Unionen is a new quartet of four star-level Norwegian and Swedish jazz musicians. The group takes its name from the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway under a common monarch 1814-1905 and brings together Ståle Størlokken (Supersilent), Per "Texas" Johansson, Petter Eldh (Koma Saxo) and Gard Nilssen (Supersonic Orchestra). It's not hip to say "supergroup" but this sure is one super of a group, with each member contributing to the band sound that is unique in all the best possible ways. From misty introspection to proper rock-out-hard-jazz, Unionen is set out to blaze their own trail. Tracks such as opener "Ståhlbad" draw you in with their subtle intensity, while the "rock cut" on the album, "6983" brings forth energy that sounds very much "live". Whatever Unionen do, you can feel they've been around the block a time or too, and are not just opting for easy licks to wow the listener. This is deep music that is set to stand the test of time in its originality. Early live shows of Unionen have been triumphant, with UK's Jazzwise calling them a "highlight scoop" at the Cologne Jazzweek.
The album consists of eight originals, each of which defies clear classification. The compositions, including writing credits by all four members in a true fashion of the "unionen", display a genuine musical storytelling desire, matched by the ability to build a narrative that holds the listener close. On the instrumentation side of things, you hear classics like grand piano, fender rhodes, double bass and drums, but also jazz rarities like cor anglais, contrabass clarinet and mpc. It's all part of a coherent sound image so you'll likely not think of how stuff was made but how it makes you feel. Unionen's music is highly emotive, more autumn than summer, more misty than sunny, more evening than midday, and first and foremost more unified than separated. No need for a monarch here, this is true democracy in the form of a jazz quartet.
