CD reviews: Jensen sisters' energy powers Nordic 'Flurry'

'Flurry'Nordic Connect (ArtistShare)

There is more than a "Flurry" of talent on this album. Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, her sister, saxophonist Christine, and the other three members of Nordic Connect work with such energy, the music demands constant attention. The album is made of all originals and features wonderful conceptions of song. "Things I Love," for instance, opens with the theme being played by a muted trumpet, sax and electric keyboard creating a mellow mood. While Ingrid Jensen's trumpet tone is the dominant voice in the band, her sister's sax creates a rival, especially on the lovely "Garden Hour." The group shows its strong approach on "Seascape" and "Seafever." The former is a short introduction to the latter, which is a great display of the Jensen sisters exploring a theme. The name of the group, by the way, refers to the Nordic heritages of all the players: two Swedes, two half-Danes and an Alaska-born, Norwegian-blooded drummer, as the album notes point out. Maybe there's something to that connection. Whatever the reason, it works. This album is available at www.artistshare.com .

'Play'Jeff Kashiwa (Native Language)

Jeff Kashiwa could do better. "Play" is mindful of the pop-geared material that made Grover Washington Jr. well liked and often heard. But there is a major difference. On those albums, Washington was supported by a band that was as hard-working as he. On "Play," Kashiwa's fine tenor sax work is backed up by funky keyboard programs that provide horn-like sounds or the hum of a would-be string section. The rhythm-section work from players such as drummers Dave Hooper and Teddy Campbell or guitarists Allen Hinds and Tim Stewart is professional, but little more. Even Yellowjackets' keyboard player Russell Ferrante can't lift this material from beyond the routine. Kashiwa, who once performed with the Rippingtons, is a fine player, and it would be good to see him in a livelier setting.