Artist Info

Mâäk’s Spirit started out as a quartet that has now evolved into a collective of eight or so musicians. During concerts Laurent Blondiau used to shout out - "Mâäk! - as a rallying cry on stage. It means nothing in any language and so everyone is free to interpret it as they wish!

Mâäk’s Spirit brings together some of the most talented young players of their respective instruments on the Belgian and French jazz scenes. From playing together in many different formations over the years they have come to know and appreciate each other, both musically and as people. They have learnt how to feed off each others imaginations and, most importantly, listen to each other and create together. They all share a hunger for new musical experiences that has led them to include new members in the collective and develop projects with musicians from very different backgrounds.

After their first album (“Lives”, 1996, JAS records) Mâäk’s Spirit started throwing themselves into more project based adventures. With “Le Nom du Vent” Mâäk’s Spirit worked on creations inspired by a residence of the whole collective in Essaouira, Morocco. ( “le Nom du Vent”, 2002, Nefertiti).

Since 2003 Mâäk’s Spirit have been associated with a group of Gnawa musicians, “Gnawa express”, from Tangiers in Morocco , and Baba Sissoko from Mali. This project is called Al Majmaâ. ("Al Majmaâ", 2003, Igloo).

Stroke is a project that took off in July 2004 in Johannesberg, and in which a very raw and free Mâäk’s Spirit comes together with the powerfull spoken word of South African poets Kgafela oa Magogodi and Samantha7.

In April 2005, two members of Mâäk’s Spirit ( Laurent Blondiau & Jozef Dumoulin) will go to Mali to meet and work with “Sekouba Traoré (Bambara hunter)”, to develop the musical foundations of a new collaboration.

All these projects feed and inspire Mâäk’s Spirit to continue creating new forms and composing music togethe