After Adia Vanheerentals (26) graduated on soprano and tenor saxophone from the jazz department of the Antwerp Conservatory, she was selected by Klara Radio as a promising musician for the fourth edition ofthe radio programme‘De Twintigers’ in early 2024. In the process, she received air-play and visibility via VRT Max. With her own band Bodem (with Anke Verslype and Willem Malfliet), she released the debut album ‘Kleine Mars’ on Nicolas Rombouts’ new label Mokuhi Sonorities in 2023. This was followed by performances across the country last year, including at Jazz in’t Parkand theEuropean Jazz Conference in Ghent and the Jazz Middelheim launch event in Antwerp.Adia Vanheerentalshas been playing sax since she was 9 years old and discovered jazz through her aunt Véronique who runs the bistro ‘Take Five Minutes in Paris’ in Antwerp.
The first jazz record she remembers was ‘Women In Jazz’ featuring Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald, among others. In art college, she took lessons from Tom Van Dyckand as a result started listening to jazz more consciously: Branford Marsalis, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, but Steve Lacy is still and by far the one her heart goes out to. At the conservatory, she took lessons with Kurt Van Herckand Ben Sluijs, among others, in a final period alternating with Frederik Leroux. That was a different approach to music in general which she tackled after a temporary break from the conservatoire.
– What made you decide to temporarily quit your studies?
Adia Vanheerentals: I didn’t feel so resilient then. I swallowed the criticism, but continued to struggle with it. As a result, I decided to temporarily leave my sax aside for a while.I then started composing to figure out for myself what kind of music I wanted to make myself. I have little feeling with traditional jazz. For me, that is something from America and from a distant past. I don’t really know how to deal with that. I really needed to follow my own path, to express myself in my music. It feels so much easier to make my own music than to reach for music from a hundred years ago.
– How would you describe your music?
Adia Vanheerentals: I think my music definitely has a lot to do with jazz, because it always involves improvisation, but within a clear framework. That framework consists of personal ideas that I start to work with on the piano, sing to it, intuitively find a melody over a harmony, until something beautiful emerges. I keep improvising until it all adds up, until it sounds circular. I’m not a fan of complicated time signatures or difficult intervals. It has to be off the cuff, then it’s perfect.
What the exact sources of inspiration are is hard to determine, because I listen to so many kinds of music. That comes together when I sit at the piano. I write as I empathise with music, I want to create personal music from within myself. What I write may not always fit what is understood by jazz, but how to describe it however,I wouldn’t know.
– Who do you see as influences or role models?
Adia Vanheerentals: Very early on Steve Lacy. I prefer playing soprano saxophone myself and with Lacy a whole world opened up to me, from traditional jazz, classical to free, especially Monk and modern jazz. I find German-born but New York-based Ingrid Laubrock impressive on both soprano and tenor saxophone. She gave a master class at the conservatory and writes original compositions where she tries to approach standard jazz in a different way. Who I also admire is Icelandic saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson, which is mellow folk-like jazz. In the contemporary scene, British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings stands out, who temporarily quit Sons of Kemet and playing saxophone, who also influenced me.
– How did you form your own trio Bodem?
Adia Vanheerentals: In my 2019 sabbatical year, I made a list of musicians my music would sound best with. That included guitarist Willem Malfietand drummer Anke Verslype. What appeals to me is that they are both concerned with sound rather than virtuosity. That hyperfocus on sound is what I find strong and what defines my trio Bodem. I didn’t know Anke personally at first, who was busy with her project Aki. She was open to new projects, though. Willem I know through mutual friends. The first Summer after covid broke out, he had received a budget to make an album with musicians in Volta, a music centre in Molenbeek. In doing so, he invited me.
