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| From left: Jenny Scheinman, Todd Sickafoose, Jim Black and Nels Cline. Photo acquired from Scheinman's online press kit. Photo Credit: Michael Gross |
I’ve always had trouble getting into the music of violinist Jenny Scheinman because it doesn’t sound like anything else, and I know I’d have to work at it to enjoy it.
And yet that was the reason I got into jazz in the first place, at about age 10. I’ve become so lazy of late with my music collecting, just falling back on familiar sounds and selecting new stuff only if it resembles old favorites.
So, at last, I downloaded a Jenny Scheinman album, “Mischief and Mayhem,” (her newest) and gave it a serious listen.
Her quartet includes the singular guitarist Nels Cline. He and Scheinman are kindred spirits in that they take totally individualistic approaches to their instruments for striking impact, but they don’t stand out as virtuosos.
In Scheinman, there’s no clear representation of typical violin influences, such as Hot Club, bluegrass or classical; it’s a personal language of melody with a little abrasion. Cline has worked in punk, alt and free jazz, but none of those terms describe his playing.
Instead, they play moods or emotions, in a manner that’s narrative, not static. They often play layers of atmospherics, from spacey (“A Ride With Polly jean”) to spikey (“Blues for the Double Vee) — sometimes folded into engaging rhythms (“The Mite”) that I can hang onto through mysterious excursions.
“Sand Dipper” is a gorgeous melody played against percussion resembling jarring Asiatic bells.
“July Tenth in Three Four” presents slow motion tranquility with rumbling drums and droning guitar.
The other members of the quartet are Todd Sickafoose on bass and Jim Black on drums. They can really drive the band, when the music calls for drive. People who like rock instrumentation and pulse probably can enjoy this album, even though the players improvise in ways that will satisfy jazz listeners.
Here is a clip of “Blues for Double Vee.” I am assuming that this is an authorized post because the author is “JennyScheinman” and it links to Amazon to encourage people to buy the album:
And yet that was the reason I got into jazz in the first place, at about age 10. I’ve become so lazy of late with my music collecting, just falling back on familiar sounds and selecting new stuff only if it resembles old favorites.
So, at last, I downloaded a Jenny Scheinman album, “Mischief and Mayhem,” (her newest) and gave it a serious listen.
Her quartet includes the singular guitarist Nels Cline. He and Scheinman are kindred spirits in that they take totally individualistic approaches to their instruments for striking impact, but they don’t stand out as virtuosos.
In Scheinman, there’s no clear representation of typical violin influences, such as Hot Club, bluegrass or classical; it’s a personal language of melody with a little abrasion. Cline has worked in punk, alt and free jazz, but none of those terms describe his playing.
Instead, they play moods or emotions, in a manner that’s narrative, not static. They often play layers of atmospherics, from spacey (“A Ride With Polly jean”) to spikey (“Blues for the Double Vee) — sometimes folded into engaging rhythms (“The Mite”) that I can hang onto through mysterious excursions.
“Sand Dipper” is a gorgeous melody played against percussion resembling jarring Asiatic bells.
“July Tenth in Three Four” presents slow motion tranquility with rumbling drums and droning guitar.
The other members of the quartet are Todd Sickafoose on bass and Jim Black on drums. They can really drive the band, when the music calls for drive. People who like rock instrumentation and pulse probably can enjoy this album, even though the players improvise in ways that will satisfy jazz listeners.
Here is a clip of “Blues for Double Vee.” I am assuming that this is an authorized post because the author is “JennyScheinman” and it links to Amazon to encourage people to buy the album:
2 comments:
Very cool. If you haven't yet, check out Regina Carter's album "reverse thread," which is kind of jazz violin meets traditional African music (with occasional visits from Brazilian spirits).
Wow! The combination of Jazz with wine is fabulous.
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