Album Notes

KRISTEN STROM is a busy freelance musician in the San Francisco Bay Area, in demand on saxophone, flute and clarinet.
She grew up in California in a musical household, and was exposed to jazz musicians like Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker.

On "Intention", she shows that influence in her love for beautiful melodies. All of the selections share a strong melody as the springboard for improvisation. From the Beatles' tunes, "Golden Slumbers" and the beautiful soprano sax/ guitar duet on "Blackbird" to folk songs like "The Water is Wide" and the contemporary Nick Drake tune, “River Man", the emphasis is on showcasing melody and melodic improvisation with Kris' beautiful saxophone tone. One of the recording engineers named her "Tone Queen."
The album features some of the San Francisco Bay Area's best musicians, including Scott Sorkin on guitar, Jason Lewis on drums, and John Shifflett on bass, with whom Kris has been playing for many years, and Adam Shulman on piano. The great Nate Pruitt is featured on vocals on "Two for the Road", and Kris's family joins in the choir on "Of the Father's Love Begotten."
Kristen has performed with many well-known artists, including Manhattan Transfer, Roberta Flack, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Heath, Steve Turre, Kevin Mahogany, Jon Faddis, Michel LeGrand, The Temptations, Natalie Cole, The Four Tops, the San Jose Symphony, and the San Francisco Production Beach Blanket Babylon.
Besides her solo album, Intention, she has recorded over 25 CDs with various jazz and pop artists, including Burning Bridges, Ed Johnson and Novo Tempo, Wally Schnalle, John Worley and Worlview, Tim Volpicella, Jennifer Scott and Gail Dobson and four albums with The Nuclear Whales Saxophone Orchestra. Her touring schedule has included performances across the U.S., Canada , Europe and Asia with the Nuclear Whales and others. Kristen is the saxophone instructor at Santa Clara University, is on the faculty of the Stanford Jazz Workshop and is the Education Consultant for the San Jose Jazz Society.