Press Kit

Christine Jensen

“…one of the most accomplished Canadian saxophonists ever…” – Q with Tom Power

The acclaimed, JUNO-winning Canadian saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen is proud to release her latest jazz orchestra album Harbour. The seven-song follow-up to 2013’s Habitat features nineteen different players, a beautifully textured and nuanced record made up of commissioned pieces that all center around a feeling of home and safety. Recorded at Studio Piccolo in Montreal, guest soloists include Christine’s sister and renowned trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. Together, they highlight a familial bond that goes beyond words on cuts like “Passing Lion’s Gate,” “Swirlaround,” and “Fantasy On Blue,” to name a few. Elsewhere, Chet Doxas expertly lends his tenor sax to “Cascadian Fragments” while guitarist Steve Raegele and alto sax player Donny Kennedy can be heard on “Harbour.” Last but not least, pianist Gary Versace, drummer Jon Wilkan, saxophonist Erik Hove, and bassist Remi-Jean LeBlanc make their presence known.

Each player chosen embodies the feeling of safe harbor for Christine as she reflects: “The musicians that I had the privilege to perform and record with took all this to another level and brought their own characters in through their masterful sounds and improvisations. This time around, I can’t be more thrilled with the magic that has surfaced, from the sculpting of forms to the performances that are so lovingly interpreted.”

Listen to ‘Harbour’ Here: https://christinejensen.ffm.to/harbour

Canadian Saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen has led a distinct voice to the creative jazz scene for the last twenty-five years with her large and small ensembles. She is set to release her third jazz orchestra album Harbour (2024) which follows previous releases Habitat (2013) and Treelines (2010). It features her Montreal-based orchestra, along with guest soloists NY-based Ingrid Jensen on trumpet and electronics, Gary Versace on piano, Chet Doxas on tenor saxophone, Jon Wikan on drums and Montreal-based Steve Raegele on guitar. This album captures over a decade of her compositions and commissions, with her sister’s improvisations infused throughout.

“I have always loved the act of storytelling,” Jensen reflects. “My family and childhood friends constantly remind me that I had my nose in a book at all hours, escaping to so many different realms. In my compositions, I am always translating my stories through the characters of the orchestra. As my mentor Jim McNeely pointed out to me years ago in a lesson that stuck, he likes to think of the story as a play, working with the entrance of each character, or in this case each musician and improviser.”

“I think of this collection of songs as my commissioning series, with each piece marking time since the beginnings of life for my daughter Liv, who is now thirteen. I chose the title Harbour because I think of it as a place of shelter on the water, a respite before the new migrations that await on land. This ensemble of family and friends represents that feeling to me, as we all came out of so much turbulence to land together in a room, where my music could take flight. The musicians that I had the privilege to perform and record with took all this to another level and brought their own characters in through their masterful sounds and improvisations. This time around, I can’t be more thrilled with the magic that has surfaced, from the sculpting of forms to the performances that are so lovingly interpreted.”