This is where I will be posting news on live shows, new releases, etc.
May 13th, 2023
The Blarnery Session, Recorded in Port Fairy, Australia, is Out and Available
Lots happening right now, but I want to tell you about my latest recording “The Blarney Session,” which was recorded at Blarney Books & Art in Port Fairy, Australia in March of 2020. (A couple of years ago I released “Live In Australia” with Tony McManus, which featured the guitar work of Tony behind my poetry at a gig in Brisbane, but this recording is entirely different.) When I appeared at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, I was invited to give a reading at a local bookstore, and did so without musical accompaniment and lots of discussion on the works. This recording features several of my Chagall poems, performed for the first and only time in public. The Blarney Session is available on virtually all live-streaming and retail digital platforms. You can also listen to the entire reading on my YouTube channel here. The album will go out to radio around the world this week.
January 22, 2023
Zimbabwe’s Great Stars Ijonjosi Cover my Poem, “I will Make The Saints To Dance for You in Brussels
A second vocal group from Zimbabwe has turned one of my poems into a song. Great Stars Ijonjosi hail from Bulawayo, and when they sent me this song it came as a complete surprise. Listen here as they interpret “I Will Make The Saints to Dance for You in Brussels.
I am hoping to travel to Zimbabwe for poetry readings and workshops. Stay tuned for developments on this.
November 12th, 2022
Black Umfolosi Releases “Who But Daniel?” as Latest Single
“Who But Daniel” is the true story of a dream I had some 30 years ago. I wrote it as a poem, and Sotsha Moyo from Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi set it to music. This is the second single from “Reason to Believe - Songs from the Poetry of Bob Jensen" The track has been released to radio in 31 countries around the world.
To listen to Who But Daniel live-streaming on YouTube, click here
Visit Black Umfolosi here https://blackumfolosimusic.com/
Copyright By Bob Jensen 2021
Published by SGO, UK
October 10th, 2022
Which Side Are You On?
It was my great pleasure and privilege this year to record a protest song with 15 of the finest folk/roots artists in the world, an updated version of Florence Reece’s “Which Side Are You On?” The song was released to some 5000 radio stations in 31 countries in late September.
Watch the video for the song here.
Please help us share this message far and wide.
Musicians in Alphabetical Order
Black Umfolosi Vocals, Zimbabwe
Ray Bonneville Harmonica, Canada/USA
Bruce Cockburn Vocals, Canada
Chris Corrigan Acoustic guitar, Canada
Guy Davis Vocals, America
Ani DiFranco Vocals, America
Maria Dunn Vocals, Canada
Adam Hill Upright bass, Canada
Bob Jensen Vocals, Canada
James Keelaghan Vocals, Canada
Richard Knox Drums, Canada
Lucy MacNeil Vocals, Canada
Tony McManus Guitar, Scotland/Canada
Moulettes Vocals, England
Oysterband Vocals, England
Richard Perso Didgeridoo, Australia
Heather Rankin Vocals, Canada
Martin Simpson Vocals, banjo, electric guitar, England
Jon Weaver Vocals, Canada
June 16th, 2022
A Couple of Nova Scotia Gigs in July
Just a quick note here to let you know that I have a couple of summer gigs coming up. I’m really looking forward to performing at Stanfest (The Stan Rogers Folk Festival) in Canso, Nova Scotia on Saturday, July 23rd, when I will have two mainstage shows. Tony McManus and I will be doing a set of my spoken word poetry, with Tony showcasing his incredible guitar skills. This show will be similar to the one we recorded in Brisbane, Australia in March of 2020. You can listen to that show here on Spotify.
I am also excited about the premiere of my new show, “This Machine Kills Fascists,” celebrating the music, poetry and prose of Woody Guthrie, whose 110th birthday would have been on July 14th. As a lifelong fan and follower of Woody and his friend and colleague Pete Seeger, I thought given the current political climate, a show featuring Woody’s work would be most appropriate and timely. I also believe that for people who might not be familiar with his songs, it presents a great opportunity to introduce them to a fresh audience. I think those who are new to his canon will be surprised at the depth of his writing, how incredibly catchy his songs could be, and what a talent he had for writing beautiful melodies.
That show will kick off Stanfest’s Saturday morning on the main stage at 10:00 a.m. and will include numerous special guests, including my old friends Lennie Gallant and James Keelaghan, both of whom I have collaborated with in the past.
I will also be appearing at the Decoste Centre in Pictou, Nova Scotia on July 21st in a triple bill with James Keelaghan and Tony McManus. My part in this show will again feature Tony and myself performing my spoken word poetry. Really thrilled to share the stage with these very talented guys. If you don’t come for the poetry, then by all means, come for the music!
June 5th, 2022
The following article on the “Which Side Are You On?” song project appears in the May, 2022 edition of The Buzz, Charlottetown, PEI.
