Postcards documents the working jazz trio of the young Finnish, Helsinki-based guitarist Lassi Friman and double bass player Jonathan Bäckström with the Danish, Aarhus drummer Jens Emil Jensen. Friman and Bäckström lead their own bands, and Jensen is a co-founder of the Aarhus Jazz Jam series of performances. The trio’s debut album was recorded at Kallio-Kuninkala Studio in Järvenpää in 2023.
The trio weaves elements of Nordic jazz with the seminal American jazz of the late 1950s post-hard bop in a set of eight original melodic and playful pieces, four by Friman, two by Bäckström, and two by Jensen. The atmosphere is calm, emphatic, and unassuming, and the dance-like dynamics always serve the music and its relaxed grooves. Each «postcard» has its own little backstory, and all were written at different times and places. All the pieces offer reflections on specific memories, including important moments and dedications to loved ones, as well as the small everyday experiences that we sometimes overlook.
Jensen’s «Pretty Hard Prima Vista» and «Bente’s Blues» flexes the trio rhythmic muscles. Friman’s «Helsingbird» and «Ghost Forum» cement the trio’s melodic and harmonic refinement, but Bäckström’s «Ballad For» is the most beautiful piece here, suggesting a mysterious, nuanced cinematic story.
Eyal Hareuveni
Lassi Friman (guitar), Jonathan Bäckström (double bass), Jens Emil Jensen (drums, percussion)
