Timo Lassy - Touch Red by Schema Records

If you ask me how to distinguish a great band from all the quite good ones, my answer would be to just listen to any given group live for three nights in a row. See if you still think they sound fresh for your ears during the encore of the third show. Timo Lassy Band does. One music journalist called the “In With Lassy” release club nights a “mini festival”. That works, sure. There were some great opening acts, proving that there's a future for jazz in Finland, some topical guests at our talk show, and a lot of people who make all this worthwhile. All of the gigs sold out in advance. Damn, somebody even bought the entire Lassy back catalogue on vinyl all at once from the record stand. That's dedication.

Matti Nives