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Jenny Scheinman
I grew up in the westernmost house in the continental United States. If you can find it on the map you still might not be able to find it in on the planet. It is at the ocean-end of a small river valley and is home to a rowdy mix of old ranchers and transplanted east coast back-to-the-Landers of which my parents are a part. From an early age I took piano and violin lessons along with my three brothers and sisters from various teachers in the nearest town two hours away. I was a Suzuki student and until early college was most ambitious and focused as a pianist.
In the summers my family lived outside. We had a luxurious campsite in an alder forest near the river resplendent with several sofas, running water from a small creek, a huge wicker swing, and a big campfire which we would gather around at night to talk and play music. My parents are folk musicians and there were a lot of parties and a lot of singing. We also travelled a bit: to New York City every year to visit relatives, to Europe where I first learned to busque, to fiddle festivals where I won my first competitions, and around the county where I gave my first solo piano recitals.
I was one of six students at the small high school that my parents and other adults created to avoid sending their kids two hours away to a public education facility. I was thirteen years old in my freshman year, having skipped third grade (too tall for second grade) and eighth grade (otherwise, there would only be five which seemed a bit lonely.) I continued taking music theory lessons and private piano and violin lessons in town, attended chamber music workshops, Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, and travelled for a month of every school year with Human Nature, a dance/ theater company directed by a local choreographer.
Had I been accepted to the Havana Conservatory I would probably still be there, enjoying the warmth of a culture that actually supports its artists. As it turned out, I continued with my teachers near home, transferred to Oberlin Conservatory, and then ended up at UC Berkeley via Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz gave me the opportunity to play for a forgiving and fiddle-loving culture willing to trade coffee and baskets of organic vegetables for the pleasure of my ambitious screeching.
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Jenny Scheinman Brings the Experience of Awe
by Dean Nardi
Play your violin for us like that wild, joyful hippie girl. You who look as if you might have come from the steppes of Russia instead of the Lost Coast, a remote region of northern California prone to earthquakes and mudslides. You who galloped into school on a snorting mare, its hair used to string the bow you wave before grabbing the violin as if it were a chicken running around the coop. Roll your perpetually startled eyes at it, ...
Continue ReadingMark Masters, Devin Gray, Andrew Vogt & Jenny Scheinman
by Joe Dimino
Welcome to the 878th episode of Neon Jazz, where the sounds of jazz legends and fresh talent collide. We kick things off with veteran, award-winning artist Jenny Scheinman, delivering the rousing Shutdown Stomp" from her brand-new 2024 release, All Species Parade. Next, we dive into new material from her frequent collaborator, guitar virtuoso Bill Frisell, with tracks from his latest album, Breaking the Shell. From there, a lineup of jazz stalwarts lights up the playlist: Devin Gray, Andrew Vogt, Amanda ...
Continue ReadingScheinman, Gray, Hargrove, Wellins & More
by Bob Osborne
There are all new releases on this edition with the standout album being from violinist Jenny Scheinman bringing together an A-List band for some outstanding music. There is previously unheard music from 1979 and 1998 as well as up to date music from USA, Canada, Japan and Ukraine.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Jenny Scheinman Nocturne For 2020" from All Species Parade (Royalty Potato Family) 00:30 Devin Gray Melt All The Guns" from Melt All The Guns II (Rataplan Records) ...
Continue ReadingJenny Scheinman: Jazz, Americana, and Finding Inspiration on the Lost Coast
by Steven Roby
In this episode of Backstage Sonoma, host Steve Roby interviews acclaimed violinist and composer Jenny Scheinman. Jenny shares insights into her latest album, All Species Parade, which is deeply influenced by her return to the remote Lost Coast of Humboldt County. She reflects on how reconnecting with nature and rural life, especially during the pandemic, has reshaped her musical direction. The conversation also explores the challenges of balancing her artistic career with motherhood and how the isolation of 2020 led ...
Continue ReadingChico Hamilton, Jenny Scheinman, and Weather Report
by Jerome Wilson
This show's eclectic playlist includes electric freakouts from Ray Russell and Jenny Scheinman, modern blues from Sarah Jane Morris, Fifties cool jazz" from Chico Hamilton and Teddy Charles, and a large slice of 1971 Weather Report. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Ray Russell All Through Over You / Nearer" from Secret Asylum (Reel Recordings) 1:01 Jenny Scheinman The ...
Continue ReadingTodd Sickafoose: Bear Proof
by Vic Albani
Era dai fasti di Tiny Resistors (uscito nel 2008 per la Cryptogramophone dell'amico Jeff Gauthier e che invitiamo a riascoltare per la bellezza che lo ammanta) che il signor Todd Sickafoose non regalava al mondo un nuovo lavoro. Inneggiato da più voci quale coerente ed intelligentissimo musicista nonché compositore e produttore Sickafoose è stato talmente occupato da non avere avuto tempo per dilettarsi ancora una volta con l'idea che lo ha subito posto all'attenzione del mondo musicale sin ...
Continue ReadingTodd Sickafoose: Bear Proof
by Jerome Wilson
Bassist Todd Sickafoose released only one album as a leader prior to this one, Tiny Resistors, (Cryptogramophone, 2008). However, he has kept busy in the music world since then. He has extensively worked as a sideman and producer, including collaborating with singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco, and he has orchestrated the Broadway musical, Hadestown," winning a Tony award in the process. Now he is back with an album that reaffirms him as one of those musicians who are ostensibly based in jazz ...
