Short Reviews [The Verge - 2024 - "The Verge"]

Here we have the debut album by Norwegian jazz-rock quartet The Verge, who comprise Emil Storlokken Ase (guitars), Aksel Ronning (saxophone, flute), Alf Hoines (electric bass) and Ingvald Andre Vassbo (drums). They met at the legendary Norwegian jazz school NTNU, playing their first concerts in 2019, before heading into the studio in 2021 to record this. I do not know why it has taken until the end of 2024 for it to finally be made available, and I can only hope the band is still active given how busy Vassbo has been with Kanaan and Full Earth as this is quite something. Seven tracks, 41 minutes, here we have a band who have delivered something which is often much heavier than one would expect from fusion, but as complex and layered as one would hope for. That each musician is a master of their instrument is never in doubt, but special credit must be given to Vassbo as the man is everywhere all the time, changing style and approach instantly and although his output is prodigious it somehow never comes across as overplaying but instead, he is driving the rest of the band forward. It is not unusual for guitar and bass to set up a pattern for the sax to solo against, and it is the tightness of everyone working together without any feeling of ego which makes this such an impressive result. Hugely complex and complicated, there is also something compelling about it which makes it much more listenable to than many of the more experimental albums out there. It can be quite hypnotic in the way it swirls and repeats melodies, but it can also be vibrant and improvisational while also feeling dynamic in a way that only comes when the band have heavily rehearsed, so it seems free and simple. What makes this such a dynamic release is the way the four musicians weave everything together so the tapestry is solid and whole, and one enjoys the musical journey even if at no pint there is no idea where it will lead to or how the listener got to the place they are at already. Now they are signed we can only hope there will be a new album much sooner than another three years, as this is dynamic, exciting and essential.