May 14th, 2022
Who But Man Charts at #1 in America
“Who But Man” made it all the way to #1 this week on Bluegrass Today’s gospel chart. I co-wrote the song with Claire Lynch, a triple Grammy nominated American bluegrass artist who now lives in Toronto. My contribution was the lyrics which Claire set to music and then recorded. It never even crossed my mind that I might one day have a #1 hit in America, so I was pretty happy about this. You can watch a lyric video of the song here.
May 1st, 2022
My New Project with Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco & More
“Which Side Are you On?” is a union song written by Florence Reese in 1931. It was an unflinching challenge to the miners in southeastern Kentucky who were locked in a bitter and violent struggle called The Harlan County War in ‘31. Given the times and given the danger union organizers faced, lyrics like, “Will you be a lousy scab, or will you be a man?” were clearly fighting words.
In early March, an old friend of mine remarked that the song was ripe for a reboot. Yes, I thought, someone ought to re-write it to address the resurgence of fascism around the world. “Hell, I’ll do it,” I said to myself, and that was all it took. I decided to see if a couple of artists from the folk and roots community might be interested in joining the project. My first ask was James Keelaghan and his response was an immediate and emphatic, “Yes!” Wow, I thought, okay. Let’s see who else might be interested.
So I put the word out and in very short order, I had about a half dozen artists from around the world committed to the project. And then the friend who originally suggested the idea told me I was the guy who sold the lion skin before he killed the lion. “You don’t even have a song yet, Bob!” he said “Shit,” I thought, “I better write some lyrics.” That’s how fast this thing took off.
It was when I got word from Bruce Cockburn’s manager that Bruce was in however, that I knew I was really on to something. As I write this, the lineup, so far, consists of Canadians Bruce Cockburn, Maria Dunn, Jon Weaver (Modabo), Heather Rankin (The Rankin Family), James Keelaghan, Bob Jensen, Lucy MacNeil (Barra MacNeils) and Juno Award winner Ray Bonneville. From America we have Grammy Award-winner Ani DiFranco and blues legend Guy Davis. Our British participants are the legendary Martin Simpson and Oysterband, who currently have the #1 folk/roots record in the UK. Scotland’s Tony McManus, often referred to as the greatest Celtic guitarist in the world, is on board, While Black Umfolosi hail from Zimbabwe. Our lone Australian is Richard Perso, a brilliant didge player (didgeridoo) from Yackandandah.
The project is currently being assembled and produced by Chris Corrigan and Colin Buchanan of Charlottetown, PEI and will be released to radio in 27 countries in July. The goal of the project is to raise a strong and passionate voice from the folk community to get people talking about the rise of the far right, as it becomes clear that we all have to decide which side we are on and what we are going to do about it. In France’s recent federal election 40% of the vote went to a fascist candidate. America is flirting with totalitarianism and we see hate rearing its ugly head here in Canada at trucker rallies that have taken place in Ottawa and across the country. As a lifelong disciple of Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, this seemed like something I had to do. Watch this space for more details.
April 25th, 2022
Who But Man Charting at #3 in America
Some great news arrived on Friday. Who But Man, a song I co-wrote with Claire Lynch, and which Claire released to radio last month, is charting on several US charts, including Bluegrass Today’s gospel chart, where the song reached #3 last week. You can watch a lyric video for the song here. Having one of my songs chart in the US is not something I had even considered, so this was very good news indeed.
April 3rd, 2022
Various & Sundry News Tidbits
There is an awful lot going on right now. As I mentioned in the Live Shows page of this site, I have a new Woody Guthrie show that I will be performing in Canada this summer, and I think also in Australia next March. The single I co-wrote with triple Grammy nominee Claire Lynch (Who But Man) is doing very well at radio all over the world, especially America, where it entered the Bluegrass Today gospel chart this week at #9. I can’t believe I have a song charting in the top 10 in America!
Two major projects are currently in the works. One involves me performing at a 10,000 seat venue this spring, and the other is a song I am recording with some of the biggest names in folk from around the world. I can’t wait to tell you about it, but I want to get a few more things in place before I make the announcement. Both of these projects are bigger than anything I have ever done before, and I am very excited about them. Watch this space for more updates very soon.
March 5th, 2022
Triple Grammy nominee Claire Lynch and I have written a song together based on Mathew 5:7, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” I am absolutely thrilled with what she did with my little poem. You can watch a lyric video of Who But Man, by clicking on the image at the left of this post, and I hope you might consider subscribing to her Youtube channel, as it is filled with incredible music, including some great live performances.
The single goes to 1500 radio stations in 25 countries next week.
The image for the artwork for Who But Man was supplied by Swiss photographer, Geneviève Cygan.
