Bonnie J Jensen
The Sapphire Tree
(La Brava Music)
Rating: ***1/2
Sydney vocalist,pianist and composer Bonnie Jensen retains most of the quality jazz players in this septet from her previous two albums. She’s composed three tracks, collaborated on arrangements and plays accompanying piano on several. There is a mixture of standards, some unusual vocal pieces and one down home blues, Ain’t No Use. Her style is straight ahead nightclub chanteuse, drawing on many influences, sounding sometimes reminiscent of Renee Geyer, at others traces of Peggy Lee or Sarah Vaughan emerge. Expression is obtained through phrasing and volume rather than via tonal qualities.
Soloists have adequate space: saxophonist Craig Walters contributes sympathetically, Jeremy Sawkins delivers effortlessly appropriate guitar, and Miroslav Bukovsky’s broad-toned trumpet is super-heated on A Night In Tunisia, a challenging vocal piece, cleverly arranged with unusual variations. Jensen’s original title ballad displays a talent for both musical composition and poetic lyrics, evident too on Neon Soliloquy: Like a diamond in the river as precious as African rain, this glimpse of bliss will sustain you – again and again.
Note: This review was first published in The Weekend Australian and is reprinted with permission of the author.
