Helsinki heritage, New York base, Brit label, Hirvonen trails the clouds of glory that come with winning prizes and getting endorsed by no less than John McLaughlin. And you can understand why: Hirvonen plays with a breathtaking technical flair. And with New Helsinki he's canny enough to surround himself with bright young things that play with an equal brash confidence. So what's not to like? After all on epic cuts like ‘Absolute’ Hirvonen lays down ridiculously long lines that build to the inevitable coruscating climax, though it's O'Farrill's trumpet that steals the show, chased hard by Marantz's crunching Rhodes. Likewise, ‘Fundamental’ comes replete with a lush, Ivo Neame-ish piano intro before morphing into a yomping rocker with Hirvonen as ever smackingly on the beat while Smith and O'Farrill yelp around him. So the bandmembers deserve as much of our ears as Hirvonen does. It's equally cool that he writes all the material, but maybe a little more space and a feel for dynamics could be built in, but that's carping about an undoubted talent. Watch this space.