Dynamic opening show for Seasons' new series

Ingrid Jensen doesn't remember many specifics from the last time she played The Seasons Performance Hall.

The 44-year-old jazz trumpet virtuoso got lost in the music during that 2008 performance, letting it take her away. But she does remember being surprised at how well the Yakima audience responded and its openness to nontraditional playing.

"It was a very electric evening," Jensen said in a phone interview this week. "People really came along for the ride that time."

Jensen returns Saturday with her quartet, kicking off The Seasons' new series, Jazz From the Big Apple and Beyond. The series, which includes four shows between now and July, features a wide range of traditional and modern jazz styles. The Ingrid Jensen Quartet show Saturday will be a microcosm of the series, eclectic and dynamic but with a firm foundation based on jazz tradition.

"We've been traveling a lot, my husband (quartet drummer Jon Wikan) and I," Jensen said. "So we have all these different sounds we want to share."

Jensen, a Canadian now living in New York, has played with Grammy winners and has had her own albums nominated for Canada's Juno Awards. She's been praised by Down Beat magazine and has performed on "Saturday Night Live" in a backing role.

Besides Jensen and Wikan, the quartet playing Saturday features pianist-vocalist Dawn Clement and bassist Paul Gabrielson. The four have all played with each other before, but never as a quartet, Jensen said. She's excited about the possibilities. The dynamic nature of improvisational jazz is what keeps the music interesting, she said.

"If it's not (dynamic), for me it becomes just library music," Jensen said.

That said, Jensen's music is no mere exercise in experimentalism. It challenges listeners at times, but it's not so esoteric as to appeal only to aficionados. In other words, it sounds good.

"People have recommended her concert to me as an appealing, accessible jazz program," said Seasons spokeswoman Ellie Strosahl, who has been waiting for Jensen to return since missing that 2008 appearance. "Everyone told me it was one of the best concerts we ever had at The Seasons."

The rest of the Jazz From the Big Apple and Beyond series is similarly highly anticipated, beginning next month with The Mauger Trio. The trio is led by saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, who has set aside his groundbreaking fusion of jazz and Indian styles to team with drummer Gerry Hemingway and bassist Mark Dresser.

The series continues in April with a performance from Grammy-nominated jazz
vocalist Tierney Sutton and her band. Her precision as a singer has become a distinctive signature. The final concert of the series comes in July when Czech jazz pianist Emil Viklicky brings his trio to Yakima.

"He's going to be more straight-ahead, less experimental," Strosahl said. "But he's also known for merging classical with jazz."

Maintaining a strong lineup of jazz players has been a priority for The Seasons, even as it has branched out into blues and folk music during the past two years. This series is just another manifestation of that ethos.

"We've been offering a pretty broad range of musical selections for the last two years," Strosahl said. "But our brand has always been a jazz and classical brand."

The relatively small size of the venue, combined with its acoustic and aesthetic virtues, is ideal for that. That leads to special musical evenings, like the one Jensen had there in 2008. She's looking forward to doing it again.

"I really expect a similar intimacy," Jensen said.

* Pat Muir can be reached at 509-577-7693 or pmuir@yakimaherald.com.

If you go

WHAT: The Ingrid Jensen Quartet kicks off the Jazz From the Big Apple and Beyond series.

WHERE: The Seasons Performance Hall, 101 N. Naches Ave.

WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

HOW MUCH: $20 for this show or $60 for the four-concert series, which goes through July. A portion of the proceeds from this show will go toward earthquake relief in Haiti.

MORE INFO: www.theseasonsyakima.com or 509-453-1888.