Fun family album carries deeper spiritual thread
TORONTO, ON—At first blush, there's no immediate connection between Broadway show tunes, jazz and the theology of family, but a conversation with Mike Janzen might connect the dots for many.
Janzen is a versatile composer, arranger and piano talent whose bona fides are well established on the Toronto jazz scene. His trio was the house band for a recent Haiti benefit concert featuring such jazz luminaries as Holly Cole, Don Thompson and Laila Biali. He also penned the opening track, "There's No Escaping Spring" for the two-disc Jazz For Haiti album, the proceeds of which will be used for relief efforts in the earthquake-devastated country.
Janzen's latest CD, Try To Remember, features Broadway standards such as "Maybe" (Annie) and "Consider Yourself" (Oliver). The instrumentation is strictly rhythm-section, mining the talents of George Koller (bass), Ben Riley (drums) and Janzen (piano), but lacks nothing in sophistication. Janzen, who also loves to sing, provides vocals on eight of the eleven tracks.
"You either love 'em or you hate 'em… and I love them," he observes, undeterred by those who disparage Broadway musicals.
Aside from his appreciation for Broadway generally, the genesis of this recording is rooted in the anticipation Janzen and his wife Jodi shared a few years ago when they decided to start a family via adoption.
He wanted to prepare for the event by exploring songs embracing ideas of family and belonging. When adoption plans fell through, the project was set on the back burner.
But the momentous news earlier this year that Jodi was pregnant became the impetus for Janzen to complete the lion's share of the project by the time their daughter was born in early September.
"It's a fun family album; but it has a deeper spiritual thread to it."
He notes the parallel of welcoming a child into your home to God's initiative to accept us for who we are and to say to us, "You belong here—this is your place."
Janzen has no doubts that his music ministers to people.
"I see jazz and improvisation…as a reflection of the improvisation that's alive in God's creation."
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