Ingrid Jensen has the talent to make a dent in the world of jazz, and her hard-edged sound on trumpet hearkens to some of the past masters such as
Woody Shaw,
Freddie Hubbard, and
Clifford Brown. Her excellent choice of a second horn, tenor saxophonist Gary Thomas (who doubles on flute), should have been enough to catapult this recording to the top of the pack, but somehow, the somewhat placid arrangements detract from the whole. Instead of the breakthrough album that might have been,
Jensen has produced a good, if fairly pedestrian, recording, one that contains moments of inspired playing but somehow leaves the listener wanting more.
Jensen knows how to build tension and release it at unexpected times, and her clipped phrases highlight an otherwise ordinary set. ~ Steven Loewy