January 25th, 2022
Bob Jensen Most Played Artist at West Norfolk Radio in 2021
I just found out yesterday morning that I was the most chosen artist of last year at West Norfolk Radio, a station in Norfolk, UK,. I had two albums in play in 2021, a collection of cover songs called For the Sake of the Song and a Christmas recording with Tony McManus entitled, The Silver Wren. We knew we were doing well at radio all over the world, with airplay in England, Scotland, Ireland, Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand, as well as here at home. In December alone, we got hundreds of plays, mostly in Canada, England and Australia, but in plenty of other markets as well. When I made these recordings, I was not expecting this kind of attention from radio. I am very grateful for the support of West Norfolk Radio and all the other stations around the world that support independent music and the people who make it.
January 24th, 2022
My Recent Interview with The Argotist of Liverpool, UK
The following interview was published here in The Argotist of Liverpool, England on January 20th (2022) and is reprinted with kind permission
Q: Do you think of your lyrics as poetry?
A: Yes, of course. Some of the poetry I write is very much in the style of freehand, so those can be difficult to apply to music, but it has been done. Other times the format of the piece will lend itself to music because of the rhyme and the metre of it. And other times still, I have written lyrics that I have passed along to other artists, who have set them to music, the way Bernie Taupin specifically wrote lyrics for Elton John. (These days I tend to co-write songs, supplying lyrics only.) A song is simply the marriage of poetry and music and I don’t see a hard line between the two disciplines. I tend to think of songs as “valued added poems.” I also tell friends that most of my favourite poets have guitars, people like Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker and Tom Waits. They are great poets whose works can stand alone, without the music, but why not add it if you have that gift? Why watch black and white when you have a colour TV?
Q: Do you think it is important that songs rhyme and if so why?
A: One of the first poets I read as a child was British-Canadian Robert W. Service, who had an incredible way with rhyme, and there is something very satisfying about hearing those rhymes. I wonder if we are not hardwired that way, if we did not evolve to appreciate rhyme, as it would have been an excellent way for ancient peoples to accurately pass down stories and vital information accurately. A Canadian folklorist named Marius Barbeau recorded funeral dirges by the tribes of the Nass River in northern British Columbia in the 1960s, and then played them for one Professor Kiang Kang-hu, an expert in ancient Chinese cultures at McGill University in Montreal. Without telling the scholar anything about the nature of what he was about to hear, Barbeau played the first song. Professor Kiang indicated that it was quite similar to a Buddhist funeral chant used by nomads in Mongolia. The second song played had been collected from the Eagle Clan of the Kitwanga tribe, who had participated in the most recent wave of migration from the north, and originally from across the Bering Strait. This time, Kiang advised Barbeau that the song was very similar to one sung by poll bearers in modern day Peking. Those songs had survived in the oral tradition for millennia and despite trans-continental migration to the point where the modern Canadian aboriginal people singing them no longer understood the words as the language had evolved. The professor, however, did know the dialect. So appreciation for rhyme may have been an important evolutionary advantage. There must be a reason that human beings find rhyme so deeply satisfying. Virtually all the traditional folk songs that have survived from the British Isles rhyme.
However, a great songwriter need to rely on it. I would point you to Paul Simon’s “America” as a truly great song, and one which does not employ rhyme, something I had not noticed until it was pointed out to me. If the songwriter is skilled enough you won’t even notice if the lines don’t rhyme. Some of my poems are in a grey area, because they are set to music, but they don’t rhyme and are not sung.
Q: Do you think song lyrics must conform to recognised song structures such as clear rhyming schemes, choruses, refrains, hooks and bridges or that songs can also be like free verse?
A: I do believe that those conventions are very useful in crafting a song that will be catchy and memorable and that they are perfectly respectable tools, but also that great songs can be written with out them. Blake said, “'Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius,” and I could not agree more. I have written poems that have been set to music, where the verses are done in freehand, without specific metre or rhyme, but the choruses are the opposite. I think writing that way creates an anticipation for the measured, rhymed choruses, and that after listening to freehand, they are very satisfying. Other than when I set out specifically to write song lyrics, I have no idea, when I set pencil to paper, what the style of the poem will be. I just kind of follow my nose and let the muse lead me where she will. I don’t believe in the rules of poetry, nor did I did not become a poet to follow rules. The ultimate aim of a poem should be a direct hit to the heart, creating an emotional response in the reader. Everything else is just window dressing.
Q: When you read poetry in school or elsewhere did you recognize any connection to the music you enjoyed?
A: I never really thought about it, but I suppose I would have recognized on some level that poetry and song lyrics were first cousins.
Q: Was there anything about poetry in books that influenced your songwriting?
A: Absolutely. William Blake taught me how to see the world in a vision, as opposed to as a photograph. His words soar above the fray and the mundane with majesty and an almost religious fervor. Robert W. Service, a poet of an entirely different nature, taught me how satisfying word play and rhyme can be. I am thinking in particular of The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. He had a mastery not unlike Dr. Suess, whose rhymes are spectacularly catchy and playful. Perhaps the greatest and most influential poetry I have ever read has been the King James Version of the Bible. My very favourite poem is King Solomon’s Song of Songs. The imagery, the metaphors, the raw sexuality, set into a sacred text, are breathtaking. The same goes for the Nativity in the Gospel of Luke, and the opening lines of the Gospel of John, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then later, in John 1:5, “And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” And then finally in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” These words are so powerful, so authoritative and so beautifully written, you cannot but wonder if their origin is not divine. The Book of Psalms, Proverbs, the story of Isaac, the Bible bursts with poetry worthy of the greatest writers.
