INGRID & CHRISTINE JENSEN - Infinitude
Whirlwind recordings - WR4694
Ingrid Jensen - trumpet, effects, kalimba, melodica; Christine Jensen - alto & soprano sax; Ben Monder - guitar, hammertone guitar; Fraser Hollins - bass; John Wikan - drums
The Jensen sisters have been prolific contributors to the contemporary jazz scene, with Ingrid’s work with Maria Schneider and her own big band drawing particular attention. This album presents them in a pared down quintet setting that still aims for some of the grandeur and scope of the bigger ensembles. There’s a strong Northern aesthetic running through the album, with it’s antecedents in the work of Kenny Wheeler (whose composition ‘Old Time’ is an energetic highlight) and the ECM sound of the 1970s - spacious, melodic, restrained. All the band play superbly throughout - Wikan and Hollins make the most of the rhythmic variations on offer in ‘Blue Yonder’ and ‘Octofolk’ , and Monder is flexible and fluid and thoroughly conversant in the contemporary language, using a range of effects to build up towering solos recalling the work of another ECM stalwart, Terje Rypdal.
The sisters are outstanding on their respective instruments - Ingrid has the fuller, more mellow tone on trumpet than Christine does on alto, but both demonstrate a long, sinuous fluidity of line, and perfect control. ‘Duo Space’ introduces the unearthly shimmer of Monder’s guitar for some ambient tonescapes for Ingrid to explore; ‘Hope’s Trail’ is an evocative ballad; ‘Garden Hour’ and ‘Dots and Braids’ continue the reflective mood. The performances and writing are strong and creative throughout, but the resolutely Nordic inflections may become a little chilly for some, especially over the increasingly downbeat mood in the album’s second half.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer
Whirlwind recordings - WR4694
Ingrid Jensen - trumpet, effects, kalimba, melodica; Christine Jensen - alto & soprano sax; Ben Monder - guitar, hammertone guitar; Fraser Hollins - bass; John Wikan - drums
The Jensen sisters have been prolific contributors to the contemporary jazz scene, with Ingrid’s work with Maria Schneider and her own big band drawing particular attention. This album presents them in a pared down quintet setting that still aims for some of the grandeur and scope of the bigger ensembles. There’s a strong Northern aesthetic running through the album, with it’s antecedents in the work of Kenny Wheeler (whose composition ‘Old Time’ is an energetic highlight) and the ECM sound of the 1970s - spacious, melodic, restrained. All the band play superbly throughout - Wikan and Hollins make the most of the rhythmic variations on offer in ‘Blue Yonder’ and ‘Octofolk’ , and Monder is flexible and fluid and thoroughly conversant in the contemporary language, using a range of effects to build up towering solos recalling the work of another ECM stalwart, Terje Rypdal.
The sisters are outstanding on their respective instruments - Ingrid has the fuller, more mellow tone on trumpet than Christine does on alto, but both demonstrate a long, sinuous fluidity of line, and perfect control. ‘Duo Space’ introduces the unearthly shimmer of Monder’s guitar for some ambient tonescapes for Ingrid to explore; ‘Hope’s Trail’ is an evocative ballad; ‘Garden Hour’ and ‘Dots and Braids’ continue the reflective mood. The performances and writing are strong and creative throughout, but the resolutely Nordic inflections may become a little chilly for some, especially over the increasingly downbeat mood in the album’s second half.
Reviewed by Eddie Myer