KIM PENSYL - JAZZMAN

by Karl Gruber

 

I don't have much of a chance to hang out in the metropolis of New York, but I understand that when some New Yorkers hear the word "Ohio", they immediately conjure up images of the Wild West, hillbillies and cows. Well it's been my experience, after many years of living in Columbus, Ohio (which includes a couple moves out of state, only to return), that the quality of life here is not only great, but getting even better. There is much praise for Columbus' music and arts scene, and one person in particular, jazzman extraordinaire, Kim Pensyl, is a major contributor to this excellent quality and enjoyment of life.

Jazz pianist/trumpeter/composer, Kim Pensyl, is a Columbus, Ohio native, and earned his "chops" via an undergraduate degree in music from Ohio State University, followed by a Master's degree in Composition from California State University. Like many others, Kim eventually returned to Columbus to not only raise a family, but also to pursue his dream of a career as a jazz musician. Since the debut of his first CD release in 1988, a solo project titled, "Pensyl Sketches #1", and the subsequent "Pensyl Sketches #'s 2 & 3", both national and international acclaim and recognition have come his way. Kim's jazz accomplishments have piled up since then with -

Combined sales of several hundred thousand copies.
Four Top 10 albums on Billboard Magazine's Contemporary Jazz charts.
Three albums - Top 5 at Billboard & Radio.
Top 20 Contemporary Jazz Artist of the Year 1980 & '90: Billboard.
Best New Jazz Writer 1989/ASCAP Jazz Album of the Year 1991/N.A.R.M.
Owner of a publishing company and recording studio.
Several excellent reviews in Jazziz, JazzTimes, Downbeat, and others.

I have listened to and enjoyed Kim's wonderful music for a number of years and knew that he had a nation and international presence. It wasn't until I recently had a chance to review his discography and read his biography that I realized that we had a real gem in our midst right here in Columbus. I caught up with Kim recently as he played his usual gig performing straight ahead jazz with his quartet (featuring Kim on trumpet, Mark Flugge on piano, Chris Berg on bass, and Dave Weinstock on drums), at the Bexley Monk restaurant here in town. In between sets I had a chance to chat with him about his career as a jazzman. I found it curious that, unlike most internationally know recording artists, he chose to stay in Columbus and not move to a major recording market like New York or L.A. His response was that living in Columbus afforded him the opportunity to not only raise his kids in a great place, but to successfully pursue his livelihood in jazz. When you read Kim's biography, it's obvious that he did not grow up in the fashion that you read and hear many musicians did, namely poverty, divorce, drug and alcohol addictions, etc. With solid support of his parents, he pursued his dream of music from secondary school to undergraduate and graduate schools. He has even added running 4 miles a day to his regimen. I asked if "...not living the blues" caused him to lack the necessary soul a musician needs to access his own special style and the emotion of the tune. "You really don't have to live that type of life to have a true love of jazz" he responded. This is really reflected in his music when you hear him put a trumpet to his lips or pull the bench up to the grand piano. The music has it's own soul and Kim let's it flow through his talent, much to the enjoyment of our ears. If you haven't yet had the chance to hear and appreciate his jazz, you can check out his most recent CD, released in 2001, "At the Moment". Fans of Kim's series of "Pensyl Sketches" releases will find it exciting to know that he plans to re-release a complete re-recording of "Pensyl Sketches #1" this fall. The surprise on this CD will be that the two instrumentals, "Alone" and "In Need of Your Love", will feature a vocalist this time around.

So whether Kim Pensyl is performing his music school teaching duties at Ohio State University or performing on stage, Columbus, Ohio can revel in the fact that it has an internationally acclaimed jazz musician living and working here. And if you live in New York or L.A. and can't make it to Columbus to appreciate his jazz live, just stop by your local music shop and pick up a copy of Kim's CD's. Columbus' jazz treasure is available to increase the quality of your life, too. All you have to do is pop his music in the CD player's tray and hit "Play".

For more information on Kim Pensyl, you can go to his personal website at www.kimpensyl.com for a listing of his performance schedule, discography, reviews, and more.