A relaxed effort in the vein of the classic ”cooking session” tradition of modern jazz.

That is, the band came in, took hold of the new tunes penned by Lassy and his trusty drummer/producer Teppo ”Teddy Rok” Mäkynen, and fired on all cylinders.

The result? Some of the most swinging no-nonsense in your face and under your feet jazz you’ll likely to hear this year or during most of the others.

No gimmicks needed here, this jazz is cooking.

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In the rich tradition of jazz, the concept of “cooking session” is something often more likened to an informal jam rather than a more seriously planned recording session. That is, the tape runs free and, if everything goes right captures the essence of the music wrapped in the magic of the moment.

We went about recording this album in such a way, aiming to pay homage to jazz as the ‘art of now’, a task easily said yet not necessarily done. Communication among the players plays an important part in this kind of a setting. You have to enjoy the energy flowing in the room, to feed your musical ideas into it and let them bounce back.

I was lucky to share the space here with some of the best. True, they rank among the A-list as contemporary jazzmen but also as my friends.

What you hear is a musical conversation with the depth of our years playing together resonating all the way through.

Here’s to hoping you enjoy this music and stay “in with” us for the duration.

Timo Lassy / Helsinki, 2012