Q: Why do you think songs are more popular with people than poetry is?
A: As I mentioned earlier, I tend to think of songs as value-added poetry. Music is a whole other thing unto itself, a series of notes arranged according to mathematical formulas that for reasons too complex to go into here, we find most beautiful, and also very emotionally evocative. So when you marry lyrics to a beautiful air that complements the feeling and the subject of the poetry, the result is much more powerful, and it is also easier to remember, because we have an incredible memory for melody and for songs. Think about it. How many poems can you recite right through from memory? Now, how many songs could you sing straight through from memory? Music provides an emotional context and enhancement for lyrics, so that we feel the words more profoundly, we enjoy them more because they are surrounded by the music, and they are much easier to recall.
January 2nd, 2022
My Conversation with Melbourne, Australia's Joe Malignaggi at Radio 3CR
On December 28th, I was interviewed by Joe Malignaggi, whose "Music Sans Frontieres" program can be heard on Radio 3CR out of Melbourne, Australia. He plays two tracks from The Silver Wren and we discuss the making of the album and my plans to tour Australia again with Tony McManus in 2023. You can listen to the full interview by clicking here
December 23, 2021
The latest edition of Word Is can be heard live-streaming on YouTube now. We discuss the new Christmas album and play two tracks by Tony McManus and Bush Gothic. You can listen by clicking here.
November 25th, 2021
Watch the Video for the Single from The Silver Wren
“Christmas Song” from The Silver Wren has gone to radio in 24 countries around the world. Australia’s Bush Gothic did a fantastic job on this song, which I wrote nearly 40 years ago, and made a video of it in Melbourne on November 20th. I have been a fan of Jenny M Thomas’ singing since I first met her in Canberra in 2012. You can watch the video on YouTube by clicking here.
November 20th, 2021
The Silver Wren is out and Available!
Songwriter and spoken word poet, Bob Jensen and Scottish guitar virtuoso, Tony McManus have released, “The Silver Wren,” a collection of Christmas music, stories and poetry featuring artists from four continents. The lead single, which was released to radio in 24 countries in November, is a cover of Jensen’s “Christmas Song,” performed by Australia’s Bush Gothic, while Lennie Gallant performs the poem, “The Swallowtail” and Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi do a completely different and a cappella take on the aforementioned, “Christmas Song.”
“We did not want to release another album of well-worn favourites,” says Jensen, “So the music, chosen by Tony, consists of obscure traditional tunes from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany and Wales.Tony also composed some original music for the album.”There is a reading of The Nativity from The Gospel of Luke, and stories about lean Christmases, and about believing in Santa.The Christmas stories were taken from Jensen’s humour column, Jacob’s Ladder, which ran in several Maritime papers for years, and the title track is a story written by Jensen’s son, Sam, which was originally published by Acorn Press in 2015.The artwork for the cover was also done by Sam Jensen, with graphics by Claire Lynch. You can purchase The Silver Wren in the store on this website by clicking here.
November 4th, 2021
American Bluegrass Artist Claire Lynch Records Who but Man
Last year I had the great pleasure of co-writing a song with Claire Lynch, An American bluegrass artist now living in Toronto. Claire has been nominated for the Grammy three times, and has many IBMAs (International Bluegrass Music Awards) including Song of the Year for Dear Sister. A very fine artist in her own right, Claire has also worked with artists such as Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.
Claire recently recorded our song, entitled Who but Man, and I am just thrilled with what she has done with it. A gorgeous melody and pure, angelic harmonies, I couldn’t be happier with the result. I am also excited that she has used Mark Schatz on bass. Mark is considered the finest bassist in the bluegrass world, and is a bit of a legend in those circles.
The song will be released around the world as a single in time for Easter. Stay tuned for more information.
October 9th, 2021
A New Live Recording
On July 31st (2021) I gave my first poetry reading in over a year, thanks to COVID. I was in my hometown of Dalhousie, New Brunswick at the old court house where I covered many trials as a cub reporter back in the 80s, reading poems exclusively from my current book, "A Sense of Wonder." This recording is raw, completely unedited, and you can even hear my old high school principal commenting on my microphone. I will eventually be putting this performance up for sale as an MP3, which you will be able to purchase it in the store on this website. For now, however, you can listen to it live-streaming here, on YouTube.
