Duo Thomas Decock-Artan buleshkaj (photos by Roger Vantilt)

 The mutual love for all things Americana is what united Belgian guitarists Thomas Decock and Artan Buleshkaj in recording their duo album Plain Songs.

The project started out rather informally: like many other (jazz) musicians, both Thomas and Artan are avid frequenters of local jam sessions. They would regularly meet each other and play at aforementioned hang-outs. They quickly discovered that they have quite similar tastes as far as repertoire is concerned, and decided it would be a good idea to meet up to further explore these tunes together.

Before long, their bag of jazz standards made way for more folk and country-oriented repertoire, which as it turned out, they also both love. A few gigs and one recording session later, and they have a 12-track album, Plain Songs, in the books. The result is a unique blend of country/folk-based harmonic structures and the adventurous spirit and improvisation one would typically associate with jazz.

"Plain Songs is an intimate album with a striking set of songs and warm interpretations. The strong playing of Decock and Buleshkaj is rich in atmosphere and musical colours. The origins of the pieces are wonderfully diverse but find a coherent path in the hands of the two guitarists." - Dick Hovenga for Written in Music

 No original tunes are played, instead composers from the folk tradition (Chet Atkins, Doc Watson, …) are featured alongside more modern artists (Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin…) and composers from the jazz idiom (Thelonious Monk, Richard Rodgers, Paul Motian, …). What glues it all together is a language and sound that’s unmistakably Americana. 

"These young Belgian guitar players have released one of the best albums of the year with Plain Songs." - Bart Cornand for Focus Knack (the album was in the top 10 of jazz releases of 2024).

 As the album title suggests, a what you see/hear is what you get-philosophy pervades every track: what you’ll hear is two guitars plugged straight into the amp (if electric), with little to no effects. All of this was masterfully recorded and mixed by engineer/producer Koen Gisen, who is known for his analogue approach, making the music sound as realistic as possible. 

Check out our album Plain Songs here. Feel free to watch some live videos here.

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