Tea Break
A series where musicians and others stop by for an imaginary Tea Break to talk about their music and projects.
Henrik Jensen
Jazz double bass player Henrik Jensen came to the UK from Denmark in 1997. He first came to London to study electric bass at The Musicians Institute but his passion really is the double bass and went on to study at London's Royal Acadeny of Music. Since then he has settled in the UK with his family and has become much in demand with many bands locally to his home in the west country and both nationally and internationally. He works with notable artists such as Iain Ballamy, Gareth Williams, John Law, Michael Blake, and Gene Calderazzo and he has featured on various albums, including Steve Banks Emboldend, John Law’s Many Moons and Joy Ellis’s Peaceful Place. Henrik has recorded and toured with The Puppini Sisters since 2008 and he was part of the New Simplicity Trio whose album Common Spaces was released in 2017.
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In his most recent venture, Henrik has a project that has brought his composition and playing skills into focus in the company of Danish pianist Esben Tjalve and UK drummer Dave Smith. Their 2024 album Above Your House creates an atmosphere that is both introspective and engaging. This will be Henrik's fourth album as leader; It follows on from Qualia (2013), Blackwater (2016) Affinity (2020) all with his quartet Followed By Thirteen. Writing in The Guardian, John Fordham said about Blackwater "Jensen is thoughtful, richly chordal and attractively Charlie Haden-like on the bass solo Lullaby for the Little One." This is brief track but gives us an introduction to Henrik's playing:​
Henrik's new trio album Above Your House marks the welcome return of releases by the Babel label after four years. Started by Oliver Weindling in 1994 the label has been responsible for releases by many key jazz musicians including Steve and Julian Argüelles, Christine Tobin, Billy Jenkins, Polar Bear, Sam Leak, Orphy Robinson, and the Portico Quartet. Above Your House is a sign of more good things to look forward to.
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Opening with Blow Ins, bass and drums lay down a solid foundation for Esben's piano before Henrik's bass comes forward in the mix and piano and bass develop the theme. Brian Brexit (not 'Brain Brexit' as some links show) changes the pace with a captivating bass solo from Henrik and then from Esben. The listener begins to appreciate the fine way all three musicians meld together and with track 3, The Hunt, that interplay becomes one of the features of the album - (listen to it here). Intro , a bass solo by Henrik (just like the Lullaby above) is brief at just over a minute and is followed by The Bridge. The trio works well together here and in particular Dave Smith's drums interact really well with Esben's piano explorations. And so to the title track, Above Your House (more of that later) before another very brief bass solo Intro takes us into the closing track Last Of The Dags., a light, relaxing way of leaving a satisfying, accomplished session. It is definitely an album that benefits from more than one hearing.
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I met up with Henrik for a tea break in his busy schedule:​
Hi Henrik, I think this café is quite good, there is a corner over there where you can stand your bass and we can chat. What can I get you – tea, coffee or something else?
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Hi Ian, coffee please.
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Milk and sugar?
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No, I’ll just have it black please.
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You seem to be quite busy with gigs at the moment. Does it feel that way to you? Where have you been playing?
Yes, it is really busy at the moment, but all with interesting projects and lovely people. I've mainly been gigging in the UK with a couple of gigs in Europe.
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I guess the release of your new album helps. By the way, I wanted to ask why you called it ‘Above Your House’, it seems a strange title?
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Good question? We moved from London to Frome in 2020 with our son Aksel. I was in our garden on a clear night looking up at his room where he was sleeping, and I had this good feeling about our move to the west country (my wife is from the west country) and the night sky above his new house looked magical and I felt excited for his future under this skyline.
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That’s a really nice story. We can get a taste of the title track with a glimpse of Aurélie Freoua painting the album artwork:
The other track with an uncommon name is ‘Last Of The Dags’ – what is a dag? Is that a Danish word?
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Ha! Ha! No, it's not Danish! This composition I started writing just before we moved away from Dagenham (DAGS) in London, so just a little farewell to the old.
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I like that. I have a regular correspondent to the website who signs himself 'Dagenham Dave' I must tell him about the track. I also like the artwork for the album by Aurélie Freoua. I see that this time she has produced different artwork for each track. How do you know Aurélie?
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I met Aurelie in 2019 through Oliver Weindling. She also created the artwork for my previous album Affinity.
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Your link to Oliver has been good in so many ways. It is great that Above Your House is the first album to be released by Oliver’s Babel label after they took a break.
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Do you have a favourite track on the album and can you tell me why you like it?
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I don't really have a favourite track, for me it's more like certain moments in the individual tracks where something unexpected happens and it takes the music somewhere different. I like the intro we do to The Hunt and the 'cruising' moment between the bass solo and piano solo on Brian Brexit.
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The Hunt is a fine track - Let's take a listen, there's only that other couple in the café at the moment and they are right next to the coffee machine:
Yes, I see what you mean about the intro to that one. As well as UK drummer Dave Smith you have another Dane in the Trio - Esben Tjalve. Is Esben someone you have worked with frequently?
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I know Esben from back in days of living in Denmark, I think we met around 1999-2000, and we both studied at The Royal Academy Of Music in London. Esben played on my previous 3 releases with 'Followed by Thirteen' so we have played a lot together.
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How about another coffee. They also have some nice cakes over there – is there anything you fancy?
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Ahh, a chocolate brownie please!
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On its way! What would you be having with your coffee if you were in Denmark?
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A cigarette!
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They say that stunts your growth, but that is obviously not true! Do you remember the first jazz you came across - and what would you recommend to someone who doesn’t usually listen to jazz?
The first album I came across was the Dave Holland Quartet’s Extensions. As for a recommendation, I guess it has to be Kind of Blue by Miles Davies, that would be a classic suggestion, or maybe even the Getz/Gilberto album?
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Yes, I think either of them would work. Perhaps the Getz/Gilberto album would be a gentle introduction as most people are already au fait with The Girl from Ipanema. Did you know that they located the girl who inspired the song - Helô Pinheiro? I did an article about her here – she was real. Talking of the unreal, if you could ask the ghosts of two past jazz musicians to sit in with your trio who would you invite and what would you play?
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Hmm - Miles and Coltrane – I think we would play the tune Above Your House!
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That really sets the imagination going about how they would sound on the number! So what is the plan for 2025? Apart from the gigs you have lined up, do you have any other plans?
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What I’d really like this year is getting us a tour in Denmark, so I'm currently working on that.
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I hope that works out well, it would be good to take the album, and your music generally to your home country. Well, I had better let you get back to your day. Thanks for meeting up, Henrik. Take care and I look forward to hearing you at a gig soon. In the meanwhile, I think I’ll listen to another track from the album before I leave the café!
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Perhaps listen to that 'cruising' moment between the bass solo and piano solo on Brian Brexit? Thanks for the coffee and the brownie Ian, hope to see you soon.
© Sandy Brown Jazz 2025.2