Vocalist Jennifer Madsen has given us a beautiful gift with her new CD Reimagine, an album in which she lovingly reinterprets some of the most beloved standards through her own musical lens. It takes rare courage and artistry to revisit songs that are so familiar, and still make them feel fresh, meaningful, and deeply personal. With Reimagine, she succeeds not by showing off, but by listening, shaping, and inhabiting each lyric with intelligence and heart.
What immediately strikes me is how Madsen combines technical command with emotional honesty. She knows the words, the phrasing, the tradition—but she also imagines: she lets us hear what she feels when she sings them. That dual gift—respect for the song’s history, and the freedom to re-express it—is the hallmark of an artist confident in her own voice. Even when you’ve heard a song a dozen times, Madsen makes you hear it again.
Offstage, she is also deeply committed: as an educator at Snow College in Utah, she mentors budding vocalists in jazz, commercial voice, and songwriting. She holds a monthly residency at The Edison House Club in Salt Lake City, creating real musical community and helping newer singers find their footing. She is exactly the kind of artist this field needs—grounded, generous, and fearless
These performances alone make this album worth listening to again and again—but the full experience of Reimagine is richer still. The sequencing flows like an evening set, with peaks, valleys, and quiet moments that leave space to reflect.
If you are anywhere near her region, I strongly encourage aspiring vocalists to seek out her workshops or classes. Jennifer Madsen is not just a jazz singer—she’s a mentor, a collaborator, and a torchbearer for the next generation of singers.
In short: Reimagine is not a mere collection of standards. It is a thoughtful, emotionally alive conversation—with the songs, the musicians, and the listener. Jennifer Madsen proves here that standards are not static relics—they can be fresh, open, and full of new life. This is a recording to cherish.
PLAYLIST:
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Body and Soul
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I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
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Willow Weep for Me
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Honeysuckle Rose
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Beyond the Sea
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I (Who Have Nothing)
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Gone
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In the Wee Small Hours
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You Don’t Know What Love Is
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Mean to Me
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Someone to Watch Over Me
PLAYERS:
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Jennifer Madsen — vocals
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Brent Edstrom — pianist and arranger
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Clipper Anderson — bass
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Mark Ivester — drums
Guest / additional contributions (on select tracks) include:
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Sean Jones — flugelhorn (on Body and Soul)
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Howard Levy — harmonica (on Beyond the Sea)
I have attached two songs from "Reimagine". These performances alone make this album worth listening to again and again—but the full experience of Reimagine is richer still. The sequencing flows like an evening set, with peaks, valleys, and quiet moments that leave space to reflect.
“Someone to Watch Over Me” (George & Ira Gershwin), with superb piano and arranging from Brent Edstrom. Madsen treats each phrase like a little story, letting it breathe, unspooling the lyric with clarity and intention.
“Willow Weep for Me”, also featuring Edstrom’s sensitive touch. Here she lingers in the emotional spaces, letting her interpretation unfold with nuance and depth.
"Willow Weep For Me"
