Christine Jensen

Montreal-based Christine Jensen is considered “one of the most important Canadian composers of her generation”, according to the Globe and Mail and has emerged as a creative alto and soprano saxophonist on both the Canadian and international jazz scene. “Jensen writes in three dimensions, with a quiet kind of authority that makes the many elements cohere. Wayne Shorter, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler come to mind.” – Greg Buium, Downbeat MagazineShe has three small ensemble recordings out as a leader, including Collage (2000), A Shorter Distance (2002), and Look Left (2006), all on the Effendi Records label.In 2002, Christine moved to Paris after being awarded a grant by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, which included a six-month residency at the Québec Studio in the Cité Internationale des Arts. In this time, she sketched her compositions, and then extensively toured and reworked the material with her quartet upon her return to Canada. She has built a strong musical rapport with some of Canada’s most original players, with her current band consisting of pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Fraser Hollins, and drummer Greg Ritchie, as well as the frequent addition of guitarist Ken Bibace. The unique combination of these musicians’ shared musical influences has allowed her music to continually evolve and develop through her original repertoire. Her latest CD “Look Left” is a result of their collaborative explorations of her themes.“Each song is complex and crafted to bring out the best in the players. She gives them enough room to map their own within the framework, which they do with an intuition that is lyrical and full-bodied.” –All About JazzBorn in Sechelt, British Columbia, and raised within Nanaimo’s music community, Jensen graduated from McGill University’s jazz performance program in 1994. Since then she has traveled extensively performing and composing her works in a diverse array of musical settings, from small to large ensembles. Her music has taken her on more recent voyages, including Haiti, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, Sweden, Denmark, and Turkey.Jensen has studied the saxophone with Pat Labarbera, Dick Oatts and Steve Wilson, and composition with Jim McNeely and Kenny Werner. She has emerged not only as a writer and performer but also as a leader and player of both her quartet and the Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra. She continues to perform with her sister Ingrid as well as the Joel Miller Ensemble. She won the Opus Prize from the Quebec Arts Council for “Concert of the Year –2006”, which featured her jazz orchestra performing her original works with special guest Donny McCaslin on saxophones.Roger Levesque of the Edmonton Sun recently wrote of Jensen’s quartet performance: “it was hard to say which was stronger; the close-knit communication of the players, or the imaginative original tunes from Jensen that inspired them. Either way, Jensen is a leader to watch.”