>>PREVIEW
CALGARY JAZZ FESTIVAL: RE-BIRTH OF THE COOL
Christine Jensen
Wednesday, June 20
Beat Niq
Anyone who’s ever endured hours of piano instruction under the stern eye of an exacting teacher can sympathize with renowned alto and soprano saxophone master Christine Jensen’s musical upbringing. Fortunately for Jensen, that teacher was also her mother.
Coming from a household that was always filled with rhythm and melody, it was only natural that Jensen took an interest in joining her school band as a youngster. There was only one problem with that – you can’t play piano in the school marching band. This prompted the budding virtuoso to pick up her new weapon of choice – the alto saxophone, and, to the delight of modern jazz enthusiasts everywhere, she hasn’t looked back since.
"It’s been a very exciting time for us," says Jensen of her busy summer schedule. "We just got back from performing in New York, and the festival season has just begun. It’s such a great way to showcase the wonderful players we’ve assembled – every festival is a different experience. Some people shy away from jazz, especially modern jazz because they’ve only had limited exposure to it. Festivals provide the opportunity for such a huge crossover of musical types that it’s hardly definable as jazz. I think we fall kind of in the middle – we quote funk, pop, ’80s music in our jazz style. Sometimes my music can even get pretty folky. "
Graduating from McGill University in 1994 with a music degree, Jensen began performing her spirited and upbeat compositions on the Canadian and international jazz scene. Bringing her unique talent for developing intricately layered arrangements and unexpected improvisations to each of her live appearances, she has gone on to release three full-length albums including Collage and A Shorter Distance. Her most recent release with The Christine Jensen Quartet, entitled Look Left , is based on a series of compositions for septet, sextet and features her current touring companions – pianist Dave Restivo, drummer Greg Ritchie, bassist Frazer Hollins and guitarist Kenny B.
"Putting A Shorter Distance together was a pretty long process," Jensen says of her most recent work. "We toured over half the material before we actually began to record it. Eventually things became more fluid and we slowly added things to the mix – it allowed us to try out new musical ideas and new angles. We’ve gotten to know each other so well as a group that I was able to tailor every piece to their individual capabilities. As a jazz band it’s amazing that we’ve been able to stay together this long."
The recipient of numerous awards including special recognition from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseils des Arts et Lettres du Quebec, Jensen is also a well-respected clinician who has worked with some of the most famous names in jazz. This Montreal resident’s love of composing and arranging has taken her around the globe and led her to create pieces for big bands, and even her Juno award-winning sister Ingrid Jensen, a world renowned trumpet player in her own right, has gotten in on the act, performing some of the songs from Jensen’s albums. Even as she appreciates the importance of these remarkable milestones and prestigious accolades, Jensen’s current career high is defined by the abiding satisfaction she has found with The Christine Jensen Quartet.
"Improv is freedom through gaining a lot of skill with your instrument. You have to get your ears working. Playing improv can be as difficult as performing a complex passage, but it’s also a lot of fun. Dave is really Canada’s greatest improvisational pianist. He is incredibly talented at getting into the moment. We hold to a template, but at the same time we are shapeshifters – every night something different happens. I want people to have an instant emotional reaction to our music, it’s an invitation to our audience to come into the living room and have a conversation with us." |
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