Kristina Olsen

I met Kristina in the summer of 2001, when we were both hired as instructors for a week-long jazz camp held in the Interior of British Columbia.

She was there as a dance instructor, and – being more than a little inept in that department – I was thrilled to sign up for a week of intense lessons.

The days were long and intense; I was the only drummer on staff, which meant I played for everyone over the course of the week. Classes went for most of the day, and after that the teaching staff would perform together for fun each night. And so I got to accompany Kristina. I was unaware beforehand, but quickly realized that on top of being a fabulous dancer, she was also a wonderful singer/songwriter.

We had a great time together, and she later sent me some of her CDs.

As far as I know, nothing we did together at the camp was recorded, but I wanted to put up an example of her work. It’s from her CD Live From Around the World (Philo/Rounder).

I’m certainly not the only one to fall in love with this song; my old drumming pal Dave Mattacks recorded a cover with Fairport Convention a few years before.

Kristina talked about bringing me along to do some shows in Australia, where she’s quite popular, but logistics made that impossible. Still, I look forward to playing together again someday. And brushing up on my dancing chops as well.

Visit the Kristina Olsen website