September 9th, 2021
Nova Scotia Breeze - The Lost Recording
In 1993 I won the PEI Songwriter’s Association Songwriting Contest. First prize was a recording session, which I did in Summerside, PEI with a fellow named Lawrence Patzer, who both produced the song and played guitar on it. I cannot for the life of me remember who played the other instruments. A couple of years after recording the song, I lost the tape, and have been looking for it off and on ever since, as I thought the recording we did was pretty good. I recently came across the tape by accident and had it made into an MP3. I have recorded several versions of this song, but this one is different in a couple of ways. First of all, it has a much quicker tempo than the others, and secondly, we did it as a country song, with pedal steel guitar being prominently featured.
Listen to the newly found version of Nova Scotia Breeze here
TRACK DETAILS
Written by Bob Jensen
Produced by Lawrence Patzer
Published by SGO/BMG, Stockbridge, UK
Copyright by Bob Jensen ©
September 7th, 2021
Marilyn Going to Radio September 20th
I mentioned in a previous post that Kimberly Bourgeois’ cover of my song, Marilyn would be released as a single to radio. The song will go to stations in 23 countries around the world on September 20th. It’s is live-streaming on YouTube now, with artwork by Swiss photographer, Genevieve Cygan. You can check that out here.
July 21st, 2021
I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You Going to Radio
The latest single from “For the Sake of the Song” goes to radio on July 26th. I Hope That I Don’t Fall in Love With You, a duet with Vishtèn’s Emma LeBlanc, will be released to 23 countries on Monday. The singles from the new album have exceeded all my expectations, getting loads of airplay not only at home in Canada, but in England, Europe, Australia and America as well.
July 14th, 2021
New Spoken Word Engagement
After more than a year and a half of no gigs due to COVID, I have a poetry reading in my hometown of Dalhousie, New Brunswick on July 31st as part of the Bon Ami Festival. I am really happy to be home again and very much looking forward to this event, which will feature poems from my new book, A Sense of Wonder. Hope to see you there.
June 24th, 2021
Montreal Artist Kimberly Bourgeois Covers Marilyn
Montreal singer-songwriter and poet Kimberly Bourgeois has covered Marilyn, a song I wrote in Edmonton in the early ‘80s about a sex worker who lived in the apartment above mine and who I became friends with. Kimberly will be releasing the single around the world in the coming weeks. You can listen to her version of the song live streaming here.
June 22, 2021
Some Press from Zimbabwe
The following article Appeared in Zimbabwe’s NewsDay on June 21st.
Black Umfolosi seek reason to believe
BY SHARON SIBINDI
INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed Imbube/Iscathamiya group Black Umfolosi is set to release a nine-track album titled Reason to Believe, Songs from the Poetry of Bob Jensen.
Jensen Music International in a statement said the album consists entirely of songs that the group has written using the poetry of Canadian singer-songwriter and poet Bob Jensen.
“The first single, A Thousand Ways to Love the Careless Moon, will be released to radio in 22 countries this week. The idea for the album came together three years ago, when Jensen, who has known and worked with the group for some 20 years, sent them a poem, asking if they would be interested in setting it to music,” read part of the statement.
“They did so with great enthusiasm, and Jensen was very impressed with the results. Jensen was quoted saying he felt like Paul Simon when he got the MP3.”
The statement further states that the album will consist of several spoken word poems.
“Black Umfolosi has already been performing the material in Africa, abroad and has remarked that the feedback to the songs has been very strong. They will tour the new material in Canada in 2022.”
Meanwhile co-founder of Black Umfolosi, Tomeki Dube said Bob Jensen is their Canadian agent and apart from that he is an incredible writer of poems and music.
“His poems are so amazing that we could not resist converting them to music. It is the best ever experience and collaboration,” he said.
“We have performed some of his poems in Imbube music and its mind blowing, loved by our audiences hence had to take it a step further. We are blessed to have known him.”
Follow Sharon on Twitter @SibindiSharon
June 2nd, 2021
Here is a story on my new book of poetry from today’s edition of the Telegraph-Journal out of Saint John, New Brunswick.
May 31st, 2021
A Sense of Wonder Now Available
A Sense of Wonder is a book of 50 poems I wrote between 2014 and 2021. They were not chosen to fit any particular theme, although nature, loss, God and home are all featured prominently. I was really pleased to have John Guzlowski write the forward. He is quite a well-known American poet who has been nominated twice for the Pulitzer, and he’s been a bit of a mentor for me over the past few years.
The book will be available from hundreds of retailers and libraries around the world in July, but for now you can buy it directly from me here.
May 15th, 2021
The First Single from Reason to Believe is Out There
The first single from Black Umfolosi’s upcoming album, Reason to Believe, was sent to radio in 22 countries last week and is already starting to pick up international airplay. Tim Walker of BBC Radio in Lincolnshire, England said that, “I could just listen to that all night. It’s just lush.” Reason to Believe is a collection of my poetry which Black Umfolosi has set to music and that they perform entirely a cappella. The album will be officially released on May 31st, but you can listen to the first single, A Thousand Ways to Love the Careless Moon, by clicking here.
The photo to the right was taken in Rustic, PEI a couple of years ago when Black Umfolosi was touring across Canada.
