The debut iteration of Stranger Friends is a piano quartet featuring Thad Bailey-Mai on trumpet, Wynston Minckler on bass, and Ben Parker on drums. This album is a mark in the sand between looking back at the people and places that have inspired this music and looking ahead to the many more projects and recordings to come.
STRANGER FRIENDS
Dean Thiessen | piano & composition
Thad Bailey-Mai | trumpet
Wynston Minckler | bass
Ben Parker | drums
Gavin Grochowshki | tenor saxophone
featured on track 8
recorded at 12th street sound by Anthony Cenerini
mixed and mastered by Brad Turner
release date : April 2nd 2021
"Thiessen isn't following the standard conventions of small-group jazz composition here, and he want's you to know it."
- Chris Fraser, rhythmchanges.ca
The Good Samaritan Suite
In February of 2020 I was approached by Brian Fraser, the minister at Brentwood Presbyterian Church, about the opportunity to participate in one of their musical ministries known as 'Suite Sundays in the Sanctuary: Sacred Jazz Suites.' The main objective of this ministry is to champion composers, such as myself, to compose musical suites based on the parables of Jesus found throughout the New Testament of the Bible. Delays due to Covid meant this project was finally completed in January of 2022.
Click here to read more about this project and to listen to excerpts of the music