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Kris Jensen

About Me

My Jazz Story

I love jazz because... it is the ultimate human expression of experience through music and it is indelibly "American". I was first exposed to jazz...snippets of Louis Armstrong on TV, radio. Leroy "Slam" Stewart did school concerts in my hometown of Binghamton, NY as he had made it his home in his later years I met [musician name]... Jackie McLean in 1985 and studied with him for many years. After a number or years as a student I was hired to be his assistant at the Hartt School University of Hartford in the 1990's. The best show I ever attended was...I have seen many great shows. I am mostly happy to have gotten to see "Dizzy", Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, "Slam" Stewart, Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Billy Higgins, Art Blakey, Art Farmer, Harold Land, Jackie McLean........and many others before they died. The first jazz record I bought was...2 records - Miles Davis Greatest Hits and Maynard Ferguson "Chameleon". I would later get the chance to meet and record with the great George Coleman who is on the Miles record and got tour with the great Maynard Ferguson. My advice to new listeners...if you open your mind and your heart the music should pour in. However, the experience is different for everyone depending on where they are coming from (musically) and what jazz (genre) they are listening to. There is a lot of mediocre music out there there bears the title of "jazz". Include the great masters - Art Tatum, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane.....in your listening and you will develop a stronger concept.