A Treasury of Mainstream Jazz Piano

John Jensen is a classical jazz pianist who on this solo CD explores ten jazz standards, plus his own blues, "Don't Cross Lowell." Jensen is a melodic player with plenty of technique, although he sometimes sounds as if jazz were his second language. His versions of Bill Evans' "Waltz for Debby," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "My Foolish Heart," and even Ornette Coleman's "The Sphinx" are well played if not particularly memorable. His interpretations generally swing and are logical outgrowths of the melody, with his own musical personality being secondary compared to the tunes themselves. The music on this little-known CD is reasonably enjoyable, just not all that substantial or essential.