This study reports on measurements in a generic non-premixed gas turbine combustor segment. Flow and scalar field were characterized using advanced laser diagnostic methods. The optically accessible burning chamber allowed for measurement of inflow conditions close-by the nozzle important for comparisons with numerical simulations. The generic nozzle design is sufficiently simplified to be precisely reproduced by block structured computational grids but shows typical features of gas turbine applications. To expose the influence of heat release on the flow field properties both isothermal and combusting conditions were investigated. Striking features of the present configuration are a detached flame, multiple recirculation zones, and complex coherent flow structures.