Nabou Claerhout
Nabou Claerhout (°1993, Antwerp) took a brave and unusual leap to learn to play the trombone at the age of 9. Nobody could have imagined then that, years later, she would land in the middle of the contemporary jazz scene. Today, Nabou is one of the most promising and innovative jazz trombonists of the Benelux.
With Fred Wesley and Mark Guiliana in mind, the young Nabou went from Kunsthumaniora Brussel to Codarts Rotterdam, with among others Bart Van Lier and Ilja Reingoud as her teachers. From an early age onwards, Nabou got the chance to play together with internationally renowned artists like Bert Joris, John Ruocco, Dave Holland, Dave Douglas, Evan Parker, Martin Fondsen, Jules Buckley, Jeroen Van Herzele, Andy Hunter, Bert Boeren, Akua Naru etc. After a stop at the Royal Academy of Music in London (2017), Nabou graduated from Codarts in 2018. Since then, she has been teaching at the Kortrijk Conservatory and Wilrijk music academies, and has been working as a researcher at the Arts & Research Institute in Antwerp since September 2021.
Her quartet N∆BOU and the band’s debut ep Hubert (2019) made her without any doubt one of the pillars of the new jazz generation in Belgium, both as a soloist, band leader and composer. Nabou also earned her spurs with a range of other projects: the Ghent Youth Jazz Orchestra, National Youth Jazz Orchestra(winner of the 2016 ‘Zilveren Notenkraker’ Award), Young Metropole Orchestra, Jokke Schreurs Septet, Azbeul, Pompelomina, Tadpole Evolution, Muze Jazz Orchestra feat. Lennert Baert & Het Gezin Van Paemel Theatre.
Nabou’s stage career is already impressive as well, with shows at festivals such as the North Sea Jazz Festival, London Jazz Festival, Gent Jazz Festival, Jazz Middlheim, Brussels Jazz Weekend, Dranouter Festival, Gateshead International Jazz Festival, Gentse Feesten, in renown venues such as Bimhuis, De Roma, LantarenVenster, De Handelsbeurs, Flagey and during tours in Belgium, the Netherlands, UK and Japan.
She has now joined LOD muziektheater as an artist in residence. She will make her first major production at LOD in 2026.