Biography

Biography

Eliott Knuets is a Belgian jazz guitarist, based in Switzerland, born on January 13, 2004.

He began playing guitar at the age of six and discovered jazz when he was twelve. He later studied at the Kunsthumaniora Brussels and was admitted to the Young Talent Program of the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, where he was awarded the status of “Top Artist” by the Belgian Department of Culture. Alongside the conservatory, he also studied with Peter Hertmans.

At sixteen, he performs with Wynton Marsalis, who then invites his group to broadcast a concert from Jazz at Lincoln Center — a defining moment.

After high school, Eliott moves to Basel for his bachelor’s degree at the Jazzcampus, where he studies with Jorge Rossy, Mark Turner, Jeff Ballard, Lionel Loueke, Lage Lund, Larry Grenadier, Chris Cheek, Jason Palmer, among others.

In the meantime, he quickly becomes active on the European jazz scene — in Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, England, and Switzerland. Some highlights include: a concert at BOZAR for the King and Queen of Belgium and the President of Switzerland; the prize for Best Arrangement at the Keep an Eye competition; a residency at the Leuven Jazz Festival (including Aaron Parks); and a performance on the Grand Place in Brussels.
His writing is strongly influenced by his composition lessons with Ambrose Akinmusire, and he has performed several trio concerts with Jorge Rossy.

He is named “Twintiger 2025” by the radio station Klara, which includes a recording session in Studio Toots.

For the year 2025–2026, Eliott is selected for the prestigious Focusyear in Basel, where he collaborates with Jonathan Blake, Jaleel Shaw, Ingrid Jensen, Kendrick Scott, Lionel Loueke, Linda May Han Oh, Michael Mayo, Guillermo Klein, and Darcy James Argue.
In addition, he is developing his own projects, including a quartet with Jorge Rossy and Pablo Held.