Wajdi Riahi at Brussels Centre for Fine Arts

Wajdi Riahi
The Centre for Fine Arts
Brussels, Belgium
February 23, 2025

Brussels' Centre for Fine Arts, Henry Le Boeuf Hall, played host to Wajdi Riahi's solo piano concert last Sunday of February. The intimate atmosphere was further enhanced by the unusual seating arrangement, with audience members surrounding Riahi on stage as well as filling the traditional seating area. This created a palpable sense of connection, drawing everyone closer to the the music. A Bozar representative noted the high demand for tickets, and the fact that Riahi had played the hall three years earlier as a sideman for Eliot Knuets. This return was a solo debut, marked a significant step in his promising career.

Wajdi Riahi, the Tunisian-born, Brussels-based pianist, is a rising force on the international jazz scene. While known for his trio (Wajdi Riahi piano, Rhodes, Basile Rahola double bass and Pierre Hurty drums) work and previous piano work that suggested a Brad Mehldau influence, this solo performance leaned more towards the lyrical, introspective aesthetic of Keith Jarrett. The program—a mix of original compositions, improvisations on J. S. Bach and jazz standards—reflected this emphasis. Riahi shared his rationale for the program's unique blend of Bach and jazz. He spoke of the freedom he finds within Bach's music, a sentiment that resonated deeply with his performance. His opening improvisation immediately established this intimate, searching tone with a delicate touch, his nuanced harmonic language, and his ability to build a narrative through sound. There were hints of his North African heritage in the melodic contours and subtle rhythmic shifts, but the overall impression was one of deeply personal expression.

He then seamlessly transitioned into an improvisation based on Bach's Prelude in C Major, a performance that highlighted the shared melodicism of jazz and classical traditions, maintaining the structural integrity of Bach while infusing it with a distinctly modern sensibility. Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now" provided a contrasting texture with Riahi navigating Monk's characteristic angular melodies and harmonic quirks with both respect and playful invention. An improvisation on Bach's Prelude in F minor then explored more introspective territory. Here, Riahi's sensitive touch and dynamic control—moving from the softest pianissimo to resonant chords—were particularly striking. His performance of John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," a notoriously challenging bebop standard, was a masterclass in balancing technical brilliance with lyrical flow. He emphasized the melodic contours, revealing the underlying beauty of the composition. A final return to Bach, with the Prelude in C minor, offered a moment of serene reflection.

The audience's warm engagement, demonstrated by sustained applause was a praise of Riahi's enormous virtuosity, fluid right hand, lyricism and imaginative power proved, through the performance itself. For an encore, he offered a composition written for his sister "Nawres," from his trio album Essia (2023), providing a final glimpse into his personal musical world, leaving a gently haunting and beautiful after-image with whistling accompanying the piano. Wajdi Riahi's Bozar performance was a compelling musical conversation, a demonstration of artistic growth, and confirmation of his place as a major talent.