May 14th, 2021
A New Book of Poetry in the Works
I am very close now to publishing a collection of 50 poems, which I am calling A Sense of Wonder. I have released two spoken word recordings of my poems, but so far, nothing in print, so I thought that it was high time I did so. All of the material was written between 2014 and the present. The image on the left will be on the cover of the book, and was taken by a very old friend I have known since grade one, a Dalhousie, New Brunswick native named Michael Levesque. You can view more of his work here.
May 4th, 2021
For the Sake of The Song Reviewed in Australia
I have a nice little review for For the Sake of the Song in the Australian folk/roots magazine, Rhythms. Tony Hillier, who did the review, has one of the biggest and most important folk shows on the continent. You can view the full current issue here.
The photo used for this story, left, was taken in Tonder, Denmark a few years back
April 12th, 2021
Feature Story in Canadian Roots Canada
Roots Music Canada recently ran quite a substantial piece on some of the stuff I have been working on. You can read the whole story by clicking here.
February 23rd, 2021
New Video for Long Afternoons
From my new album, "For the Sake of the Song," this is one of my very favourite Jerry Jeff Walker songs, and one I first heard on his masterpiece, "A Man Must Carry On," which I would count in the top three of my favourite records of all time, any genre. (The song, however, was written by Paul Siebel.) For the Sake of the Song is a collection of some of my best-loved songs from a lifetime of listening to singer-songwriters. If you would like to purchase it, you can do so here;
https://www.firsttimesinceaugust.com/...
This track was recorded and produced by Chris Corrigan at his home studio in Charlottetown, PEI. Chris also plays acoustic guitar, while the dobro is handled by the incredible Doug Cox of Vancouver Island.
As a point of interest, I was Jerry Jeff's Canadian agent for quite a few years, and the photo in the video is of Jerry Jeff, Newfoundland songwriter, Ron Hynes, another favourite of mine, and myself, with my son Noah peeking into the bottom corner of the photo. That shot was taken at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia in 2010.
February 18th, 2020
Pastures of Plenty Goes to Radio Today
Pastures of Plenty is the second single from my new album, For the Sake of the Song, a collection of favourite songs from a lifetime of listening to singer-songwriters. Woody Guthrie was a huge influence on me, and inspired me to go out on the road and spend several years hitchhiking, busking and working my way around the continent. Of all his great songs, this is one of my favourites and features Emma LeBlanc on vocals and penny whistle, Chris Corrigan on guitar and Doug Cox on slide.
Listen to Pastures of Plenty Live Streaming Here
TRACK CREDITS
Lead Vocals: Bob Jensen and Emma LeBlanc
Guitar: Chris Corrigan
Weissenborn: Doug Cox
Penny Whistle: Emma Leblanc
Whistling: Bob Jensen
January 31st, 2021
COVID19 Lock Down Delays Release of Album
Just a quick note here to say that my new album, For the Sake of the Song, should have been released by now, but a COVID19 lock down in December precluded us from doing the last couple of recording sessions, so I am a little behind on the release date. Hoping that it will be out by mid-February.
January 5th, 2021
Who by Fire Premiered in Australia
A big shout out to Tony Hillier at Tony Hillier’s Folk World in Cairn, Australia for premiering the first single from For the Sake of the Song. He played my cover of Leonard Cohen’s Who By Fire on his January 1st program. You can listen to that program here. Tony is a fierce advocate of independent roots music and I highly recommend his program. The single will be released world-wide within the coming week.
January 3rd, 2020
Album Preview: For the Sake of the Song
I have put together a little video with short clips from six of the songs that will be on my forthcoming album, For the Sake of the Song, which will be released in late January. You can listen to it by clicking here.
November 28th, 2020
A Co-write with Claire Lynch
I am really excited about a song I have co-written with American bluegrass star, Claire Lynch. Claire has been nominated three times for the Grammy, and has 8 International Bluegrass Music Awards, including Song of the Year for this gem. Based out of Nashville until her recent move to Toronto, Claire has been a fixture on the US and Canadian bluegrass circuit for decades, and has worked with the likes of Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. The new song will be recorded this winter and released as a single to America, Australia, Canada and the UK in March.
November 19th, 2020
Black Umfolosi Performs my Poem in My Living Room
The last time Zimbabwe’s Black Umfolosi toured Canada in 2018, they came over for dinner, and then gave an impromptu performance of my poem, “Where Pilots Often Strand” in the living room. This is one of a collection of my poems that the guys have set to music, and in early 2021, they will release an entire album of my poems, set to their original music. To watch Black Umfolosi perform Where Pilots Often Strand, please click here
November 9th, 2020
A Sneak Preview from my Upcoming Album
This is a rough mix for my cover of Tom Waits' 1973 classic, I Hope That I Don't Fall in Love with You, which will be released in early 2021 on a full album of cover songs I am calling, "For the Sake of the Song." The album will feature some of my favourite songs from a lifetime of listening; people like Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. The finished version will include background vocals and additional instrumentation. You can listen to the song live-streaming here
Special guests on the album will include James Keelaghan, Emma LeBlanc (Vishtèn, Ray Cooper (formerly of Oysterband) and Doug Cox, and is being produced by Chris Corrigan.
