Olavi Trio: Oh, La Vie!

These Finnish improvisers frame spontaneous combustion and mellower moments on their second outing for Tum Records. They're also one of many bands to dispel stereotypes that Scandinavian ensembles are largely about performing chamber jazz amid ethereal soundscapes, evidenced throughout the years on ECM Records and so on. Of course that's not a bad attribute, yet the region does breed a prismatic array of disparate musicians and artists that pursue cutting-edge nomenclatures by bridging genres with the greatest of ease.

This barebones, chord-less unit often dwells in the lower- register via the instrumentation mix, but drummer Niilo Olavi Louhivuori, largely and rather creatively offsets this x-factor with his use of small cymbals, bells and other percussion implements along with his impressive drumming faculties. The group spreads its imaginative propensities over 13 tracks with a loosely articulated cavalcade of musical notions, disseminated with wily overtures, minimalism and free-form paradigm shifts. Trombonist Jari Olavi Hongisto occasionally injects soul jazz choruses and bluesy intonations while also using melody as a rough-hewn stepping-stone towards deconstruction efforts atop Teppo Olavi Hauta-aho's fluttering or buzzing arco bass lines. On "Chaplin," Louhivuori's asymmetrical pace offers a broad and fluid bottom for his associates' spirited impov etched within a democratic, team-oriented approach.

The aptly titled "Hurry Up," is based on free jazz mayhem, topped off with the customary outbursts and Hauta-aho's grating notes as Hongisto ups the ante with a blistering solo spot. Otherwise, this coalition can sound rather insulated or confined, even though they're never at a loss for pursuing novel propositions. But the lack of tonal contrasts and variegated hues is the antithesis to the core trio's previous album Triologia (Tum, 2014), which featured additional hornists and a guitarist on various tracks.

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