Arts Centre Vooruit, Ghent, Belgium

Versatile bass player Ben Allison has stacked up dozens of nominations and awards as a musician and a composer, among which was the Bird Award at the 2005 North Sea Jazz Festival. The jury praised him as “a born musical leader who approaches music in a wholly original and authentic way.” With his bands Peace Pipe and New Medicine Wheel, Allison has toured Europe, the U.S. and Canada, but now he will perform at Vooruit with the quintet Man Size Safe. De Morgen journalist Didier Wijnants called Allison “an artist of melodies” and music site Soundslike gave the band’s latest album a five-star review: “The music on ‘Little Things Run The World’ is of indescribable beauty.” Man Size Safe’s compositions are often experimental, but remain melodic and accessible at the same time, with influences from rock, pop and world music.