Olavi Trio's 'Oh, La Vie!' Album Creates Freeform Explosions of Sound [REVIEW]

As the follow-up to their TUM Records Triologia debut, Oh, La Vie! continues the Olavi Trio's freeform experimentation in spontaneous combustion, or in this case, composition. This freedom from chords, charts and time signatures results in a totally radical kind of improvisation that challenges all the assumptions one has when it comes to serious music. When these musicians create in the now, their own preconceptions are called into question.

They're from Finland. As such, their frame of reference is different from U.S. musicians. In order to pursue such esoteric delight, they certainly must've had to have worked harder to uncover what came before when it comes to such free playing. To that end, only the oldest Olavi, Teppo Olavi Hauta-aho, 73, was able to actually perform with such progressive stalwarts as saxophonist Anthony Braxton and piano mauler Cecil Taylor. He's the drummer. Oh, did I mention this trio is comprised of trombone, bass and drums? There's no piano or guitar to fill in the spaces.

With such a format, the bass 'n' drums rhythm section has to constantly be in action, down to the slightest ebb of movement. Silence is golden. It's the glue between the tones that actually promotes suspense. Jari Ovali Hongisto, 55, is on trombone and percussion. In fact, they're all on percussion, which is why this sometimes sounds like a drum circle on Quaaludes.

The youngest Olavi, drummer Niilo Olavi Louhivuori, 34, is a shape-shifting chameleon who relies on his traps as much as his hi-hat to create a swirl that gets imbedded in the mix to the point of consternation. He can confound as well as entertain. His subtlety is oftentimes soothing, especially when all three start lightly tapping, typing, touching and rubbing the skins on various percussive effects to the point of woodsiness. It's a nature walk! With tracks like "Shoulder Twist," "Sideways," "Drum Song" and "Forest Walk" amongst its 12 meandering creations, this trio, now in its 11th year, is absolutely eminently listenable (patience is a virtue).