Bart Defoort, born February 10, 1964, in Brussels, is a Belgian saxophonist known for his work in modern jazz and new improvisational music. He studied at the conservatory of his hometown under Steve Houben and attended masterclasses with John Ruocco, Joe Lovano, and Dave Holland. In the 1980s, the saxophonist accompanied theater performances and played in ensembles such as the Blindman Sax Quartet and Fred Van Hove's WIM Orchestra. He co-founded the group Octurn with Bo Van Der Werf and performed in Basement Party, a project led by his brother, Kris Defoort. In 1993, he joined the Brussels Jazz Orchestra, collaborating with musicians including Toots Thielemans and David Liebman. He formed his own quartet in 1996, and later co-led the group Streams with Diederik Wissels until 2001. His notable discography includes Streams (2001), The Lizard Game (2003), and Sharing Stories on Our Journey (2008), which won the Django d'Or award.
