The idea of harnessing the power of movement as a tool for liberation is the theme of the new album by Belgium’s Black Flower. Indeed, the quintet – led by Brussels-based saxophonist Nathan Daems – has been pursuing this philosophy for their entire musical career, and the group’s progress seems unstoppable. The quintet toys with the boundaries between Ethiopian jazz, psychedelia, dub, Afrobeat and oriental music styles, tying it all together with pulsating grooves, rhythm and pure, raw energy. On the recently released Kinetic (2025), Black Flower throws off all the shackles and delivers a message on embracing change, rather than resisting it. According to the band itself, the album offers “a bold, dynamic statement on breaking free from life’s limitations. Kinetic is a call to dance through life’s chaos”. For their debut at NN North Sea Jazz, the Belgian group says listeners should – or rather must – enter the hall with the same attitude.