November 5th, 2020
For the Sake of the Song Coming in 2021
I have been working on a full album of cover songs this fall, something I call For the Sake of the Song. I am going over a lifetime of music from my favourite songwriters, and have recorded songs by the likes of Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Townes Van Zandt. The idea is to record obscure songs by these artists and try to give them an original spin. Special guests on this project will include James Keelaghan, Emma LeBlanc (Vishtèn ), Ray Cooper (formerly of Oysterband) and dobro virtuoso, Doug Cox. It is being produced by ECMA winner Chris Corrigan. We are hoping to release the album in early 2021, and have about 75% of the recording done as I post this. For the Sake of the Song will be the first collection of new music I will have released since First Time Since August in 1984. I guess I’m going for a slow build.
October 30th, 2020
Live in Australia Gets Four-Star Review
My new CD with Tony McManus was reviewed in yesterday’s edition of the Charlottetown Guardian and received a four-star rating. You can read the entire review here
October 21st, 2020
New Video from Live in Australia
I’ve just posted a new video from Live in Australia, recorded with Tony McManus last March in Brisbane. The Poet’s Advice to his Younger Self originally appeared on Prayer to Morning. You can purchase Live in Australia directly from me here in my store. It will also be available soon here on Tony’s website.
October 17th, 2020
Live in Australia Released
I have to say that I am a bit excited to announce that Live in Australia featuring myself and the incredible Tony McManus on guitar, was released on October 16th. The show was recorded last March in Brisbane while we were on tour and was, I thought, probably our best show on that outing, so I am really pleased that we got to make a permanent record of it. You can listen here to the first single, The Plover’s Nest, and you can also hear A Heavy Millstone here, both from that show. The CD is being distributed widely around the world, but you can buy it directly from me here in my own store if you are interested in having it. Please feel free to share this – hoping to get the word out about it as widely as possible.
October 13th, 2020
Plover’s Nest Released as First Single from Live in Australia
The first single from Live in Australia goes to radio today and will be released in Canada, Europe, Australia and a few other markets. It is also for sale now in my store and can be purchased here. Within the coming days the entire album will be available through all major digital live streaming and retail platforms as well as here on my own site, where I get the full amount of each sale.
October 11th, 2020
A New Essay on Christianity and Capitalism
I’ve just posted a new essay to my Tumblr page on Christianity and capitalism in the wake of Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti. I am no papist, but on this issue, the pope is bang on. You can read the essay here.
October 7th, 2020
Collaborating with Juan Martin
I am very excited to announce that I will to be collaborating with Juan Martin, one of Spain’s greatest flamenco artists. Guitar Player Magazine voted him One of the three top guitarists in the world and he has sold out venues around the glove, and has performed at such iconic venues the Sydney Opera House, The Royal Albert Hall and Carnegie Hall. He once performed a show for Pablo Picasso and has recorded with Herbie Hancock and shared the stage with Miles Davis.
We will be recording Leonard Cohen’s iconic Suzanne together, and Juan has asked me to set an original piece of his music to poetry. I have said that I want to work with the best people in the world, and I am thrilled to be collaborating with a giant of Juan’s stature.
You can watch him performing live here
October 6th, 2020
New Video on YouTube
I don’t often recite or perform poetry by other artists, but Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 is so remarkably beautiful I find myself going back to it time and again, and thought I would take a kick at the can. You can listen to my version of it here.
October 1st, 2020
Something New from the Studio
I have been working all fall on a new CD of music, a collection of covers that I am calling “For the Sake of the Song,” featuring gems from a lifetime of listening to artists like Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Jeff Walker, etc. I decided to take a run at the holy grail of song writers, Leonard Cohen, and recorded Who by Fire with Chris Corrigan (guitars) Emma LeBlanc of Vishtèn on vocals and organ and former Oysterband cellist Ray Cooper on strings. You can listen to a rough mix of the song here to see what I have been up to in the studio. Tomorrow I will be recording two songs by Woody Guthrie and Jerry Jeff Walker.
September 27th, 2020
First Single from Live in Australia Released
The Plover's Nest will be the first single from Live in Australia, and is being released to radio in early October (2020). This recording was made on March 13th in Brisbane and was recorded and mixed by Ian Dearden. Live in Australia will be available soon for purchase directly from the artists. You may purchase it directly from me on this site, or from Tony here. You can listen to the new single live streaming here on YouTube.
September 21, 2020
Jacob’s Ladder Columns On Line
Jacob’s Ladder was a humour column I wrote for several years, and which ran in three Maritime newspapers. I have posted every one of the columns to my Tumblr page. If you would like to read them, just click here.
