10th October 2019: Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler – Ingrid Jensen & Steve Treseler – ★★★★ from Jazzwise Magazine + more reviews

For trumpeter Ingrid Jensen and saxophonist/clarinettist Steve Treseler, paying tribute to the late Kenny Wheeler was a calling. The Canadian-born, British-based composer/trumpeter has almost incalculably influenced generations of musicians, working alongside a who’s who of artists including Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Bill Frisell, John Taylor and Norma Winstone – and a famously unassuming persona belied his unequivocal prominence from the mid-1970s onwards as a free-spirited jazz pioneer.

Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler reinterprets works from his prolific catalog honed from “a list of around thirty tunes we wanted to do,” recalls Treseler. “The news of Kenny’s death had a big effect on me and I reached out to Ingrid about putting together a tribute concert, and that conversation evolved into making a record. Ingrid and I are both devoted Kenny fans and we both had the opportunity to work with him in person. Ingrid’s band – Geoffrey Keezer (piano), Martin Wind (bass) and Jon Wikan (drums) – was playing at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Idaho, so we booked two nights at Seattle’s Royal Room, as well as the studio session. Between the shows, which were featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America, we tracked the album (with guest saxophonist Christine Jensen and vocalist Katie Jacobson).” The energy of those performances is brought together here.

Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler is available on CD • DL • 2 x 180 Gram Limited Edition vinyl here.

Here are the latest press highlights:

“The qualities of Wheeler’s music – chaos and melancholy – feature evocatively in the spirited arrangements. A fine celebration.”
★★★★ Jazzwise Magazine (website)

“The band put their own stamp on it [Wheeler’s work] and provide a totally fresh perspective. The result is inspiring, energetic and often hard-hitting.”
Jazz Journal (full review)

“Ingrid Jensen and Steve Treseler create a musical playground of complex, rich arrangements and fine melodies.”
Radio REC

“This quintet seems, on the surface, to underscore the writerly aspect of Wheeler’s legacy, framing their improvisation in meticulously scored arrangements. Listen closely, however, and it’s clear that the structures are merely springboards, providing melodic momentum for the soloists’ personal inventions.”
JazzTimes (full review)

“A subtle, but nonetheless rich album.”
Musikreviews

“An affectionate and respectful tribute to a musician [Wheeler] with his own unmistakeable style.”
Rheinmain Magazine