Interview: Ingrid Jensen on Practice

Ingrid Jensen, Dawn Clement
Image by Evan Shay via Flickr

Really get it together as it’s supposed to go, but also explore with it; take it down the road, take it for a walk around the block,  climb to the top of a building and come back down with it, and then come back and play it exactly as it’s supposed to be as well.

There is no end point. The more you learn, the more that you find out there is to learn.

~Ingrid Jensen, from the interview

Ingrid Jensen on Practice (mp3: 57:05)

Ingrid Jensen is an excellent jazz trumpet player, and I’m so stoked that she’s willing to share her ideas about music practice.  Ingrid lives in New York and gives concerts and clinics internationally. Jensen can be heard with the Grammy winning Maria Schneider Orchestra, the IJQ with Geoffrey Keezer, Project O, Nordic Connect, Darcie James Argue’s Secret Society and other NYC projects. She’s received stellar reviews and has a strong reputation among both critics and peers. In 2003 she was nominated for a Jazz Journalist Association Award in New York for the second time, alongside trumpeter Dave Douglas. Ingrid is seen yearly in the top five of the Downbeat Critic polls in the “talent deserving wider recognition” category

When I talk with artists like Ingrid, it’s all I can do to stay focused on practice, because artists of her caliber are usually doing many interesting things. One of the coolest things I learned about that we didn’t have time to discuss is the way Ingrid gets her music out there. And it’s not just her music, but the process, too. At her ArtistShare site you can access all kinds of material that let you glimpse part of her creative process. If you’re interested in playing music for a living (or just interested in how musicians do their thing) you should check it out.

It sounds like one of her upcoming projects is to put up some videos on practice, so keep an eye out for that. Maybe she’ll come back and talk to us about it when the material is released….

Ingrid Jensen
Image by Geert Vandepoele via Flickr
Books Recommended by Ingrid (click to preview. Buy it here to support the podcast):
Psycho-cybernetics – Maxwell Maltz (and the New Psycho-cybernetics)
• The Power of Now- Eckhart Tolle
• Effortless Mastery- Kenny Werner (my review of it is here)
• Way of the Peaceful Warrior- Dan Millman ******
• Freeplay- Stephen Nachmanovich (my review of it is here)
• The Inner Game of Tennis- Tim Galloway
• The Inner Game of Music- Green and Galloway (my review)
• If you want to Write- Brenda Euland
• The Art of Happiness- The Dalai Lama
• Focusing- Eugene T. Gendlin
• Be Kind to Yourself- Gary Null
• The Wisdom of Thich Nhat HanhThe Artists Way –Julia Cameron *** Highly recommended.
• Vocal Wisdom- Giovanno Battista Lamperti
• Think on These Things –Krishnamurti
• Zen in the Art of ArcherySugar Blues (you will never eat white sugar again!)
• Fast Food NationFasting- Paul Bragg
• Feel the fear and do it anyways.
• A Tooth from the Tigers Mouth- Tom Bisio
• Non-Violent Communication- Dr.Michael Rosenburg MD
• The Speeches of Martin Luther King
Jazz Books (click to preview or buy)Bird Miles- The AutobiographyMusic is my Mistress- Duke Ellington
• Castles made of Sound- Gil Evans
• Footprints (Wayne Shorter) – Michelle Mercer
• Morning Glory- The Story of Mary Lou Williams
Method books John McNeil- The Art of Jazz trumpet and How to Play Jazz
• Hal Crook-How to ImproviseForward Motion –Hal Galper
• Flexus – Laurie Frink and John McNeil

Here’s a video of Ingrid playing and talking. Enjoy. Have fun and good luck with your practice!

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13 thoughts on “Interview: Ingrid Jensen on Practice

    1. My pleasure! I’m working on some new interviews now: Terell Stafford has said yes; still waiting on word from Allen Vizzutti, Chris Martin and several others. Have any suggestions?

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