Powerful, beautiful, and restorative, The Psalms Project are Psalm-inspired songs that Janzen composed and arranged while recovering from a serious concussion injury, later recording them during the pandemic. JUNO award-winning artist Laila Biali says of the project: “Gorgeous. An oasis for the spirit.”
Released in 2021, the first two volumes of The Psalms Project comprise 19 songs composed while Mike recovered from his concussion. The first volume, The Carried Words, has a folk-pop sound and features some of Canada’s finest musicians, including Steve Bell, Erin Propp, Davide DiRenzo and Joey Landreth. The second volume, The Lifted Songs, is more meditative in nature. Guest performances include JUNO-winner Laila Biali, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, and the beautiful sounds of a 14-piece string orchestra.
Mike continues to release new music, such as the singles “Breaking Through” (2021) and “The Great Congregation” (2022; feat. Abbie Parker). He has also released several original neo-classical piano recordings under the name Michael Janzen.
Music has informed and shaped Mike’s entire life. His unique background in disciplines of jazz, classical, and popular music combined with his technical piano prowess led Geoff Chapman (Wholenote) to exclaim, “What’s enthralling is Janzen’s writing, woven with wit and inventiveness and his playing’s sheer exuberance.” In his role heading up the Mike Janzen Trio (featuring Mike, George Koller, and Larnell Lewis, Ben Riley, or Davide Direnzo), Mike has released four studio albums and has performed an engaging blend of standards and well-crafted originals at jazz festivals across Canada. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with and performed with other luminary musicians such as Daniel Lanois, Hugh Marsh, Sarah Slean, Steve Bell, and Phil Dwyer.