“Extraordinary music.”
–Guitar Player

“A borderless music meeting… an unheard-of, exciting and fine album.”
-LIRA

“…an ethereal vibe of open spaces and pregnant pauses, an antidote to the undertones of urban angst prevalent in much New York jazz.”
-The New York City Jazz Record

“Un convinces on every level… comparable to groundbreaking albums by pioneers such as John McLaughlin, Ralph Towner, Oregon and the like. ★★★★“
-RYTMI

It is said that music does not lie in the notes themselves but between them, and it is exactly in that space where Boston-based Finnish fretless/fretted guitarist and oudist Jussi Reijonen‘s music thrives and blossoms. His critically acclaimed and Independent Music Award -nominated debut album, un | ان, has been a lifelong musical journey in the making – a journey that spans three decades and four continents, and which has taken him from his native Northern Finland to years spent living in the Middle East, East Africa, and now the United States.

The album brings together a unique and international cast of five seasoned musicians from Finland, Turkey, Sweden, Palestine and Spain. Between the five of them, the musicians – Reijonen on fretless/fretted guitars and the 11-string Arabic lute oud, Utar Artun on piano, Bruno Råberg on acoustic bass, and Tareq Rantisi and Sergio Martínez on percussion – shares an impressive resume that reads like a who’s-who of contemporary jazz and world music: the members have worked with the likes of Paul Simon, Jack DeJohnette, Pepe de Lucia, Enrique Morente, Diego el Cigala, Simon Shaheen, Javier Limón, Maria Schneider, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Bobby McFerrin, George Garzone, Ben Monder, Mick Goodrick, David Fiuczynski, Steve Smith, and Alejandro Sanz. With Reijonen handling compositions, arrangements, and production on the album, the Quintet traverses the supposed boundaries between musical cultures effortlessly, with a blend of humility, grace, and presence.