Motives

...an outstanding set of modern jazz sounds.
Dan McClenaghan, All About Jazz

Four of the Northwest's finest jazz artists reunite on Motives for a wide-ranging, adventurous recording of orignal works, including a free-wheeling tribute to drummer Ed Blackwell, and melodic pieces flavored by the modern harmonies of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The disc closes with an impressionistic cover of Billy Strayhorn's "A Flower is a Lovesome Thing." Wellstone Conspiracy features Seattleites Bill Anschell on piano, Jeff Johnson on bass, and John Bishop on drums, joined by Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen. The four musicians continue to refine the collective artistry displayed on their 2006 debut CD, One More Mile (under Brent Jensen's name), a cohesive group sound that All About Jazz reviewer John Barron described as: "...lively, inventive and beckons for repeated listening."

Production Info:

Produced by Wellstone Conspiracy
Recorded by Cameron Nicklaus January 14, 2009
at Avast Studios, Seattle, WA
Mixed by Floyd Reitsma, April 28, 2009
at Studio Litho, Seattle, WA
Mastered by Mark Guenther, Seattle Disc Mastering
Cover photography by Todd Bishop
Band Photography by Daniel Sheehan &
Chad McCullough (Brent Jensen)
Design and Layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Motives

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
This ensemble might have been labeled the Brent Jensen Quartet. They recorded One More Mile under the Idaho-based saxophonist's name. For their album Motives, however, they are calling themselves the Wellstone Conspiracy as they delve deeper into a melodic music that is steeped in the modern harmonic concepts of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. ...

All About Jazz (John Barron)
The Wellstone Conspiracy is a collective venture for four of the more prolific jazz musicians residing in the Northwest region of the United States. The group consists of Idaho-based saxophonist Brent Jensen and from Seattle, pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Jeff Johnson and drummer John Bishop. The quartet, previously heard together on Jensen's One ...

All Music Guide (Adam Greenberg)
The mostly Seattle-based quartet Wellstone Conspiracy originally formed from notables on the Seattle scene backing up Idaho-based sax player Brent Jensen on a 2006 album. With their sophomore release, the group formed a more democratic name and continued their deep presentation of Northwest jazz at its purest. There's a careful interplay between th ...

Jazz Chicago (Brad Walseth)
Idahoan and soprano saxophonist Brent Jensen teams up again for the second outing with three Seattle musicians: Bill Anschell (piano), John Bishop (drums) and Jeff Johnson (bass) to create this true gem of a recording. This album entrances immediately from the start - beginning with Jensen's tribute to free jazz pioneer and Ornette Coleman drummer ...

Cadence Magazine (Larry Hollis)
The background information for Wellstone Conspiracy may be a tad confusing. This quartet made its debut a couple of years ago on the same label with an album (under Brent Jensen's name) entitled One More Mile. Yours truly gave them a respectable review then and the same holds true with this latest one. All of these fellows are veterans of the Pa ...

Audiophile Audition (Doug Simpson)
What is the Wellstone Conspiracy? For some political intrigue junkies it alludes to the 2002 death of liberal Senator Paul Wellstone who perished in a small plane crash which some pundits believe was caused by an assassination scheme. For Pacific Northwest jazz fans, however, Wellstone Conspiracy is a skilled quartet which formed in 2006 to back up ...