Acclaimed New York City trumpeter, recording artist & dedicated jazz educator whom has performed with the likes of Clark Terry, Bob Berg, Esperanza Spaulding, Lionel Hampton, George Garzone, Geoffrey Keezer, Geri Allen, Corrine Bailey Ray, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Gary Thomas, Dianne Reeves, Branford Marsalis, Sarah Mclachlan & more, makes her BLU debut with the talents of the Kent State University Jazz Faculty Ensemble! Featuring Ingrid Jensen, Theron Brown, Christopher Coles, Dustin May, Aidan Plank, Bobby Selvaggio, Christopher Venesile.
The Kent State University Jazz Studies Program fosters a “real world” atmosphere, promoting the development of fundamental skills in jazz. Through our jazz curriculum and ensemble performance, students are provided the opportunity to improve individual musicianship, create a personal voice, learn from and be inspired by the rich history, and understand the evolutionary process and modern trends of jazz. They become musical leaders and positive contributors to the Kent State University experience.
As active performers and educators, each faculty member in the Jazz Studies Program offers a unique perspective into what it takes to be a 21st century jazz musician.
Theron Brown is a professor of jazz piano at Kent State University and Youngstown State University where he is immensely involved in promoting jazz and classical music. He is the co-founder and director of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival and performs at many jazz clubs and theaters in northeast Ohio.
Christopher Coles is a saxophonist/composer from Cleveland, Ohio. Coles currently teaches at Kent State university and in The Tri-C Jazz Preparatory program. Coles’ quartet, Gleam, is currently in the process of releasing their first album “Smoke and Mirrors.”
Dustin May earned his Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from Youngstown State University in 2012 and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Kent State University’s Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. He maintains a studio of private percussion students in Youngstown, Ohio and is a freelance musician in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania.
Aidan Plank is an active freelance bassist living in the Cleveland/Akron area. He serves as bassist for the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and can regularly be seen in collaboration with guitarist Daniel Lippel.
Bobby Selvaggio, a leading alto saxophone voice on the jazz scene today, is the Director of Jazz Studies at Kent State University. He has been praised by legendary saxophonist Joe Lovano as “One of the few saxophonists on the scene today that captures you with his strong presence, focus, and sound.” Bobby performs and records nationally, having just released his ninth CD “Quantum Man” on Dot Time Records.
Christopher Venesile has spent 30 years as a vocal jazz educator and clinician, having founded the vocal jazz program at Kent State University (Nova Jazz Singers) and Tri-C Metro Jazz Studies. From the late 1980’s he developed a world class high school program that won prestigious DOWNBEAT magazine awards and performed at state and international conferences. He and his students have worked with virtually all of the leading artists and vocal jazz educators in the field. He serves the profession as current Chair of Vocal Jazz Affairs for the Ohio Choral Directors Association.
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About Ingrid Jensen
Born in Vancouver and raised in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Ingrid Jensen has been hailed as one of the most gifted trumpeters of her generation. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 1989, she went on to record three highly acclaimed CDs for the ENJA record label, soon becoming one of the most in-demand players on the global jazz scene. After playing and teaching in Europe in the early 90’s, Ingrid settled in New York City where she joined the Grammy-nominated and winning big bands of Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue, as well as leading her own quintet, quartet and organ trio. Most recently Ingrid has been performing with the Grammy-winning Terri-Lyne Carrington and her Mosaic project, and the Juno-award winning Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra.
Jensen is a dedicated jazz educator, having taught trumpet at both the University of Michigan and Peabody Conservatory and filling guest artist positions with prestigious University and professional big bands around the world. She was the youngest professor in the history of the Bruckner Conservatory in Linz, Austria, where she served as trumpet professor in the jazz department in her early twenties. She is currently on faculty at the Manhattan School of Music and Purchase College of Music, both in New York.
Some of her many performances and recordings include playing with Clark Terry, Bob Berg, Esperanza Spaulding, Lionel Hampton, George Garzone, Geoffrey Keezer, Geri Allen, Corrine Bailey Ray (on Saturday Night Live), Jeff “Tain” Watts, Gary Thomas, Dianne Reeves, Branford Marsalis, Sarah Mclachlan, the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, Carnegie Hall with the New York Women’s Orchestra and Rufus Reid’s Quiet Pride project.
Guest artist visits over the past ten years have included some the following prestigious Universities and Colleges: Berklee College of Music, Dartmouth College, Lawrence University, University of New Mexico, Colorado State University, University of Oregon, Temple University, Paris Conservatory, BYU University in Utah, USC and more.
Ingrid has been a regular guest director with the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, serving as mentor and leader of the all-star high school groups which tour the US on jazz outreach missions. The most recent tour included a performance in Mississippi with the legendary Herbie Hancock and a humbling visit to the many inner-city schools in the area.
Summer guest teaching stints include the Centrum Jazz Workshop, The Dave Brubeck Institute, The Maryland Summer Jazz seminar, the Banff Jazz Workshop and the NYSF summer camp in upstate New York.
Jensen has toured with her own quartets in Australia, South Africa, almost every country in Europe, across Canada, the US, South America (including Brazil, Peru, and Chile), Japan, Mexico, and many other areas, receiving rave reviews and a strong and loyal fan base.
Ingrid is invited regularly to Trumpet Festivals around the world, including a prestigious invite in 2011 to work with Classical trumpet great Håkan Hardenberger and the Swedish Wind Orchestra.
She was the winner of the Carmine Caruso Trumpet competition in 1991 and has since served twice on the judging panel for the competition.
Ingrid plays a custom Monette trumpet, built personally by the master builder Dave Monette.
Other pivotal mentors, teachers, and professors in Ingrid’s life have included: Freddie Hubbard, Clark Terry, Al Grey, Laurie Frink, John Mcneil, Al Matheson, Professor Bill Adam and Hal Galper.