Belgian bassist/composer Xavier Verhelst is the leader of Wofo, a Ghent-based creative jazz group. Verhelst plays both upright and electric six-string bass, focusing on the latter instrument on Wofo albums including The Complete Hamsessions (2007), Tweedt (2009), and Bark (2011). The bassist also composes all of the group's original material, which possesses an engaging, listener-friendly quality yet no shortage of challenges in its multi-layered contrapuntal arrangements, world fusion elements, and expansive soloing. The Wofo lineup has varied from a quintet to a sextet, with instrumentation including saxophone, clarinet, piano or guitar, trumpet, and drums -- with the crisp sound of Verhelst's electric six-string contributing to the band's unique flavor. In 2012 Verhelst arranged the music of Raymond Scott for a Wofo tour, and in 2013 he composed new music for Belgian festival appearances by the group with a three-piece string section. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi