John Christensen
Bassist & Composer
John Christensen
Bassist & Composer
John.
Award winning bassist, composer and Shifting Paradigm recording artist John Christensen supplies an open-hearted solidity and adventurous spirit to all of his music endeavors. With an appetite for expressing in many musical genres and situations, John has found a unique compositional voice, as demonstrated on his highly acclaimed debut album as a leader, Dear Friend.
While an ardent student and practitioner of improvised Black American Music, John’s music also has deep roots in Rock, Folk, and Americana. Content to have his bass playing compared to Charlie Haden’s lyricism, as in reviews for Johannes Wallmann’s latest album Precarious Towers, he’s also happy to have comparisons difficult to find. His compositions strive toward a hopefulness and appreciation for the beauty and awe of life, and the wonder of small, important things.
John Christensen began his bass studies with Chris Wood in high school. After brief stints at Berklee College and North Texas, John moved to San Francisco and played in the burgeoning music scene during the late 90’s. Since Moving to Wisconsin in 1999 John has become a highly sought-after side musician, playing with numerous regional and international artists and bands. He leads his own groups and is also a co-founder of Lesser Lakes Trio with longtime collaborators Devin Drobka and Jamie Breiwick as well as KASE, an improvised hip hop trio with Jamie and Turntablist Jordan Lee.
Soft Rock
"Christensen’s compositions are a case study on how to write simply enough to work within rock-driven groove vehicles yet incorporate enough intricacy and individualism to allow such vehicles to venture away from over-travelled back-beaten paths. "
-Gary Fukushima, Downbeat ★★★★
These tunes, written as odes and anthems to simple and grand things alike are built to inspire. From the minute majesty in a moss covered diorama like drama found deep in the forest, to pondering impersonal pulsars, these tunes don’t try to downplay their roots in 90’s classic adult contemporary. With no saccharine vocals to betray any lack of mystery, the melodic idiosyncrasies of Christensen’s celebrated tune-smithing are laid bare. Different from his first debut album on Shifting Paradigm is his need to Soft Rock out a little bit on this one.