P.E.I.-based songwriter and spoken word poet Bob Jensen is currently recording with Juan Martin, one of Spain’s most celebrated flamenco artists.
Martin has recorded with the like of Herbie Hancock and performed with jazz great Miles Davis. He was also invited by Picasso to perform at his 90th birthday celebrations. Martin has performed in such iconic venues as Carnegie Hall, the Sydney Opera House and the Royal Albert Hall. Guitar Player Magazine called him one of the top three guitarists in the world.
Jensen has been focused mostly on spoken word poetry in recent years and toured his work in Australia in March, but he has recently returned to writing and recording music.
Jensen and Martin will release a cover of Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne as a single to radio in Canada, Europe and Australia. The song will also feature Oysterband cellist Ray Cooper and Emmanuelle LeBlanc of the P.E.I. trad group Vishtèn on vocals. The track is being recorded in Canada and Europe and will be produced by ECMA Award-winner, Chris Corrigan.
In addition, Jensen and Scottish-Canadian guitarist Tony McManus have released Live in Australia, a collection of original poetry set to music which was recorded in Brisbane in March of this year. The pair was on a two-and-a-half-week tour of the country when the pandemic hit, cutting short their trip, but not before they did a headline set at the fabled Port Fairy Folk Festival and sold out several shows.
The live collection draws from both of Jensen’s spoken word audio books, plus new material, all set to music supplied by McManus, who is considered to be the greatest Celtic guitarist in the world.
The first single from the album, The Plover’s Nest, is being released to radio in Canada, Europe, England and Australia.
Reviews from the tour were positive, including this one from the Brisbane show.
“Listening to Bob Jensen read his poetry is a sublime, immersive experience as powerful as flying and drowning simultaneously. His voice has the strength and softness of a good suede glove; his style is so natural that it becomes an art form in itself. At the start of a Jensen/McManus concert, take a good, deep breath. There’s a chance you’ll still be holding it at the end – just because you’ve forgotten to breathe,” writes Jan Nary, BrisWest, Brisbane, Australia
Trad & Now said of their headline set at Port Fairy, “Canadian poet Bob Jensen’s set was a gem. He deserved the big stage.”
The album will be live-streaming on all major digital platforms, and is also available for sale directly from the artists at firsttimesinceaugust.com and tonymcmanus.com.
