lead singer, composer), accompanied by Julian McLachlan
(piano), Ramon Van Merkenstein (double bass) and Louis Kubben (drums) take us to a special world where melodies rooted in Hungarian folk music and the lightness of pop music meet in the
language of jazz. Improvisations and symbolic texts. A musical moment of purity and finesse.
SILK Trio presents a program of original compositions alongside selected jazz standards, shaped by close interaction and a strong sense of flow. The trio focuses on clarity, groove, and melodic development, leaving space for spontaneous interplay and improvisation.
Their music moves fluidly between subtle textures and energetic passages, balancing refinement with immediacy. SILK Trio delivers an engaging live experience that is direct, expressive, and grounded in the moment.
Musicians
Frans van Isacker – Saxophone
Marc Sperber – Piano
Ramon van Merkenstein – Double Bass
The van Merkenstein & di Franco Duo is presenting a mix of original compositions and innovative arrangements of jazz and popular music. This double bass and guitar duo embraces both traditional and modernistic styles.