Aleph Quintet

Diogo Q. Alexandre is a Portuguese, Brussels-based drummer, composer, sound designer and curator.

His visceral approach to the drums has established him as a singular voice in the international creative and improvised music scene. His embodied relationship to the instrument brings a sense of fluidity to his playing, blurring the boundaries between musicianship, movement and performance. Rather than relying on predetermined systems, his practice interrogates notions of risk and control, pushing the timbral and expressive limits of the instrument.

In line with this artistic vision, since 2024 he has been developing a solo project in which his timbral research extends into the field of live electronics. Drums, rhythm, body, space, texture and pitch converge in performances that unfold across acoustic and electronic domains. This approach is present not only in his solo work, but also in Slow Mob, the quartet of improvisers created to perform Igor C. Silva’s commissioned work Sōma for symphonic orchestra and electronics, as well as in his duo with saxophonist Alejandra Brozyk, Civil Status. He also performs regularly with Aleph Quintet, Casimir Liberski, Mosaïc, ASA and other avant-garde creative projects across Europe.

Diogo developed a strong musical personality at a young age, emerging on the Portuguese scene in his late teens and performing early on alongside established national and international artists. By the age of 22, he had already worked with artists such as Bram de Looze, Fabrizio Cassol, Ben Van Gelder, João Barradas, Carlos Bica and Django Bates, among others. He released his debut album Pipe Tree in 2021, which was distinguished as one of the best Portuguese jazz albums of the year (Jazz.pt), the same year he moved to Brussels to study with Stéphane Galland. Since then, he has established himself within the Belgian scene, continuing to refine a musical language that remains in constant transformation.

Beyond performance, his artistic practice extends into curatorship and community building. By hosting and curating concerts in his own living space, he creates intimate contexts for experimentation, care and exchange, contributing to an international network of artists committed to risk, listening and collective presence.

“Théo Zipper, a master of the four strings” — Jazzism (Netherlands)

Musician, bassist, guitarist and composer, Théo Zipper (born in 1994, France) is a multifaceted artist, known for his creativity and commitment to improvised music. Born into a family of artists, he developed an early sensitivity to sound expression, nurtured by his parents’ rich record collection. Engaged in a constant exploration of musical questions, he favors unexpected dialogues and aesthetic collisions.

He is the co-founder of Collectif Thöz, which serves as both an independent label and an artistic platform to promote avant-garde, experimental and off-center music. Engaged in a multitude of projects spanning free improvisation, rock, contemporary jazz and global music, he asserts himself as a resolutely free artist, committed to transcending all forms of categorization.

Currently based in Brussels, he has played worldwide and recorded alongside renowned musicians such as Aleph Quintet, Fabrizio Cassol, Dudù Kouaté, Akram Ben Romdhane, Manuel Hermia, Simon Groppe and Wajdi Riahi, among others.

Awards with his other projects: Les Lundis d’Hortense Jazz Tour 2023 (Théo Zipper & Sauvage), Court-Circuit laureate 2022 (Atheris), 3rd prize at La Semaine du Son 2022 (Zipper & Burlas), best band and audience prize at the Brussels Jazz Marathon 2016 (Théo Zipper Quartet).

French violinist and composer Marvin Burlas graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels (a master’s in jazz violin, then a teaching master’s), after an Erasmus year at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona. He moves between classical music, jazz and music from many traditions. He co-founded Aleph Quintet in 2018 and now leads a jazz string quartet and Tsy Manine, a project that brings modern jazz together with music from Madagascar, Cameroon and Réunion. He teaches at the Cité de la Musique in Meaux and at the Chessy music school.

A Tunisian jazz pianist based in Brussels, Wajdi Riahi is one of the rising figures of the European jazz scene. His style blends his Arabic roots with a deep command of modern jazz, in a subtle fusion of tradition and innovation. Known for his lyricism, sensitivity and musical maturity, he draws on classical, African and North African influences, such as stambeli and gnawa.

In 2020 he formed his trio in Brussels with Basile Rahola (double bass) and Pierre Hurty (drums). The trio released Mhamdeya (2021), inspired by his hometown, and Essia (2023), both on Fresh Sound New Talent, followed by the live album Zabonprés in 2025, and has toured Europe and Canada. Winner of the Young Talents award at the Dinant Jazz Festival (2021) and a finalist of Gent Jazz Young Talent (2023), he won the best soloist prize at the final of the Euroradio Jazz Competition at Jazz in Marciac in 2024, as well as three awards at the Carthage Music Days: the Bronze Tanit, best composition and best soloist.

As artist in residence at Flagey for the 2026 Brussels Jazz Festival, he created three programmes: a quartet with Seamus Blake, a solo piano set and Brass and Bow, his trio extended with trumpeter Jean-Paul Estievenart and the Brussels Philharmonic cello quartet. He also plays with Stéphane Galland & Rhythm Hunters, Aka Moon, Lorenzo Di Maio, Robert Jukič and Andreas Polyzogopoulos, and teaches at the Lundis d’Hortense Jazz au Vert summer course.

Akram Ben Romdhane is a Tunisian musician based in Brussels: oud player, violinist, composer and teacher. He graduated in Arabic music and oud from the Higher Institute of Music in Tunis, where he also earned a bachelor’s degree in violin and musicology. He went on to complete a master’s in violin and a teaching master’s at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, as well as a master’s in musicology at the Sorbonne.

A member of Aleph Quintet, Ensemble Nemesis, Saouta, Sounds of Brussels and Shams Duo, among others, he has developed an approach to the oud that connects the maqam tradition, improvisation and contemporary creation. Passionate about passing music on, he teaches oud at the Anderlecht Academy and at the Saint-Josse/Schaerbeek Academy.