BELGIUM

ÖZGÜR HAZAR’S BLUES SYNDICATE 

“You know, every now and then you stand and listen to a group of musicians you don't know and you are literally blown away.” “This debut album is pure ear candy and will please both blues adepts as bluesrock fanatics. Superb record!” “It’s useless to select the highlights, because all tracks are fantastic!” 
Dutch blues magazine ‘Back To The Roots’ ran short on superlatives to describe the debut album ‘Sad And Blue’ by Özgür Hazar. Now you can experience this Belgian-Turkish guitar hero with his Louvain-based collective ‘The Blues Syndicate’ live at work too. A star-quality group of long-time blues cats playing the songs from ‘Sad And Blue’ mixed with all-time favorites from artists such as B.B. King, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan. A musical journey along the Mississippi River from Chicago to New Orleans and from Houston, Texas to Memphis, Tennessee, all straight at your local stage! Ozgur Hazar had a musical career in Istanbul and the USA before moving to Belgium in 2018. The band ‘The Blues Syndicate’ started in 2020 with Pieter Akkermans on keys, Geert Zonderman on bass and Vincent Caers on drums. A little later Arianne Musschoot joined the group with her voice from heaven to form the current quintet. The band is taking their soul from Blues roots while blending different Blues styles smoothly in a contemporary way. That this is appreciated by audience and programmers was clear when the band took home the first prize in the Belgian Blues Challenge in 2022.
Özgür Hazar - Guitar, Vocal
Arianne Musschoot - Vocal 
Mic Pieter Akkermans - Keys 
Geert Zonderman - Bass
Vincent Caers - Drums