Kris Defoort is a Belgian avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. He was born on 30 November 1959 in Bruges. He also teaches at the Brussels conservatory. His brother is (saxophonist and composer). He entered in 1978 the Antwerp conservatory to study early music and recorder. He graduated 4 years later and he then decided to study contemporary music and jazz at the Liège conservatory. Frederic Rzewski, Henri Pousseur and Garrett List were among his teachers. In 1986 Defoort released his first recording with his quintet Diva Smiles. The next year, he went to New York to study at New York Long Island University, Brooklyn. He recorded there with Vincent Herring and Jack DeJohnette. On his return in 1991, he founded his own ensemble named K.D.'s Pretty Big Basement Party. The following year, h