September 11th, 2020
Oysterband Cellist Joins Recording Project
I am thrilled to announce that Ray “Chopper” Cooper is joining the musicians on my cover songs CD, a project I am currently working on. Ray is a brilliant musician best known for his many years with the legendary Oysterband of England. Ray will be contributing cello to at least three tracks. The album will be called For the Sake of the Song and will feature obscure gems by the likes of Dylan, Cohen, Townes Van Zandt and my boyhood hero, Woody Guthrie.
September 10th, 2020
Collaborating with Emmanuelle LeBlanc
I am currently working on a song with Emma LeBlanc from the incredible Acadian Trad group, Vishtèn. It’s an a capella song I half-finished about 25 years ago and never got back to, although it has always been in the back of my mind. Emma is writing some French verses to the song, which will be fully bilingual, and will released to radio as a single. Stay tuned for some news on some very special guests who will be participating on the recoding.
September 4th, 2019
Coming soon, “Live in Australia with Tony McManus! Watch this page for release details. Here’s a sneak preview, The Plover’s Nest, recorded in Brisbane in March of this year.
In the Studio with Emma LeBlanc
August 27th, 2020
Yesterday I spent a very pleasant morning in the studio with Emma LeBlanc, a member of Vishtèn and one of the most talented trad performers in the whole country. Emma has contributed background vocals and music to two songs for the album of cover songs I am currently working on. The new working title for the project is For The Sake of the Song. There will be other guests as well, including the iconic Canadians singer-songwriter, James Keelaghan, who will do a duet with me on this song. Stay tuned for more updates.
A Little Press from Down Under
August 17th, 2020
I was just emailed a short but sweet review of my Other Voices show in Port Fairy, as it appears in the current edition of Trad & Now of NSW, Australia
July 19th, 2020
New Edition of Word Is on YouTube
On Friday I did my latest installment of “Word Is with Bob Jensen” on CBC Radio. This time we discussed my recent tour of Australia with Tony McManus as well as the “Live in Australia” recording that came about as a result of that trip.
July 18th, 2020
New Song - Colorado Girl
I’ve been kicking around the idea of recording some music again, something I had not done in the better part of three decades. Right now I am trying my hand at some covers. This one, by the late, great Townes Van Zant, is a stunningly beautiful song. It is a credit to Townes that he could pack so much emotion into such a simple song. This was recorded by Chris Corrigan at his home studio in Charlottetown. All guitar parts were also done by Chris.
I may do a whole CD of stuff like this.
July 13th, 2020
New Spoken Word Video Posted
I’ve posted a new spoken word video on YouTube. I rarely post material by other artists, but this piece by Leonard Cohen, The Ballad of the Absent Mare which appeared on the 1979 album, Recent Songs, is such a masterpiece of imagery that I had to try it as a poem, no music. You can listen to Leonard’s original version here.
July 11th, 2020
A New Song Recorded
Yesterday I went into the studio to record some spoken word and also a song. It’s about 30 years since I recorded any music. I have been thinking about doing a full CD of music, featuring mostly covers. I’m really not sure I have the voice to pull this off, so right now I am experimenting to see what I might be capable of. The first song we recorded was a cover of Bob Dylan’s Tomorrow is a Long Time, a song I performed many times back in the day. I may be adding cello to it, but for now, you can listen to it here.
July 9th, 2020
Heading Back into the Studio
Tomorrow, July 10th, I am heading back into the studio with the multi-talented Chris Corrigan. I will be recording some spoken word stuff, but I’m also planning to do something I never thought I would do again, which is to record some music. I’m thinking about doing another CD of folk music, and I want to put down a couple of numbers first to see if I have enough of a voice left to do something half decent. I will be posting the results at some time in the not-too-distant future.
July 7th, 2020 Bob’s Boots Now Available as a Free Download “Bob’s Boots” is a kind of official bootleg. I had tons of old material kicking around from the 1980s. Some of it was studio stuff I had been working on in Ottawa for a second LP that never came to fruition. Some of the tracks are live recordings from New Brunswick and Ottawa, and there is some 4-track stuff I recorded as well. I didn’t know what to do with it, so I released it as a freebie about two years ago. There are 16 tracks, as well as extensive liner notes. It, along with lots of other stuff, is available free of charge here on my “free stuff” page. Fill yer boots!
“Live in Australia” CD in the works
I’m pretty excited about this. The Brisbane show that Tony McManus and I performed in March was professionally recorded and we are currently mixing the tracks for a full live CD. I don’t have a release date set, but I’m hoping to have it out by the summer. Stay tuned for more details.
June 30th, 2020
New Video from Australia
I just posted a new video from my Other Voices show in Port Fairy, Australia. Tony McManus performs my song, First Time Since August, with your truly taking a stab at the harmonies.
July 6th, 2020
New Tampa Video from Port Fairy Added
I recently uploaded another video from the Other Voices show at Port Fairy, Australia last March. We opened the 70-minute show with Tampa and were off and running. You can watch Tampa live-streaming on YouTube here