Jensen, whose album Vernal Fields won Canada’s Juno Award as “Best Mainstream Album” of 1995, is a trumpeter with roots in Kenny Wheeler and Woody Shaw. She shows a lot of enthusiasm (and chops), and her solos sprawl, with phrases firing off in all directions. Self-editing could bring more focus to her playing, but this is my only suggestion.
Her band includes veteran alto and soprano saxophonist Gary Bartz (in inspired, lean, fiery form), pianist George Collington, bassist Dwayne Burno, drummer Bill Stewart and vocalist Jill Seifers. The group’s most unusual performance is a reharmonized, modalized version of Cole Porter’s “You Do Something to Me.” Hank Mobley’s “Avila and Tequila” is the date’s barn burner. Seifers sings Bill Evans’ “Time Remembered,” her dark timbre blending moodily with Jensen’s lyrical, Wheeler-kissed fluegelhorn. There are also some originals that show that Jensen has broad interests, from bossa nova to “Bitches Brew” and beyond.
