Our history
Read more about how De Jazzzolder came into being and how they grew into the jazz club they are today!
How it started
In 1997, the caretakers of the parish center of O.-L.-Vrouw o/d Dijle in the Refuge of Grimbergen moved into a beautiful attic in the historic heart of Mechelen. They decided to share this unique space as a private meeting place for friends, with a "jazz DJ" spinning records and CDs. What started as a small-scale initiative quickly grew, and more and more young musicians asked to perform there.
Mechelen, once home to legendary jazz clubs such as the Begijnenzolder, needed a new location. In 1998, the non-profit organisation Jazzzolder was founded to meet this need. The attic was transformed into an intimate jazz club, furnished with discarded benches, an improvised bar and atmospheric lighting. Thanks to the excellent acoustics, it quickly became a popular location, not only in Belgium but also beyond.
The occasional concert evolved into a permanent programme. Every second and fourth Friday of the month, jazz lovers from Mechelen and the surrounding area gathered in the attic to enjoy wonderful performances and meet each other.
Up to and including 2006
The vzw Jazzzolder is in good health and has about 90 members. The newsletter, one of the most important means of communication together with the website and Facebook, is sent to more than 1500 e-mail addresses.
Members and visitors enjoy a varied program that includes all jazz genres, from bebop and fusion to free jazz and improvised music. The Jazzzolder is known for its atmospheric setting, attentive audience and fair treatment of artists. More than 900 musicians, including big names from the Belgian and international jazz scene, have performed there.
Young musicians are also given a stage there, often students or graduates of well-known music schools. Talents such as Jef Neve and Robin Verheyen took their first steps here.
On Friday 10 November 2006, the last concert took place at the original location. Due to circumstances, the attic had to be vacated.
2006 - 2017
Friday 24 November 2006, the first concert took place at the new location: an old chapel on the Wollemarkt in the centre of Mechelen. The vzw Contour provided shelter, which offered creative possibilities through a combination of jazz music and video art. Saying goodbye to the original attic was hard, but the new location offered advantages such as a central location, no stairs, a spacious stage and a separate café. The reactions to the "new Jazzzolder" were unanimously positive. In October 2017, the Jazzzolder had to move again because the chapel was sold.
2017 - 2019
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouwkoor offered the Jazzzolder shelter in a rehearsal space on the inner courtyard, on the right on the first floor of the Refuge of Grimbergen in Mechelen. This historic building, connected to the Norbertine Abbey of Grimbergen, has a rich history dating back to 1426. During the French Revolution it came into private hands and was given various functions, including a private residence and a school. Today it is used as a parish hall and community centre. It retains its historical value, with wings from the 16th and 17th centuries and an impressive gatehouse from 1777.
2019
In September 2019, the Jazzzolder moved to its current location: Het Predikheren in Mechelen, where the city library is also located. The concerts take place in the hall "Mandela" on Goswin De Stassartstraat 88.
The Jazzzolder today
In September 2024, the restoration work on the Predikherenkerk was completed, and so the jazz loft could move again, not so far from the library but to the renovated Predikherenkerk. The concert hall in the church can accommodate 130 people, ideal to switch again to 1 concert with an intermission. The first concert in the Predikherenkerk on 27/9/2024, The Philip Catherine Piano Trio, will remain in the memories of the jazz lovers who attended in large numbers for a long time!
Directions​
The Predikherenkerk is located next to the library in the Goswin De Stassartstraat 88, near the Dossinkazerne.
By train:From the station (Mechelen-Nekkerspoel) via the ring road, Zwartzustersvest and Tinellaan to the Dossinkazerne
By car:ATTENTION: DUE TO THE MANY ROAD WORKS, IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO USE THE "WAZE" APP TO AVOID POSSIBLE FINES!
From Leuven:
Towards Mechelen, always continue straight ahead until you reach the ring road. Turn right here and follow the ring road; turn left further into Merodestraat; in Merodestraat, take the first street on the right, Jodenstraat, towards G. De Stassartstraat. Parking Tinel is also nearby
From Antwerp:
Via E19 exit Mechelen Noord, direction Mechelen, straight ahead, past the Dossinkazerne. Attention: G. You cannot enter Stassartstraat from Tinellaan, so a little further and then right into Merodestraat and right again into Jodenstraat. Parking Tinel is also nearby
From Brussels:
Via E19 exit Mechelen Noord, direction Mechelen, straight ahead, past the Dossinkazerne.
Attention: G. You cannot enter Stassartstraat from Tinellaan, so a little further and then right into Merodestraat and right again into Jodenstraat. Parking Tinel is also nearby.
Aubrey Bravo
Student
Bryony Storey
Designer
Annabelle Perry
Architect