Continue ReadingJenny Scheinman’s "The Littlest Prisoner" Out May 6 On Sony Masterworks
Source:
Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy
The Littlest Prisoner, the latest from critically-hailed singer, violinist, composer and arranger Jenny Scheinman, will be released May 6 on Sony Masterworks. Her eighth studio album, The Littlest Prisoner follows Scheinman’s 2012 release Mischief & Mayhem, which All About Jazz called “a near-flawless package of musical craftsmanship.” Scheinman, whom The New York Times has called “full of playful ideas” and “a soulful, generous improviser.” Mixed by Grammy-nominated producer, Tucker Martine (The Decemberists, Neko Case, My Morning Jacket and Sufjan Stevens), ...
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Violinist Jenny Scheinman Interviewed at All About Jazz...And More!
Source:
All About Jazz
It's often the case that the most interesting music is made by musicians with a broad musical palette and openness to new paths and horizons. Violinist/composer Jenny Scheinman certainly qualifies in both regards. Equally at home playing folk tunes or working in essentially modern jazz setups, Scheinman also jumps at the chance to play with classical musicians, and is increasingly in demand as an arranger for a diverse range of musicians, such as Lou Reed and Metallica, Lucinda Williams, Bono, ...
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Review Jenny Scheinman's Mischief and Mayhem @ Village Vanguard
Source:
AAJ Staff
Kings of Rhythm and a Queen of the Avant-Garde By Will Friedwald
If the Knitting Factory ever established an outpost in Nashville, Jenny Scheinman's Mischief & Mayhem band is what you'd hear there. Ms. Scheinman, a violinist, composer, and vocalist, is one of those young players (at 31) who at first seems almost insanely diverse; I heard her for the first time (on records at least) playing behind Norah Jones on the blockbuster country-jazz hybrid Come Away With Me" ...
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Jazz Violin, Given License to Operate
Source:
Michael Ricci
The violinist Jenny Scheinman writes sensible, orderly music. Its phrases resolve, it doesn’t mess with abstruse harmony, it returns to its themes. It’s usually grounded in old variations of jazz, blues and folk song known in the bones of the average North American. Ms. Scheinman doesn’t fully take over a band, even her own; she’s not a battling player. But given some room, she makes an arresting, plainspoken sound. She can draw out a few notes, adding just a little ...
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Jenny Scheinman: Unfurling One's Wings
Source:
JamBase
By: Dennis Cook
Jenny Scheinman by Michael Wilson It's hard not to fall in love with Jenny Scheinman. The violinist's raw talent, boundless creativity and ability to dovetail with a startling range of musicians and styles marks her as a singular talent. But there's an X-factor to Scheinman's appeal, a wondrous undercurrent that reminds one why music matters, why it stirs us to tears and laughter, why we hold it close to our chest and let it whisper in long ...
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Jenny Scheinman Tour/Albums
Source:
All About Jazz
RIDICULOUSLY TALENTED VIOLINIST RELEASES TWO ALBUMS AND TOURS NORTHEAST
...Ms. Scheinman is a killer player... She has the street musician's trick of getting attention with the pure power of a single, perfect note." - New York Times
On her self-titled disc- one of two being released simultaneously- she reveals herself to be as personal a stylist with her vocals as she is with her violin, navigating roots and folk-rock styles with consummate ease. - No Depression
Ms. Scheinman's ...
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Critically-Acclaimed Violinist Jenny Scheinman Northeast Summer Tour 2007
Source:
All About Jazz
With Nels Cline, Jim Black & Todd Sickafoose
Thursday, August 2nd, Celebrate Brooklyn" Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn, NY Saturday, August 4th, Colony Cafe, Woodstock, NY Sunday, August 5th, The Stone Church, New Market, NH Monday, August 6th, Joe's Pub, New York City Tuesday, August 7th, International House, Philadelphia, PA Wednesday, August 8th, Regatta Bar, Boston, MA Thursday, August 9th, Turning Point, Piermont, NY * Friday, August ...
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Jenny Scheinman Quartet - West Coast Tour (2/10 thru 2/25)
Source:
All About Jazz
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01.25.01 THE JENNY SCHEINMAN QUARTET Featuring: Jenny Scheinman - violin Dave Mac Nab - guitar Todd Sickafoose - bass Scott Amendola - drums Will soon be on tour in support of Jenny's new CD: (featuring all of the above-listed musicians) -- Live at Yoshi's" (Avant 045/Koch distribution) The confirmed dates are: 2/10 Berkeley/Oakland, CA (TUVA Space) [opening for the Ashley Adams Trio + Wadada Leo Smith] 2/12 Seattle, WA (OK Hotel Lounge) [co-billed with the Mark Taylor ...
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Photos
Music
Ornette Goes Home
From: All Species ParadeBy Jenny Scheinman
Hudson
From: Rivers In Our VeinsBy Jenny Scheinman
Ali Farka Touche
From: Mischief & MayhemBy Jenny Scheinman
Song of the Open Road
From: 12 SongsBy Jenny Scheinman