Jaga JazzistMagazineReview

In the UK the young 10-piece Norwegian drum 'n' jazz collective from Tonsberg have sprung, seemingly fully-formed, out of nowhere. Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. Now, on the 10th anniversary of its release, Smalltown Supersound make available their rare Norway-only mini album, Magazine.

It's a welcome addition to their small but perfectly formed catalogue, and proves that core members - brothers Lars and Martin Horntveth - have always had these wonderful catchy, serpentine tunes running around their brains. It's also a testament to the Scandinavian tradition of getting jazz into the bloodstream when the kids are barely out of nappies. While this debut lays bare its influences much more transparently, it remains a scarily assured piece of work from what were essentially teenagers.

The aforementioned influences include early Mothers of Invention (in the jolly horn groupings) and, even more impressively, classic period Gil Evans: something that still holds sway over Lars Horntveth, as shown on his latest solo outing, Pooka. But added to this is the band's irrepressible way with a melody and d 'n' b dynamics - allegedly arrived at by merely hearing a description of what the genre sounded like! Of course, none of this would work without Jaga Jazzist'samazing and unorthodox blend of instrumentation.

"Jaga Ist Zu Hause" soars out of the speakers on wings of steel guitar, punctuated by clusters of woodwind and propelled by Martin's imaginatively hyperactive drums. "Plym"'s delicate acoustic stirrings feature some of the most heart-rending chords ever plucked and builds to a wildly megalomaniac storm of noise.

But it's "Swedish Takeaway" that indicates what fine straight jazzers these boys were before settling on a more recognizable sound. Recorded at Oslo's legendary Club Blå, it's a naggingly lovely two chord vamp that's as infectious as it is free, with some very fine trumpet soloing.

With a couple of remixes and the unusually vocal "Seems To Me", this release still sees itself as much a product of the indie scene as the more monumental heritage of Miles and Coltrane, and that's why Jaga continue to amaze. Like many of their fellow countrymen, they refuse to recognize the boundaries. Allegedly their next album throws prog rock into the mix. Rest assured, this should be a very good thing indeed...