Unionen

Unionen are a contemporary jazz group led by bassist Petter Eldh (Koma Saxo), with Gard Nilssen (Supersonic Orchestra -- that also includes Eldh) on drums; prolific session player/bandleader Per "Texas" Johansson on saxophone, bass clarinet, and woodwinds; and Supersilents Stale Storlokken on piano, Fender Rhodes and synths. Their name is drawn from a period between 1814 and 1904 when Sweden and Norway shared a monarch. Their music joins electric and post-bop jazz to progressive rock and dynamic avant improvisation. Their sound, informed by influences including Soft Machine, Krakatau, and John Surman, is quite modern and exploratory without musical artifice or excess. Set opener "Stahlbad" commences with a motif that suggests chamber music with Johanssons flutes buoyed by Storlokkens nearly stringlike synth. Nilssen enters with ticking cymbals as the motif continues, then breaks the beat and engages space as synth, guitar, snares, tom-toms, and a deep, rubbery bassline improvise texturally. Eldhs low, sparse deep bass groove introduces Johanssons tenor, an organ, and shimmering cymbals in "Den Grimme Elling." The saxophonist and pianist entertain a noirish, minor-key jazz vamp bass and Rhodes piano, underscoring Johanssons labyrinthine solo as the pace increases; the quartet embrace a Weather Report-esque vibe (a la Mysterious Traveler) and move toward strident post-bop. Two tunes -- "Ganska Langt Ut Pa Vansterkanten" and "Tomikron" -- reflect formally composed soundscapes. The former weds clipped circular folk patterns marked by contrabass clarinet and flute in creating a mischievous, dark vibe with a rippling synth, over interlocking bass and drum grooves. The latter offers elegant, brushed drumming, a syncopated clarinet and piano patterns, elegant basslines, and a breezy post-bop melody that flows over the top. Sequenced between them is "6983." It could have easily been written and played by the Alan Holdsworth-era Soft Machine, entwining electric jazz, prog, and rock. The interplay between players is symbiotic, resulting in a collective drive at once creative and dramatic. The title cut is contemplative in nature, joining together rattling percussion, shimmering cymbals, mysteriously plush synth and piano textures, and a smooth yet mournful, even solemn, lyric melody delivered from Johansson on cor anglais (a wind instrument from the oboe family that goes an octave lower). Its instantly memorable and segues into the gently pulsing "Search Party" before graceful, Asian-inspired harmonies on synth, piano, organ, and contrabass clarinet weave a luxuriously atmospheric sound tapestry that continually and gently evolves. Given its economy, focus, and balance, Unionens eponymous debut album reveals a quartet completely capable of mastery in melding gorgeous harmonies, improv, modern jazz traditions, and inspired, democratic interaction. ~ Thom Jurek