Aka Moon is a Belgian avant-garde jazz band. Saxophonist Fabrizio Cassol, bassist Michel Hatzigeorgiou, and drummer Stéphane Galland are the founding members of the core trio. All three were already active musicians playing in various groups including the Nasa Na Band (with guitarist Pierre Van Dormael), but came together to record as Aka Moon after spending some time in the Central African Republic studying the musical habits of the native Aka pygmies tribe. In 1992, they released their first album, inspired by the methodology that the pygmies used in creating their music. Their name is commonly mispronounced as "AKA Moon" referring to the acronym "also known as". The correct pronunciation is "AH-kah MOON". Avant-jazz (also known as avant-garde jazz) is a style of music and improvisation that combines elements of avant-garde art music composition with elements of traditional jazz. ... A saxophonist is a musician who plays the saxophone. ... Fabrizio Cassol (born June 8, 1964) is a Belgian saxophonist and the first user of the aulochrome (a double soprano saxophone). ... Paul Chambers, acclaimed jazz bassist A bassist is a musician who plays a double bass or electric bass (also referred to as bass guitar). ... Michel Hatzigeorgiou (born 1961) is a Belgian bassist. ... A drummer at practice A drummer is a musician who plays the drums, particularly the drum kit, marching percussion, or hand drums. ... Stéphane Galland (born October 27, 1969) is a Belgian drummer. ... The Aka are an African pygmy people. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ...

Aka Moon's overall sound is a mixture of jazz, rock, world music, and avant-garde. They could be compared musically and philosophically with the M-Base movement and artists such as M-Base founder Steve Coleman, Belgian ensemble Octurn, Stéphane Payen's Thôt, Vijay Iyer, and Rudresh Mahanthappa to name a few. Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... Rock is a form of popular music from the mid 20th century which typically features a vocal melody (often with vocal harmony) that is supported by accompaniment of electric guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, often with a strong back beat. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ... A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... M-Base is a form of modern jazz music which reached its peak in the mid-to-late-80s and early 90s. ... Steve Coleman in Paris, July 2004 Steve Coleman (born 20 September 1956) is an American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. ... Octurn is a Belgian polyrhythmic jazz ensemble lead by Bo Van Der Werf (baritone saxophone and clarinet). ... Vijay Iyer is a New York based pianist and composer. ...

Their first few albums released in the early 1990s (Aka Moon, Rebirth, and Live at Kaai) featured the original trio configuration. In the mid-90s, they expanded incorporating Eastern elements, integrating musicians from India into their music. Akasha Vol.1 and Akasha Vol. 2 were released and included instrumentation such as flute, tabla, and mridangam, adding further dimension to their work. The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view. ... A typical set of Tabla. ... The mridangam is a percussion instrument from South India. ...

They changed the group configuration again in 1997 with the release of three albums. Ganesh had an eastern tone similar to the Akasha albums, but added were the talents of two guitarists, notably Marc Ducret. Elohim featured a more electric lineup with vocalist David Linx on some tracks. They also started working more with the concept of recurring themes. Live At Vooruit featured the trio with a well-known percussionist from Senegal, Doudou N'Diaye Rose, and several members of his family. David Linx (born March 22, 1965) is a Belgian jazz singer, composer and songwriter. ... Doudou NDiaye Rose (b. ...

In the late 1990s, the group endeavored to produce a trilogy of albums that were all designed to loosely intertwine, Invisible Mother, Invisible Sun, and Invisible Moon. The concept was based around the Chinese I Ching (book of changes). Invisible Mother has the trio playing with the Ictus Ensemble, a European chamber band. The music showcases a dark, chamber string-quartet side of the band and lays the groundwork for the follow-up albums in the trilogy. Invisible Sun is comprised of an 11-piece big band ensemble. Invisible Moon features Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman and has a strong world music vibe. Aka Moon revisits and rearranges several themes found in different spots throughout the trilogy. Alternative meaning: I Ching (monk) The I Ching (Traditional Chinese: 易經, pinyin y jīng; Cantonese IPA: jɪk6gɪŋ1; Cantonese Jyutping: jik6ging1; alternative romanizations include I Jing, Yi Ching, Yi King) is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts. ... World music is, most generally, all the music in the world. ...

In Real Time was released in 2001, and was originally music composed for a ballet. Guitars was released in 2002 which comprises the trio playing with 3 guitarists, including David Gilmore. Like earlier works, there are examples of recurring, rearranged themes within the album as the group pays homage to several different guitarists and their styles: like John Scofield, Bill Frisell, and Paco Di Lucia. David Jon Gilmour, CBE (born March 6, 1946) is an English guitarist and vocalist with British rock band Pink Floyd. ... John Scofield (born December 26, 1951 in Dayton, Ohio) is a jazz guitarist and composer, who played and eventually collaborated with Miles Davis. ... William Richard Bill Frisell (born March 18, 1951) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. ...

In 2006, the new Album Amazir was released, with Magic Malik (flute, voice) and Fabian Fiorini (piano) appearing as guests.

Aka Moon is a leading band of an entire modern jazz movement in Belgium with artists like Reve D’Elephant Orchestra, La Grande Formation, Slang, Kris Defoort, Pierre Van Dormael, Octurn, Maak's Spirit, and others. Jazz is an original American musical art form that originated around the start of the 20th century in New Orleans, rooted in African American musical styles blended with Western music technique and theory. ... Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... Kris Defoort is a Belgian avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. ... Pierre Van Dormael is a Belgium guitarist. ... Octurn is a Belgian polyrhythmic jazz ensemble lead by Bo Van Der Werf (baritone saxophone and clarinet). ... Maaks Spirit is a Belgian avant-gardist jazz band. ...

Discography

On Carbon 7 Records :

• Aka Moon (1992)
• Nzomba (1992)
• Rebirth (1994)
• Akasha vol. 1 (1995)
• Akasha vol. 2 (1995)
• Ganesh (1997)
• Elohim (1997)
• Live At Vooruit (1997)
• Live At The Kaai (1999)
• Invisible Mother (1999)
• Invisible Sun (2000)
• In Real Time (2001)
• Invisible Moon (2001)
• Amazir (2006)

On De Werf Records : Aka Moves (6:47) Aka Moon (5:33) Aka Earth (12:43) Aka Truth (6:41) Aka Dance (5:15) Aka Bird (2:04) Aka Song (8:03) Total Time: 47:06 Fabrizio Cassol / Alto saxophone & composer Michel Hatzigeorgiou / electric bass Stéphane Galland / drums CD Carbon 7 record (C7... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... Akasha vol. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Akasha vol. ... Ganesh is a 1997 album by Aka Moon. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Elohim is a 1997 album by jazz band Aka Moon. ... Track listing Sa (8:09) Yaral Sadom (6:49) Téélen - part 1 (2:15) Téélen - part 2 The River Blue (7:34) Jubo - part 1 (1:07) Jubo - part 2 (4:50) Jubo - part 3 (9:19) Total Time: 40:03 Line-up Fabrizio Cassol / Alto saxophone & composer... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Invisible Mother is a 1999 album by jazz band Aka Moon. ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... In Real Time is a 2001 album by jazz band Aka Moon. ... This article is about the year 2001. ... Invisible Moon is a 2001 album by jazz band Aka Moon. ... De Werf is a Belgian arts center based in Bruges. ...

• Guitars (2002)

Guitars is a 2002 album by jazz band Aka Moon. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ...

References

• (English) Official Site
• (English) Web page on www.jazzinbelgium.org