Ingrid Jensen - At Sea

Ingrid Jensen Artist Share (2006)
By Russ Musto

Personnel: Ingrid Jensen: trumpet, flugelhorn; Geoffrey Keezer: piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards; Matt Clohesy: bass; John Wikan: drums, percussion; Lage Lund: guitar; Hugo Alcazar: percussion.

Ingrid Jensen’s ArtistShare debut offers a fresh insight into a worldly trumpeter already established as a formidable player in the hard bop idiom. On At Sea she embarks on a journey into the often treacherous territory of post-Miles electro/acoustic jazz (where other trumpeters' individual voices are frequently eclipsed) and proves that she is a truly original composer.

Dispensing with the customary front-line foil of a saxophonist, Jensen surrounds her sound with Geoff Keezer’s orchestral keyboard accompaniment. The title track is a plaintive piece (with an ethereal ECM-ish atmosphere) that dynamically builds in intensity while maintaining a captivating lyricism. A cymbal interlude by drummer Jon Wikan, “Storm,” connects the opener to Keezer’s dedication “Captain Jon,” a powerful straightahead cooker that takes on a Latin flavor.

“As Love Does” begins impressionistically before gradually transforming into a melodic ballad that showcases Matt Clohesy’s tasteful bass playing and Keezer’s virtuoso touch. “Tea and Watercolors,” by Keezer, is another spacious outing in a Miles-ish mood that features Jensen’s piercing muted trumpet and guest artist Lage Lund’s lithe electric guitar.

Two painstakingly rendered standards, “There Is No Greater Love” and “Everything I Love,” testify to Jensen’s increasing maturity and sensitivity as an interpreter of the Great American Songbook.

On the latter, her interpolation of Afro-Peruvian lando rhythms (with percussionist Hugo Alcazar) shows that she has become an insightful arranger who's willing to take chances.

The final two original selections—the delightfully playful “Swotterings” (again with Lund on guitar) and the moving tribute “KD Lang,” an episodic suite with compelling contributions by each of the quartet’s members—mark a turning point in Jensen’s career, one clearly headed in the right direction.

Visit Ingrid Jensen on the web. Ingrid Jensen at All About Jazz.
Track listing: At Sea; Storm; Captain Jon; As Love Does; Tea & Watercolors; There Is No Greater Love; Everything I Love; Swotterings; KD Lang.

Style: Mainstream/Bop/Hard Bop/Cool Published: May 29, 2006 This article first appeared in All About Jazz: New York.