Founded in 2005, The Unsupervised is the brainchild of West Coast guitarist and composer Jeff Younger. Raised in Winnipeg, he took up the guitar at age 11, gravitating to rock and heavy metal before discovering new music. After seeing Bill Frisell perform, he says he "was never quite the same". In 1999 he moved to Vancouver, entering Capilano University to study modern classical composition and jazz guitar. The Unsupervised's other members are Kristian Naso (trumpet), Colin Maskell (saxophones), Russell Sholberg (upright bass) and Ben Brown (drums). They perform a blend of contemporary jazz, new music and improvisation, counting the Norwegian band Atomic and saxophonist Evan Parker among their influences. In 2011 the band undertook an extensive tour of Canada.