Brent Jensen - More Sounds of a Dry Martini (2021)

In 2001, alto saxophonist Brent Jensen released "The Sound of a Dry Martini: Remembering Paul Desmond." Resonating immediately with radio stations and their audiences, the album has been a consistent presence on the airwaves and has been streamed thousands of times a week since that technology was first conceived. Some twenty years later, Jensen now offers the house another round. Joined by guitarist Jamie Findlay, his long time partner in interpreting Desmond's works, Jensen improvises new melodies as rich and satisfying as the tunes from which they are based, subtly coloring his lines with romance, melancholy and joy. He shares a stylistic affinity with both Desmond and Lee Konitz in a lyrical sense, weaving singing, free-flowing lines in his own singular voice through Desmond favorites such as "Take Ten," and "Desmond Blue," or standards like "These Foolish Things" and "Alone Together." Supported by an outstanding Seattle cast - drummers Stefan Schatz and John Bishop, bassist Chris Symer and pianist Bill Anschell - Jensen creates another irresistible tribute to an iconic musical voice.