Born from the mind of Tuomas Kallio, member of the well known nu jazz group Nuspirit Helsinki, Finland's Five Corners Quintet combines a retro swing sound with fresh jazz ambiance to give a different take on jazz. A take that as with the debut album Chasin' the Jazz Gone By, combines the style of classic jazz with the production techniques of modern electronic music.

1. Hot Rod
2. Kerouac Days in Montana (feat. Mark Murphy)
3. Skinny Dipping
4. Rich in Time (feat. Okou)
5. Midnight in Trieste
6. Come and Get Me (feat. Mark Murphy)
7. Interlope II
8. Waltz Up
9. Easy Diggin'
10. Shake It
11. Habib's Habit

"Hot Rod" starts like a swing tune, with a strong walking bass riff by Antti Lötjönen and pianist Mikael Jakobsson playing spare, staccato notes. This is contrasted by the classic jazz horn lines of Jukka Eskola (trumpet) and Timo Lassy (sax and flute). "Skinny Dipping" has a similar effect, beginning as a straight out swing tune but adding horn and piano solos. Other cuts like "Waltz Up" and "Shake It" are jazz in a traditional vein as you might have with a dual horn quintet, with plenty of cymbal work by drummer Teppo Mäkynen.

Three songs have vocals. "Kerouac Days in Montana" and "Come and Get Me" are groovy swingers with Mark Murphy, while "Rich in Time" is a sprightly, soulful number with a hint of a Latin beat sung by Okou.

Tuomas Kallio is credited as "commander in chief," which refers to the importance of his writing and production. Kallio does not add sampling, but puts string emulations in songs like "Midnight in Trieste," which adds to its atmospheric vibe. Kallio’s production is bright and hot, keeping the energy high throughout the CD.

This is the way the new sound of jazz should be, exciting instead of "smooth" and with solid playing without cutting corners.

~ Dave Howell

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