Christine Jensen leads an impressive quartet on her new album Day Moon, which recounts a long, turbulent period for the Canadian saxophonist.
“I got hit hard by the pandemic because I felt alone and was not doing what I’m supposed to do,” Jensen says. “So, I focused on my saxophones, teaching myself to present my sound, my solo voice. It’s almost like becoming the vocalist.”
The members of her quartet — pianist Steve Amirault, bassist Adrian Vedady and drummer Jim Doxas — became her “refuge and sanctuary” during that time, she says.
“I feel like we met on thin ice through two cycles of seasons, meeting, greeting, and expanding on this repertoire, so that we could find a place that allowed us to trust and support each other at the highest level — not just in the music, but also in friendship, empathy and love, all words that the lockdown was attempting to repress.”
The 10-track album features all originals, except for a recording of Jimmy Van Heusen’s “Here’s That Rainy Day.” It includes the four-song suite Quiescence, which was written for a commission from New York’s Jazz Coalition.
Listen to the lead single “Like in Love” below:
