Florian Favre Trio wins Grand Prize Albert Michiels
The Swiss Florian Favre Trio won both the Albert Michiels Grand Prize and the Sabam for Culture Prize for the best interpretation of a given work at the Leuven Jazz Festival 2016.
The trio, consisting of Florian Favre (piano) and Manu Hagmann (double bass) - both jazz graduates of the Bern University of the Arts (HKB) - and the exceptional Swiss drummer Arthur Hnatek, beat the other five finalists from five different countries in the final.
The jury praised the trio's high level of professionalism and expertise as well as their differentiated playing, which did not allow for any dramaturgical weaknesses. With a high degree of coherence and interplay, the trio always found the balance between seriousness and obvious joy in playing, as well as a connection to the audience.
In 2013, the Leuven Jazz Festival became independent from the city's Kulturama festival, of which it was previously a part. In addition to local and international musicians, it presents films and literature on jazz.
