John Christensen (album release)

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Sam Neufeld/Noof Designs

John Christensen and bass.

John Christensen

In the Midwest jazz universe, John Christensen is certainly one of Madison’s first call bassists; he’s played with a myriad of touring and local musicians since moving to Wisconsin around the turn of the century, along with anchoring the low end for bands such as Lesser Lakes Trio and Precarious Towers and eponymous ensembles as leader. Christensen is also an intriguing composer, and the new album Soft Rock (out Aug. 9) takes his music in new directions that align with the title more than some listeners may expect (in press materials for the album, Christensen says the songs have “roots in ’90s classic adult contemporary”). For the album release show he’s joined by the recording ensemble: saxophonist Tony Barba, pianist Joshua Catania, guitarist Matt Gold, and drummer Neil Hemphill.

$18 ($15 adv.).

media release: Bassist and composer John Christensen will release Soft Rock, his second album as leader, on Shifting Paradigm Records on August 9, 2024. For this follow-up to his 2018 debut, Dear Friend, Christensen has enlisted an all-star lineup of Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison-based musicians, with guitarist Matt Gold of Makaya McCraven’s band, Father John Misty saxophonist Tony Barba, piano phenom Joshua Catania, and drummer Neil Hemphill.

Hailing from Madison, Wisconsin, Christensen has a plethora of recording, performing and touring credits, including work with Fareed Haque, Leo Sidran and Lynne Arriale. He has also shared the stage with such luminaries as Maria Schnieder, Miguel Zenon and trumpeter Russ Johnson. Christensen’s celebrated first release, Dear Friend, garnered praise such as “A master at crafting accessible, yet charmingly idiosyncratic, songs…” from Isthmus Magazine. 

John Christensen began his bass studies in high school with Chris Wood of the group Medeski Martini & Wood. After brief stints at Berklee College and North Texas, Christensen moved to San Francisco and played in the burgeoning music scene during the late ’90s and played in an early formation of Scott Amendola's band with Jenny Scheinmann. Since moving to Wisconsin in 1999, he has become one of the most sought-after bass players in the Midwest for his versatility, creativity and collaborative spirit. He is a co-founder of the band Lesser Lakes Trio with Devin Drobka and Jamie Breiwick as well as the improvised hip hop trio KASE. He is also a member of the collective Precarious Towers featuring notable members Sharel Cassity and Johannes Wallmann, among others.

On Soft Rock, Christensen continues to develop his voice as a composer. The bassist states, “These tunes, written as odes and anthems for simple and grand things alike, are built to inspire. From the minute majesty in a moss-covered diorama-like drama found deep in the forest, to pondering impersonal pulsars, the compositions embrace their roots in ’90s classic adult contemporary.” With no saccharine vocals to betray any lack of mystery, the melodic idiosyncrasies of Christensen’s tune-smithing are laid bare.

Soft Rock is meant for big spaces. It was crafted to be uplifting and heartwarming in these times of mass uncertainty. A return to an appreciation for nature’s wonders, small moments of timeless presence, and remembering that we all have within us a need and an ability to let go of distractions and control, and allow ourselves to be swayed by our bodies, nature and the great animator of life. The tunes elicit a call for deeper connection to our ancestral, planetary and spiritual roots. 

The album opens with “The Loudest Whisper,” a geometrical lattice built around a blues at its heart. The simple phrases, built over each other, convey a message that the strongest voice isn’t necessarily the most important one. “Impossibly Happy” has a throwback '90s sound reminiscent of Joey Baron meets The Go-Go's. Inspired by the four-year-old son of a friend, it is an audio depiction of a child dancing to Freddie Mercury.

Beginning to cultivate a garden was the impetus of the song “Raised Box.” It reflects the energy and beauty of putting the brain in a state of time-lapse when contemplating the growing cycles. The great bassist Robert Hurst is the inspiration for the tune “A Tall Glass Of Bob.” The original two-bar phrase was gleaned from a solo bass concert that Mr. Hurst gave, and Christensen lovingly extrapolated on it to uncover a direction that turns more towards Keith Jarrett’s Belonging meets Vince Guaraldi. 

Retreats, vacations, rituals and rites of passage can reveal and loosen personal baggage and free the past from being such a burden. “I Am Free” is a cathartic declaration made after such an event. “Minute Majesty” (minute as in small) is an ode to the diorama-like moss-covered worlds that make up our forests’ floor. No less majesty there than in our mountains or star systems.

“Pulsar” is another ode, this time to an intergalactic event that we can only really picture with our imagination…but also owes a bit of debt to the wonderful phrasing of Senegalese master drummer Doudou N'Diaye Rose, whose compounding rhythmic phrases inspire the churn of the melodic dance on this piece. “Happy Jacks” is a jumping jack for kids that can’t be done without laughing and feeling joy. It is a fitting closer…although done in a more downtempo lilt like a good post-workout stretch and vipassana. 

All in all, Soft Rock is a call to unplug, and tune into our inherent knowledge and joy. It is a call to tap into our own authenticity and let go of our social masks and judgements and find a self that is more a relationship with inner and outer spaces than a body separated in time. As John Muir said, “I am learning nothing in this trivial world of men. I must break away and get out into the mountains to learn the news.”