Biography
Canada's Ingrid Jensen ranks among the standout jazz trumpeters of her era, recognized for her innovative post-bop explorations. Shaped by the forward-leaning approaches of Woody Shaw, Art Farmer, and Kenny Wheeler, she entered the global jazz circuit in the early 1990s and captured a Juno Award with her 1994 debut, Vernal Fields. Frequently appearing alongside her husband, drummer Jon Wikan, and her sister, saxophonist Christine Jensen, she has delivered several acclaimed recordings—including 2005's At Sea and 2011's Spirals—that highlight her commitment to harmonically daring improvisation and spacious ensemble interaction.
Jensen entered the world in 1966 and spent her childhood in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Exposed to music early on, she maintained trumpet studies through elementary school yet only grew deeply engaged with jazz during adolescence. Following graduation she refined her craft on a scholarship to Boston's Berklee College of Music, completing her studies in 1989 before relocating to Europe. There she performed with the Vienna Art Orchestra and instructed at Austria's Bruckner Conservatory. After a stint touring with Lionel Hampton she settled back in the United States, joining the all-female big band DIVA in 1994. That same year she secured a contract with Enja and issued Vernal Fields, which featured altoist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist George Garzone, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Lenny White. The warmly received set spotlighted her motivically driven, harmonically intricate phrasing and earned her the Juno Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album. Two further well-regarded Enja releases appeared soon after: 1997's Here on Earth and 1999's Higher Grounds.
In the ensuing period Jensen sustained her association with DIVA while collaborating with artists such as Virginia Mayhew, Maria Schneider, and Dena DeRose. She returned as a leader in 2003 with the Justin Time release Now as Then, a funk-inflected organ-jazz project that showcased keyboardist Gary Versace alongside her frequent partner, drummer Jon Wikan, whom she wed the next year. At Sea arrived in 2005, again spotlighting Wikan together with keyboardist Geoff Keezer, bassist Matt Clohesy, and guitarist Lage Lund. With 2007's Flurry she unveiled the cooperative Nordic Connect, enlisting sister Christine Jensen on saxophone, Wikan on drums, Mattias Welin on bass, and Maggi Olin on keyboards; the ensemble resurfaced in 2011 with Spirals. Also that year the trumpeter appeared on her sister's Juno-winning Treelines.
Beyond her ongoing teaching and workshop activity, Jensen has contributed to projects led by pianist Ellen Rowe, drummer Terri Lynne Carrington's Mosaic Ensemble, vocalist Dianne Reeves, pianist Helen Sung, and additional artists. In 2015 she joined pianist Jason Miles for the expansive Miles Davis homage Kind of New. The following year she teamed with her sister and guitarist Ben Monder for Infinitude. In 2018 she paid tribute to the late British trumpeter Kenny Wheeler on Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler.
Jensen entered the world in 1966 and spent her childhood in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. Exposed to music early on, she maintained trumpet studies through elementary school yet only grew deeply engaged with jazz during adolescence. Following graduation she refined her craft on a scholarship to Boston's Berklee College of Music, completing her studies in 1989 before relocating to Europe. There she performed with the Vienna Art Orchestra and instructed at Austria's Bruckner Conservatory. After a stint touring with Lionel Hampton she settled back in the United States, joining the all-female big band DIVA in 1994. That same year she secured a contract with Enja and issued Vernal Fields, which featured altoist Steve Wilson, tenor saxophonist George Garzone, pianist Bruce Barth, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Lenny White. The warmly received set spotlighted her motivically driven, harmonically intricate phrasing and earned her the Juno Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album. Two further well-regarded Enja releases appeared soon after: 1997's Here on Earth and 1999's Higher Grounds.
In the ensuing period Jensen sustained her association with DIVA while collaborating with artists such as Virginia Mayhew, Maria Schneider, and Dena DeRose. She returned as a leader in 2003 with the Justin Time release Now as Then, a funk-inflected organ-jazz project that showcased keyboardist Gary Versace alongside her frequent partner, drummer Jon Wikan, whom she wed the next year. At Sea arrived in 2005, again spotlighting Wikan together with keyboardist Geoff Keezer, bassist Matt Clohesy, and guitarist Lage Lund. With 2007's Flurry she unveiled the cooperative Nordic Connect, enlisting sister Christine Jensen on saxophone, Wikan on drums, Mattias Welin on bass, and Maggi Olin on keyboards; the ensemble resurfaced in 2011 with Spirals. Also that year the trumpeter appeared on her sister's Juno-winning Treelines.
Beyond her ongoing teaching and workshop activity, Jensen has contributed to projects led by pianist Ellen Rowe, drummer Terri Lynne Carrington's Mosaic Ensemble, vocalist Dianne Reeves, pianist Helen Sung, and additional artists. In 2015 she joined pianist Jason Miles for the expansive Miles Davis homage Kind of New. The following year she teamed with her sister and guitarist Ben Monder for Infinitude. In 2018 she paid tribute to the late British trumpeter Kenny Wheeler on Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler.
Albums
Invisible Sounds: For Kenny Wheeler
2018
Infinitude
2016
Kind of New
2015
Jam Session Vol. 4
2002
Higher Grounds
1999
Here on Earth
1998
Singles
