We know that we are listening to powerful music of stately elegance.
Justin Time
Acoustic Bass – Rémi-Jean LeBlanc; Alto Saxophone, Flute – Erik Hove; Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Donny Kennedy; Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Samuel Blais; Bass Trombone – Jean-Sébastien Vachon; Conductor, Composed By, Soprano Saxophone – Christine Jensen; Drums – Jon Wikan; Trumpet – Ingrid Jensen; Guitar – Steve Raegele; Piano – Gary Versace; Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Claire Devlin; Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet – Chet Doxas; Trombone – Dave Martin, Taylor Donaldson; Trombone [Lead Trombone] – Dave Grott; Trumpet [Lead Trumpet], Flugelhorn – Jocelyn Couture; Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Bill Mahar, Dave Mossing, Lex Fren
- Passing Lions Gate / 2. Swirlaround / 3. Wink / 4. Surge / 5. Harbour / 6. Cascadian Fragments / 7. Fantasy On Blue
What is it about Canada and jazz orchestras: Gil Evans, Darcy James Argue, Kenny Wheeler, John Warren all creating new sounds? Is it now possible to start to identify a Canadian sound? Christine Jensen has her own style, particularly brass based. From the almost hesitant opening of ‘Passing Lions Gate’ with drums and bass to the gradual introduction of the orchestra we know that we are listening to powerful music of stately elegance. The orchestration has bass trombones and depth to wrap round the mature sound of Ingrid Jensen. Beauty and certainty. The whole album is dominated by the trumpet and brilliance of Ingrid Jensen.
In the past Christine has written the albums ‘Habitat’ (2013) and ‘Treelines’ (2010). ‘Harbour’ is a set of originals written by Jensen over the last ten years. Jensen states that ‘ ‘Harbour’ ‘represents a departure point from leaving shelter and emerging into the new world, I chose the title Harbour because I think its place of shelter on the water, a respite before the new migrations that await on land’.
‘Harbour’ is played by Jensen’s Montreal-based orchestra, along with guest soloists including her sister Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Gary Versace on piano, Chet Doxas on tenor saxophone, Jon Wikan on drums and Montreal-based Steve Raegele on guitar. This album features ten years of Jensen compositions and commissions, with her sister’s playing threaded throughout.
The Imaginative writing especially for the brass continues with ‘Swirlaround’ which has Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen and Steve Raegele featured. The main interest is the writing, with the pulsating brass. The writing is precise and Jensen ensures that her players are just as incisive.
Whenever Gary Versace plays, he manages to be abstract and direct at the same time: a unique skill. Ingrid Jensen is now an important voice in the orchestras of Maria Schneider, Darcy James Argue. She teaches and has her own groups. Her sound has an openness and maturity.
‘Fantasy on Blue’ has Ingrid Jensen starting muted against the brass. Christine Jensen says that her writing is riffing off the whole fantasy of the Miles album. This came from a commission from the Saskatoon Jazz Festival to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of ‘Kind Of Blue’. It is a heady mixture with Ingrid Jensen’s trumpet played out against the artful brass figures with Ingrid demonstrating what a virtuoso she is as she skips around the score. Jensen sounds nothing like Davis: she has a totally different sound, broader, more open.
Versace opens ‘Surge’ tentatively before the brass chorale takes over. It is good when Versace has time to play against the ticking cymbals and the insistent brass. Ingrid’s range of tones on the trumpet are reminiscent at times of Kenny Wheeler. Erik Hove on alto has clear directness.
This is a fine album. There is enough here to suggest Christine Jensen will write music that will be even more exploratory, more Canadian, more spacious and less dependent on her sister.
