Listeners might approach the Ghent, Belgium-based jazz trio Laughing Bastards with an expectation that some crazy musical hijinks are afoot, not only because of the band name, but also due to the presence of tenor saxophonist Michel Mast in a prominent role. After all, Mast has been a consistent member of the often wild avant-gardist ensembles X-Legged Sally and Flat Earth Society, two outfits (led by composer/bandleader Peter Vermeersch) not generally known for musical politeness. XLS were, and FES are, out to shake the rafters more often than not, but the intimate Laughing Bastards are a completely different animal -- a drummerless sax-guitar-bass trio taking inspiration from the original late-'50s Jimmy Giuffre 3, which featured Giuffre on tenor and baritone sax and clarinet, Jim Hall on guitar, and Ralph Pena on bass. With the veteran Mast joined by young up-and-comers guitarist Jan-Sebastiaan DeGeyter and double bassist Nils Vermeulen, the lyrical, laid-back, and melodic Laughing Bastards are subtly exploratory in the Giuffre spirit. The trio formed in January 2013 in Ghent and recorded an eponymous, independently released CD in April of that year; the album features the Giuffre classic "The Train and the River" along with selections by such jazz notables as Carla Bley, Horace Silver, Eddie Harris, and more. In October 2014, the group reconvened at Boma Studio in Ghent with engineer Geert de Waegeneer to record its second album, Old Masterplans. This time, the trio was augmented by drummer Lander Gyselinck, and when Old Masterplans arrived in 2015, it was released under the band moniker Laughing Bastards+. The album featured four compositions by Giuffre (including a reappearance of "The Train and the River") and three by guitarist DeGeyter, and the band also improvised the title track (which resurfaces as a remixed hidden track at the disc's conclusion) and covered one piece each by Randy Weston and by Radiohead. The album was mixed and mastered by Pierre Vervloesem. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi