Fetish, the new album of Laughing Bastards, is released this month jointly by BMC Records and W.E.R.F. This quintet is the alchemy of the youngest generation from the booming Ghent jazz and improv scene, and the experience and hunger for innovation of an old hand in the field. Together they profess their love for the jazz tradition, with a quirky twist. The band of Michel Mast and Jan-Sebastiaan Degeyter prove they are a quintessential Belgian band with an international appeal – soaking up sounds and influences from all over the place.

Born of the countless, turbulent and illegitimate love affairs that jazz had with all the music in the world: Laughing Bastards is the alchemy of the youngest generation from the booming Ghent jazz, and improv scene and the experience and hunger for innovation of an old hand in the field. Together they profess their love for the jazz tradition, with a quirky twist. This seasoned musician is saxophonist Michel Mast, who is a member of the Flat Earth Society, one of the best contemporary European jazz big bands, and has also played with Wofo and X-Legged Sally. Mast is able to create with a verve and innovative spirit that belies his age, but on this album he does not bring the avant-garde or free jazz spirit that he was known for earlier in his career, but rather infuses the music with lyricism. On their new album Fetish, Laughing Bastards prove they are a quintessential Belgian band with an international appeal – soaking up sounds and influences from all over the place while maintaining a tight unity. Combining jazz and chamber music with ideas from pop music and multi-colored strains does not only give their music an iridescent edge, but also keeps the interplay fresh and inspired.

Initially a reeds-guitar-bass trio modeled after the classic Jimmy Giuffre 3, Laughing Bastards has remained truthful to its original spirit. Saxophone player Michel Mast and guitarist Jan-Sebastiaan Degeyter have remained its core, but the band went through several extensions, first welcoming Eline Duerinck (cello) and Marcos Della Rocha (drums, for Unanimal in 2019) and solidifying its present-day line-up with bassist Cyrille Obermüller. Degeyter wrote more than half of the album’s compositions. A talented illustrator and designer (he created a few of their striking album covers) as well as a versatile guitarist, Degeyter always manages to add a strong visual component to his material. In combination with his knack for pulling exotic influences into the band’s overall sound, it leads to a playful, cinematic eccentricity. Fetish is released jointly by BMC Records and W.E.R.F., opening the long-term cooperation of the two record labels.