In his jazz compositions Karel Van Marcke tends to combine several musical styles and compositional techniques. Two decades of jazz music – with his own bands Jambangle and Chroma – brought Van Marcke to his ultimate passion: composing classical music. The Belgian radio station Klara acknowledges him as one of the current leading Belgian classical composers. The approach of combining styles and techniques paid off in 2000 and 2005 with the award of the composition prize BAP Sabam at the European Jazz Contest in Hoeilaart and in February 2004 he was guest composer at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels for the Belgian Jazz Composers’ Week. Van Marcke wrote the 6 Songs from Downhill after a difficult period in his life in which he experienced a writer's block. Emerging sounds mainly, very reflective, with reminiscences to Satie.

Instrumentation:

• Guitar
  
• Cello