Unionen

As a result of the Peace of Kiel in 1814, the Kingdom of Denmark had to cede Norway to the King of Sweden. Norway and Sweden formed a union for almost 100 years, and it was only when this union was dissolved in 1905 that Norway gained its independence and has been a parliamentary monarchy ever since. The newly formed quartet Unionen with the two Swedes Per Texas Johansson (saxophone) and Petter Eldh (bass) and the two Norwegians Ståle Storløkken (keyboards) and Gard Nilssen (drums) also refers to this by name. These four musicians have long since made a name for themselves internationally and are well known for their collaborations with musicians such as Terje Rypdal, Django Bates and Susanne Sandfør and bands such as Koma Saxo, Supersilent, Elephant 9 and Enemy. Together they set out in search of common ground when it comes to contemporary jazz. The four Scandinavians have found an action-packed, sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric, equally analogue and digital and in any case energetic and explosively improvised music that is completely committed to the here and now.