CHRISTINE JENSEN JAZZ ORCHESTRA
to Release Sophomore Album, Habitat,
Available March 11 via Justin Time Records
"...Jensen has a unique voice as composer and arranger, the dynamics among instruments enhancing her intricate ideas."
- JazzTimes
Saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen's second album with her Jazz Orchestra marks a significant growth in her writing for large ensemble. Habitat (available March 11 on Justin Time Records)
features six compositions, all with a deeply ingrained sense of place.
"I always search for a theme in my writing," Jensen explains. "The only
question is whether the theme comes out of the music or vice versa. This
time, the music came from places, or the feelings and imagination of
place."
For
Jensen, the process of writing for large ensemble is a time-consuming
one. "I average about two pieces a year," she admits, from the initial
sketch to orchestration to revision after reading it through with the
band. The compositions have now grown to be explicitly for the
orchestra. Jensen achieves the fine balance of small group improvisation
with large ensemble orchestration and melodic development, in the vein
of her inspiration Bob Brookmeyer and her contemporary (and fellow
McGill alumnus) Darcy James Argue.
Much of the band remains intact from the Juno award-winning Treelines, including featured trumpet soloist Ingrid Jensen, with a few key personnel changes. Rich Irwin
assumes the drum chair here - "he's a studio drummer with a great sense
of time, and he listens to every detail of the music," Jensen enthuses.
The foundation of the band is in good hands with Irwin, returning
bassist Fraser Hollins, low brass specialist David Martin, and Samuel Blais
on baritone saxophone. "If the low end of the band is solid, the rest
of the band shines." This mix of accuracy and familiarity with Jensen's
music allowed Habitat to unfurl more quickly.
"We only did two takes of almost everything," Jensen says, still in awe
that a recording of this grandeur only took a day-and-a-half of studio
time with the full orchestra.
The
rapport between Christine and Ingrid Jensen is in full evidence on
"Treelines," a 2010 commission from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
An episodic piece that seamlessly weaves its way from open improvisation
to straight ahead swing, Ingrid serves as the pivot for each new
section. "It's reflective of how we hang out together," Jensen says with
a laugh. "In two hours we can cover a lot of ground, from serious music
analysis to philosophy to goofing off with our kids." Given the
sisters' busy schedule, Jensen has presented large ensemble concerts
without Ingrid, allowing her to showcase more of the other impeccable
soloists in the band, notably Chet Doxas' tenor feature
on "Nishiyuu." "I consciously wanted to feature Chet, and I tried to
capture the spirit of his playing within the piece," explains Christine.
Other band members, including alto saxophonist Erik Hove and pianist John Roney, take the spotlight on "Intersection," a piece that predates Treelines.
One
of Jensen's strengths as a large ensemble jazz composer is her ability
to link contemporary harmonic language, as evidenced in the beautiful
chorale writing on "Blue Yonder," with traditional big band structures
and swing. "I grew up playing dance band music, and I'm probably the
last generation to get to do that, where I sat in a section with people
that taught me to play music from their era," Jensen recalls. "I've
played the Basie and Glenn Miller books to death as a student. That
music is in me." However, Jensen is also marked by a boundless
curiosity, and her fascination with the brilliant forward motion
Afro-Peruvian festejo rhythm is the basis for "Blue Yonder," a piece
commissioned by UMass-Amherst. "My brother-in-law
[drummer/percussionist] Jon Wikan likes to share his enthusiasm about
certain rhythms that he studies, so we worked - a lot - on the festejo
together." Jensen also cites Maria Schneider's "Bulería, Solea y Rumba"
as an influential piece, for its use of Latin rhythms that are neither
Cuban nor Brazilian in heritage.
Jensen
features herself on soprano saxophone on the final track, "Sweet
Adelphi," the lone piece on this album that has its roots as a small
group tune that she and Ingrid have frequently performed. "Initially, I
thought the Jazz Orchestra was just a project, but the band has taken on
a life of its own. I now compose with the large ensemble in mind."
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Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra - Habitat EPK
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Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra· Habitat
Justin Time Records · Release Date: March 11, 2014
For more information on Christine Jensen, please visit: ChristineJensenMusic.com
For more information on Justin Time Records, please visit: Justin-Time.com
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DL Media · 610-667-0501
Matthew Jurasek · matthew@dlmediamusic.com
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