Ingrid Jensen: At Sea (2006)

Michael P. Gladstone

Senior Contributor since 2003

I came out of my musical hibernation circa 1960 and hit the streets for a new education on the past, present and future.

Recent articles (532 total)

Published: February 16, 2006

Trumpeter/flugelhornist Ingrid Jensen continues to impress with At Sea, her fifth album since 1994. She has done many sessions as a sideman and made several appearances on the BET Jazz Channel; not only is she a composer and bandleader, but also an educator. At age 25, she was the youngest professor at Austria's Bruckner Conservatory. Through the assistance of her friend and orchestra leader Maria Schneider, Jensen is now affiliated with ArtistShare.

The strategic mix of At Sea consists of four originals from Jensen, two from pianist Geoffrey Keezer, one from drummer Jon Wikan, and two standards. The texture of the album is augmented with the addition of guitarist Lage Lund on two tracks and percussionist Hugo Alcazar, a leading Peruvian musician, on one.

Jensen's playing has always been a thing of beauty. She has an uncanny ability to play long, smeary trumpet lines in the bebop tradition without sacrificing lyricism, as evidenced on her version of the Marty Sykes/Isham Jones standard "There Is No Greater Love." Another notable feature is Jensen's ability to stretch her notes out dramatically.

The addition of Alcazar on the lengthy version of Cole Porter's "Everything I Love" adds a world beat flavor with cajón, batajón and djembe. Guitarist Lage Lund's work on the ten-minute "Swotterlings" is a highlight, and I would have like to have heard more of him.

At Sea closes with Jensen's tribute to a fellow Canadian, "KD Lang," the one ballad here (at least toward the beginning and end of the piece).

Track Listing: At Sea; Storm; Captain Jon; As Love Does; Tea and Watercolors; There is No Greater Love; Everything I Love; Swotterings; KD Lang.

Personnel: Ingrid Jensen: trumpet, flugelhorn; Geoffrey Keezer: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards; Jon Wikan: drums, caj�n, palmas, percussion; Matt Clohesy: acoustic bass; Lage Lund: guitar (5, 8); Hugo Alc�zar: caj�n, bataj�n, djembe (7).

Record Label: ArtistShare
Style: Straight-ahead/Mainstream