Artist Info

Moker (Flemish for sledgehammer) is a Belgian-Italian jazz collective and it’s musicians are jazzfanatics to the bone. All of them are active figures in the Belgian-mondial music scene and they are well recognized for their work. They have a reputation for their energetic and convincing performances with a set of mainly original compositions and improvisations. The music is entirely jazz-rooted but accents are put on free improvisation as well as on songwriting. Moker tries to weave it’s songs to a story and as in all good stories some roads don’t keep on going straight. The result is a dynamic set, filled with contrasts and moods which flow over one to another, offering the listener a ride to a musical trip.

Moker was formed in October 2000 by the impulse of Mathias Van de Wiele (guitarist-composer). The aims were to create a group that could function as a laboratory in which the musicians could experiment with own compositions as well as open improvisational structures.
This working spirit lives untill today. The process of research is being considered as an essential element by the musicians of Moker. Not only the final product but the previous creative fase is being focussed. Nevertheless this does not exclude productivity nor conceptual and musical construction, see discography and curriculum.

Being a band for five years gave Moker the oportunity to develop a unique personal sound. Many listeners in Belgium and abroad (Holland, Portugal, France) have been enjoying their music and performances.
In the true spirit of this band every public appearance is an adventure and a singular event. Don’t expect to hear routineous playing nor predictable structures. The keywords are organic, contrast, construction and deconstruction….

Mathias Van de Wiele (guitar-composition)
Bart Maris (trumpet-bugel-electronics)
Zeger Vandenbussche (tenor saxophone)
Dajo De Cauter (double bass)
Giovanni Barcella (drums)