Timo Lassy Trio - Live In Helsinki

Timo Lassy, one of the leading lights in the current generation of Finnish Jazz, releases a new live album with his hard-cooking trio on We Jazz Records. That's Lassy on tenor sax, Ville Herrala on double bass and Jaska Lukkarinen on drums – each member a We Jazz recording solo artist on their own right. Recorded at G Livelab, Helsinki's premiere live music spot, in 2023 and including new versions of tracks all accross the sax man's celebrated catalog, Live in Helsinki proves why Lassy usually packs the house when he plays a hometown show.

For those familiar with Timo Lassy's studio work, especially his latest We Jazz release, Trio (2021), the sound of this live recording is likely to sound both familiar and delightfully new. The trio's live sound is rough around the edges, and the immediate rawness of the live situation brings out a new edge of the band. Timo Lassy, a remarkably strong tenor player with his own sound, pulls no punches while delivering his message live. He colors more outside of the lines than on his albums – a fitting rationale for any live version released, and his highly potent combo follows suit.

The underlying spirit of Timo Lassy Trio's music is the true friendship of the band members. It's evident all across the album that they play for their audience but also for each other, pushing and inspiring each other into new territory in a way that echoes togetherness in the stead of competition. This is a sold out hometown show for a band that needs no hype. They play raw jazz from the heart – a recipe enough for building an expanding fanbase.