Alex Maguire assembles a fine team of seasoned Belgian progressive jazz musicians, launching a fresh repertoire encompassing lyrical balladry, thick grooves, haunting melodies, free improvisation, high-energy interaction and more. Maguire's Belgian sextet features Jean-Paul Estievenart on trumpet, Michel Delville on guitar and guitar-synth, Damien Polard on bass, and Laurent Delchambre on drums (all four are members of the well-respected Belgian rock-jazz band, MoonJune recording artists, The Wrong Object) -- as well as accomplished saxophonist, Robin Verheyen. Impressive enough individually, what they corporately brew up is uniquely refreshing.

Maguire’s talents as a keyboardist (and as a leader) are quite diverse. His touch is so personal, and his telepathic conversations with the other musicians in the band explode. There's great chemistry here, and, with performances so brilliant and impossible topredict, the line that divides the written parts from the collective improvisations is often imperceivable.

Brewed In Belgium serves up a special treat: a masterful brew of choice musical ingredients, making for one robust session.