One of the star turns at last year's 12 Points festival, Finnish quartet Big Blue are well on their way to becoming the Coldplay of European jazz. Their harmonically austere originals build from gentle beginnings to anthemic crescendos, as trumpeter Jorma Kalevi Louhivouri rides wave after wave of tension from a band that knows the value of holding back. Pianist Antti Kujanpää, bassist Jori Huhtala and drummer Joonas Leppänen weave an atmosphere that is almost a caricature of Nordic cool, only to melt it in orgasms of power chords and crashing cymbals. At times it all seems a little obvious, even emotionally manipulative, but then there are moments of beauty that offer some hope for the future – for mankind and for Big Blue. camjazz.com