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Standards Vol. I

by Jenny Xu Trio

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    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support! Purchase of my album includes a pdf booklet of the back cover, track listings, credits and liner notes.
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      $12 CAD  or more

     

1.
How About You? 07:31
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2.
Out of Nowhere 05:56
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3.
Everything Happens to Me 10:54
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4.
Solar 07:17
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5.
Time After Time 07:19
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6.
If I Should Lose You 06:21
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7.
In Your Own Sweet Way 08:02
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8.
Song for Leigh (feat. Campbell Ryga) 11:38
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buy track

about

My first clinic at Manhattan School was a Christian Scott lecture where he addressed how it was customary for previous generations of musicians (those who came up before the 00's) to release a 'standards album' as their first album. The whole point of this was that, in order to establish oneself as a legitimate artist, an individual had to first demonstrate that they were capable of navigating through beloved jazz classics before delving into originals/taking off into any aesthetic direction they so choose.

At the time, I was captivated by this notion since I much preferred playing and interpreting standards, as well as compositions that were not my own. Feeling that my originals were aesthetically under-developed, I had always steered clear from the idea of leading an album, but after hearing Christian mention young Roy Hargrove and Brad Mehldau - both of whose first releases contained predominately standards - I was instantly spurred to action.

This entire album was recorded in a single ten-hour session. In order to capture the essence of Keith Jarrett's live standard albums from the 80s and 90s - works that I am completely enamoured with - we used minimal isolation, simple arrangements and took an average of two takes per track. All of this was done to try to conjure the spontaneity, candor and interaction of a live performance.

The last track on the album is the only non-standard: 'Song for Leigh'. It is an original by my late mentor, the great Canadian jazz pianist Bob Murphy, which features his longtime friend (another mentor of mine), Juno-award winner Campbell Ryga, on soprano sax. To my knowledge, this is the only existing recording of this composition.

credits

released June 7, 2018

SPECIAL THANKS TO:
-André, Bernie & Cam for lending their tremendous talents to this project
-Tom, for his impeccably-timed acquisition of a new grand piano
-Scot & Olivia, for rendering a ten-hour playing day more bearable
-Colin & Glen, for their patience, expertise and commitment to their craft
-Candida Moreira, for my sanity
-Mom, Ollie & Amelia, for my insanity

A very special thank you to my friends and teachers at the Manhattan School of Music, most notably:

Phil, thank you for your honesty, piercing musical insight and unwavering dedication to your students.

Chris, thank you for your warmth, encouragement and unconditional support of my musical endeavours.

Jeremy, I couldn't have asked for a better private instructor to kick off my adventures in New York. Studying with you has had a profoundly positive impact on my life and my music, which no amount of adversity can unravel.

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Bass: André Lachance
Drums: Bernie Arai
Soprano Sax: Campbell Ryga (Track VIII)

Recorded: Monarch Studios (Vancouver, BC)
Mixed & Mastered: GB's Juke Joint (Long Island City, NY)
Album Photography: Ben Frost
Artwork in Photo: Lullaby, Louise Bourgeois 2006 (MoMA, New York)
Album Design: Jenny Xu

This album is dedicated to Canadian jazz pianist: Bob Murphy (1945-2015)

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Jenny Xu New York, New York

www.jennyxujazz.com/adesperatebidtoimpressyou/

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