Fotoverslag | Grégory Privat Trio - Marni Jazz Festival 2025

Grégory Privat @ Marni

Last Thursday, the Marni Jazz Festival opened with a wonderful performance by Grégory Privat Trio, launching the tour for his new album Phoenix. From the first notes, Privat unfolded his set filled with both intimacy and spiritual tenderness, when a deeply personal moment came with Privat introducing a song written in memory of his grandfather, who passed away three years ago at the age of 100. Far from mournful, the piece was a celebration of life, honouring the dead as still present, still watching over us. Later, Supernova reminded us that we are all made of "poussière d’étoiles" or stardust. In one of the evening’s most moving scenes, the audience raised their phone lights and joined in the chorus, turning the Marni into a shimmering constellation. Songs like Soley radiated warmth and rootedness, carried by the perfectly matching interplay of Chris Jennings’ bass and Tilo Bertholo’s drums. Privat’s voice, who often sang in Creole, brought vulnerability and strength in equal measure. The trio’s cohesion, combined with the resonance of the stories behind each piece, made the concert as much a moving and emotional as a musical performance. And yet, as a photographer often present at Marni, I couldn’t help but feel the absence of Malo behind the lights. His visual touch has so often completed these moments.

Still, the night stood as a radiant opening for the festival

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Donderdag, 11 september 2025, Marni (Brussel, BE) | Foto's & tekst: Cristina Vergara