– Unlike the first album ‘Little Mars’, for the latest Bottom album ‘Lush and Alive’ we took more time in the studio and worked with overdubs to make the trio sound even grander.You give your compositions special titles:‘Bosaardig’, ‘Fluiting’ ‘Tranende Meneren’…
Adia Vanheerentals: For the new album ‘Lush and Alive’, I waited a long time before making the titles. I first wanted English titles, but I think less in that language, so I chose half of them in Dutch. I often think in associations, I listen and imagine things. There is always the composition first and only then the title. With ‘Bosaardig (forest friendly), for instance, I had to think of nature. I thought that was a funny word, as I came up with ‘Parkelen’ in a previous album, a bit Nature Point-like. With ‘Tranende Meneren (GentlemeninTears)’, it’s about a mourning song. I didn’t want to make that too explicit about it. I prefer to leave it to the listeners to imagine something for themselves.
– How do you approach it live?
Adia Vanheerentals: At the Singel Antwerp, we will go into residency on 22 March to try out a few things live. As ‘Lush And Alive’ was recorded with overdubs, it will be a matter of finding out how we convey that live. In any case, we won’t be playing with effects. We want to keep it as open as possible. I do want to keep the jazz feeling, letting it happen in the moment. I decide the setlist but apart from that we aim for musical freedom. We do invite visual artist Joris Perdieus to the residency. While making music, he provides projections on ourselves, which we take with us into the JazzLab tour.
– In addition to Bodem, you will be active with other projects ...
Adia Vanheerentals: Solo, I released a single LP with Ultra Eczema, ‘Here Are 5 Reasons To Meditate’, free improv. For the New York based label, Relative Pitch Records, I am writing for a solo saxophone album. Last year I had a residency with Waarlijkat Rataplan Antwerpand that will get a follow-up at Schouwburg De Kern in Wilrijk on 27 April. On that Sunday afternoon, I will perform several acts. With Waarlijk I introduce a new quintet together with Hanne De Backeron saxophone, Gregory Van Seghbroeckon sousaphone, João Loboon drums and Fien Desmeton vocals. As in Rataplan, I want to encourage the audience to experience the music with dance and interaction.
I have also invited classical pianist Maya Dhondtfor a solo performance. And Frederik Lerouxand. Ruben Machtelinckx will present ‘Poor Isa’. A fourth act is still a surprise at the moment….These are projects that start from within myself. I still play together in a trio with violinist Elizabeth Klinck and pianist Maya Dhondt, classically trained musicians. That’s chamber music in which I improvise on sax. And completely rooted in jazz, I accompany jazz singer Anaïs Vijgen, swinging in quintet.
– Do you have any particular dreams?
Adia Vanheerentals: I hope to be able to play across the language border with Bodem, which is still not to be taken for granted. And if we break through inthe Benelux first, then further conquer Europe. With Waarlijk, I will continue as a band and want to play out the dynamic Brass Band effect more in interaction with the audience. Jazz concerts tend to be rather static, the stage on the one hand, the audience on the other. I want to break that.
By the way, I’m not very good at big dreams. Sometimes people come my way, like Fire!Orchestra, Mats Gustafsson‘s orchestra with Johan Berthling and Andreas Werlin. These are musicians in my line of thinking that I really dream of playing with. Another one I look up to is Ambrose Akinmusire. Another special experience was playing at the Brand! Jazz Festiva l(Mechelen) in November 2024. Because Cel Overberghe was unable to come, I spontaneously formed a trio with Hanne De Backer and Ornella Noulet, which was 40 minutes of pure improvisation, super cool!
– Do you want to pursue a particular vision?
Adia Vanheerentals: There is a tendency to transform your identity into music, that you create from a certain origin. I find the activist nature interesting, which is how Isaiah Collier appeals to me. Also what Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln pursued. That really does belong in jazz, but that’s not my reality. I have African roots, of course, but I was born and raised in the heart of Antwerp. And yes, I am a woman. But that doesn’t determine how I think musically. Although a feminist statement sneaks in at times. I seek my own vision in my living world here and now as a free improvising musician. I think my music is quite accessible. And with my trio Bodem, I am also being programmed outside the jazz world, then hopefully I appeal to another even wider interested audience.
Bernard Lefèvre / Jazz’halo
