In a murky past, the collective Mâäk’s Spirit started life as a quartet. During their first concerts trumpeter Laurent Blondiau (°1968) picked up the strange habit of yelling ‘Mâäk!’ at his fellow band members. Nobody knows exactly what that means, but maybe it could be translated as ‘open your eyes’.

All the members share a common desire for new experiences, which results in frequently changing line-ups, as well as projects with musicians from all corners of the globe. After the release of their first CD, ‘Lives’, Mâäk’s Spirit concentrated on ‘foreign projects’ more and more often. What they brought back with them from Morocco and South Africa might not be fodder for Club Med enthusiasts, but it produced challenging jazz that seems to meander between soundscapes and free.

The latest CD, ‘Five’, was written entirely by guitarist Jean-Yves Evrard. The music is mainly an exercise in collective improvisation, but the listener is thrown enough lifebuoys to be able to keep afloat. In brief, this apparition of Mâäk’s Spirit offers intelligent noise for jazz lovers with eyes wide open.

© Bart Cornand for Flanders Music Centre