Jacques PELZER Jazz Club

In what used to be the home of saxophonist Jacques Pelzer, a place that saw great names in jazz in its time, his daughter Micheline, Marc Bienfait and a group of crazy jazz people have created a jazz club!

 

If it turns out that a real jazz club must have a soul, it cannot be denied that the Jacques Pelzer's Jazz Club has one. And this, despite its relative youth (barely 3 years).

 

The brand, already, is probably there for something. Pelzer immediately evokes memorable memories of Belgian and international jazz. And if the club bears the name of the famous Liège saxophonist, it is because it is quite simply located in the very place where he lived: the famous Thier pharmacy.
 

The initiative was born from the desire of three enthusiasts, Marc Bienfait, Dany Jeghers and Catherine Delbrouck, to give back a prominent place to jazz in Liège, after the closure of the legendary “Lion s'Envoile”. Together, and with the help of other volunteers, they cleared the store, fitted out the living room, changed the dining room and opened the terrace to the garden. All this without demolishing and transforming excessively in order to keep the spirit of the place intact.

 

The concerts, organized every Wednesday (and sometimes Sunday afternoon), therefore take place in the same place where have passed (and have even lived) Chet Baker, Bill Evans, Lee Konitz, Michel Grailler, Dexter Gordon and so many still others. It is in this emotionally charged place that the Pelzer team strives to program high quality jazz.

 

We were able to see parade: Garret List, Charlier & Sourisse, Giovanni Falzone, Michel Herr, Steve Houben, Robert Jeanne, but also the rising generation such as: Quentin Liégeois, Greg Houben, Brazzaville, Jean-Paul Estiévenart and others much younger still who can rub shoulders, during jams, with more seasoned musicians.

 

The passionate public comes as a connoisseur and when they meet on the heights of Liège, they know that the music will be of quality. It must be said that the configuration of the room, its disparate furniture and its ceiling allow groups to play totally acoustic, which is not nothing.
The only technical adjustments have only for “simple purpose” to broadcast the concert on a giant screen in an adjacent room where you can eat excellent and simple cuisine at an extremely democratic price.

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As you will have understood, the atmosphere is ultra friendly, friendly, warm and does honor to the spirit of the former and illustrious owner. Everything is therefore combined to offer concerts that can only be unique. This is undoubtedly why the Jacques Pelzer's Jazz Club has become a staple of the jazz scene and will remain so for a long time to come.
 

(Jacques Prouvost, Jazz In Belgium, October 2008)