It is a great pleasure to watch the evolution of a musician—to witness the synthesis and refinement of ideas. And so it has been the case with Norwegian-born guitarist Lage Lund—who, in three short years of recording as a leader, has arrived at a new creative plateau.

Lund's first two recordings, Standards (Self Produced, 2007), and Early Songs (Criss Cross, 2008), displayed the guitarist's uniquely current sense of swing, and considerable technique. They cemented his burgeoning reputation as a force on the instrument and as a worthy interpreter of the jazz tradition. Unlikely Stories, however, comprised entirely of original compositions, finds the guitarist reinvented. While Lund remains a muscular improviser, he has pared down his concept to better suit his compositional style, eschewing much of the traditional jazz vocabulary for more personal and more provocative sounds.

On this album, Lund's writing instantly demonstrates the ability to make compelling new music without ignoring precedent. On one hand, Unlikely Stories, like the majority of contemporary New York jazz, shows a thorough absorption of