Zandstraat 111b
9200 Dendermonde
A Tribute Through Collaboration
This vision has culminated in a new album featuring 12 unique tracks. Released on January 21. Exactly 40 years after Bert's passing, the album was unveiled in Dendermonde City Hall. “It features some truly special songs,” Joachim shares.
The opening track, Ol’ Man Mose, is a groovy electro remix by Keith Canvas. Track five, Eh La Bas, is a dancehall piece produced by Buscemi. The album spans genres, including two rap tracks and a punk rock version of Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans. This punk version features Brozi on vocals, supported by Nikolas Van der Veken of Janez Detd., with Joachim’s cousin Frederik on drums.
Joachim himself plays guitar on the penultimate track alongside his late brother, Sam. The final song features the vocals of Pieter Depouillon, lovingly called "The Voice of Dendermonde."
All tracks, along with their original versions, are available on Spotify. For collectors, a limited-edition vinyl of the album, titled Secondline Sundays: A Tribute to Bert, will be released in February.
The Legacy of New Orleans Jazz
In 1962, Bert founded a traditional New Orleans Jazz band named The Jeggpap New Orleans Jazzband. “With this band, he toured across Europe and even crossed the ocean in 1980 to perform in the southern United States, making stops in Memphis and Nashville,” Joachim explains.
“The tour concluded in New Orleans, where he and the other band members were named International Honorary Citizens of The Crescent City.”
Bert also left his mark locally. In 1965, he opened The Honky Tonk Jazzclub in a former war bunker on Leopoldlaan in Dendermonde.
“His musical legacy is a masterpiece of traditional jazz,” says Joachim. “I wanted to honor that by creating something fresh and new from the music he left behind. I thought it would be incredible to have various artists and producers reimagine one of his original tracks into something vibrant and modern.”
About Bert Heuvinck
Bert Heuvinck is a name that resonates far and wide in Dendermonde. Together with his brothers and a circle of close friends, he brought jazz to the forefront in the Ros Beiaard City and beyond. Over his career, he recorded eight albums featuring his beloved music. After his passing in 1985, a hall in the Belgica Cultural Center was named in his honor.
"My father was and always will be a great musical inspiration for me."
– Joachim Heuvinck, Son of Bert
Joachim Heuvinck, Bert's son, felt the time was right to pay musical tribute to his father, exactly 40 years after his passing. "Bert Heuvinck was my father," Joachim says. "He passed away when I was just 12 years old. I was attending the prestigious Abbey School as a boarding student when I was pulled from class to hear the news. He was and always will be a great inspiration to me."
