PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – A Prince Albert-born musician is making waves in the music world.
Aaron Jensen has won the jazz component of the annual John Lennon Music Writing Competition for his composition “High and Drysville.”
Jensen said the prize is very valuable for someone who writes his own music and lyrics.
“In effect, it works out to about $8,000 worth of recording equipment, which in this day and age is quite an amount of money,” Jensen said. “You can actually get a pretty reasonable recording set-up for that.”
Equipment aside, Jensen said winning the competition is a big deal.
Get breaking National news
“There is quite a history of the judges who are listening to all these applicants, and even the artists that I have heard in this year and past years who have been award winners are pretty phenomenal, so even just being put in on the same list as them is quite an honour.”
Jenson grew up in Prince Albert attending Holy Cross School, Carlton Comprehensive High School and St. Mary High School.
He said it wasn’t until he moved to Toronto in 2001 and worked as a jazz-singing waiter that he really got into that genre of music.
“It was maybe not the legit intro to jazz, but it was an opportunity for me to work up some chops and collaborate with some other jazz musicians.”
Coming back to Prince Albert once or twice a year, Jensen said he has kept in contact with both friends and associates.
“I’ve come back a few times to be involved with shows with Broadway North since leaving in the early 2000s.”
Jensen said now he has a lot of interest in recording a solo album and also more collaboration with different musicians in the future.
The international John Lennon contest has been held since 1997. This year’s panel of judges included Fergie of the Black-Eyed Peas, Natasha Bedingfield and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.
(CJME)
Comments
Want to discuss? Please read our Commenting Policy first.