Album Notes

Colors of Mime is the name of the partnership of Brian Christensen and Martijn van Galen.

" We have put together Colors of Mime as a conduit for creative music. Through this vehicle we hope to continue to create, perform, and market our music as well as provide the listener a link to other artists with a similar bent. the name refers to the multitude of "colors" or emotions that can be created and communicated with music that is of a predominantly instrumental nature (no word = "mime")."

Our first album is entitled Always the Sun in reference to the summer sun of Banff 2003, under which we recorded this album. Wreathed in forest fire smoke, a deep red, it also reminded us of the sun of Japan, a country we have both been fascinated and inspired by.

Brian Christensen

Brian Christensen went to the University of Calgary where he received a bachelor of music degree in classical performance. During that time he was very active in the Calgary jazz scene, playing in several big bands and combos around town. In 1997 he played in the Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, with Saxoffonee, which was led by Dr. Jeremy Brown. He has also performed in the Montreal Jazz Festival with the Dino Martinis in 1999.

Brian spent the winter of 2002/2003 at the Banff Centre for the Arts as a long term resident. while there, he worked on composition and improvisation with the likes of Mike Murley, Dave Restivo, John Stetch, Joshua Roseman, and Hugh Frasier. It was not his first experience at Banff, however. He had played in the big band for the Banff Summer Jazz Workshop in 1996. Both experiences have had a profound effect on his composing and playing.

Brian has been collaborating with Martijn van Galen since 1997 after they played together in Saxoffonee. They have always shared a desire to explore different styles of music, and to listen to new voices in the jazz world. Martijn and Brian believe that it is important to bring their own original compositions to the music they play. Colors of Mime was born from this desire to play original music. Brian Christensen is excited to release Always the Sun which is Colors of Mime's first CD.


Martijn van Galen

Working as a jazz artist, composer, arranger and educator, trumpeter/flugelhornist Martijn van Galen made Calgary, Canada his permanent home from 1995 - 2002 before making Saitama, Japan his home until the summer of 2004.

Highlights of his career to date include performances at the Montreux and Brienz Jazz Festival in Switzerland with Saxoffonee, the Calgary Jazz Festival with his own group The Jazz Infidels trio and the Primetime Big Band (with Hugh Frasier), studying (with Yosvany Terry) and recording in Cuba, and studying at the Banff Centre of the Arts (Jazz Workshop 1999) with among others Kenny Werner, Joe Lovano, Dave Holland and Dave Douglas. In the summer of 2002 he performed and toured with the Canadian dance company Decidedly Jazz Danceworks in their show Perched on the Edge of a Quarter Note. He has very actively performed for four year (1998 - 2002) with the Canadian Afro-Cuban Jazz group Masacote and is featured on their first album Nada Mas (2002).While living in Japan, Martijn had the opportunity to regularly perform in Tokyo with the funky and imaginative group The Conductors, among others.

In 1997 Martijn started collaborating with Brian Christensen on various creative projects culminating in their form of the group Colors of Mime. He is excited with the release of the group's first album, entitled Always the Sun this August of 2004. This fall, Martijn will continue to compose and perform in Alberta while at the Banff Centre as an artist-in-residence working on creating music for large jazz ensemble. Martijn has a bachelor of music degree from McGill University (1995) and a bachelor of education degree from the University of Calgary (2002).