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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.

I graduated from UC Berkeley with honors in English Literature in 1995. I thought momentarily of trying for a scholarship to graduate school in literature and using it as a day job to support my substantial music habit, but opted instead for a headfirst dive into jazz. Fortunately, I've been always been able to support myself playing music. My most lucrative Bay Area gig was with the Hot Club of San Francisco, an acoustic quintet ala Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grappelli's Hot Club of France of the 1930s. We had a regular gig at Enrico's Restaurant which attracted old-time Northbeach bohemians like Alan Ginsburg but also brought us to the attention of the rich and marrying where we earned our real bread. Wine country weddings all summer; salmon and asparagus and sneaking home bottles of wine in my violin case.

My lowest-paying gigs were usually the most conceptually challenging. I worked a lot with John Schott and Ben Goldberg, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, and had the pleasure of playing extensively with violinist/singer Carla Kihlstedt in various new music ensembles as well as in the avant-rock band Charming Hostess, which lived a glamorous life in the radical nerd-punk subculture of the East Bay.

Between Rova and Grappelli lay the unfolding music in my head. I formed Giant Trio with Jim Peterson (alto sax), Scott Foster (guitar), Jon Evans (bass), and Dan Foltz (drums), and in 1996 we recorded a beautiful little self-titler. I formed my own bands, always with Scott Amendola on drums, Adam Levy or Dave MacNab on guitar, and Jon Evans, Lee Alexander or Todd Sickafoose on bass. I recorded The Django Project, a contemporary interpretation of Django Reinhardt's classical influenced compositions, and Live at Yoshi's, the first recording to exclusively feature my original music.

I moved to New York in 1999. Both of my parents are from New York, so it was a somewhat familiar landscape by the time the idea of moving to New York began to plague the Bay Area music scene. I moved into an old family friend's rentcontrolled apartment on Mulberry and Hester until I found my own place in Red Hook. For the first year I went out every night, often to several shows, practiced continually, and became an expert on living the life for under $800 a month. Slowly I began to get work: I played in the Big Apple Circus band for a season, taught at a tapdancing school out on Coney Island Boulevard, played Balkan music with Jim Black and Chris Speed, in duo with pianist Myra Melford, struggled along with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks, taught a few private lessons, and busqued in the subways.

Sometime during the years I spent in the Bay Area I struck up a relationship with producer Lee Townsend. He helped me tremendously with my own bandleading, and hired me for numerous recording projects, including Shweta Jhaveri, Paul Sprawl, Gabriella Morrone, and Vinicius Cantuaria. These experiences eventually led me to Bill Frisell who has so generously invited me into a number of his projects: a week at the Village Vanguard with Kenny Wollesen and Tony Scherr; a trio with Ron Miles in collaboration with cartoonist Bill Woodring; a night of all George Gershwin music with Petra Haden and Ron Miles; the quintet with Kenny, Tony, and Ron; two weeks in Europe with Kenny, Tony and Sidiki Camara; a tour of the UK with Djelimadi Tounkara; the 858 Project with my string idols Eyvind Kang and Hank Roberts; The Intercontinentals(nominated for a Grammy in 2003); Unspeakable with Hal Wilner (winner of the 2004 Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album), and finally a recording of my own which features Bill and is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2005.

This is just a sketch. For a more extensive resume and description of my original projects, look in the bands and discography part of this website. As for other highlights, I'd say that the Norah Jones band has been a mind blower (none of us could of imagined this kind of success), John Zorn has been a steady supporter, Scott Amendola has been a great friend and employer, Marc Ribot has been challenging, my beloved teacher Gerry Beal was a great help (bless his soul), all my students over the years have been sustaining in every imaginable way, and I've even had the luck of being graced by Aretha Franklin. Who woulda thought? Show less

Chico Hamilton, Jenny Scheinman, and Weather Report

by Jerome Wilson
April 10, 2024

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 ...

Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Bear Proof

Read "Bear Proof" reviewed by Vic Albani

by Vic Albani
February 19, 2024

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 ...

Album Review

Todd Sickafoose: Bear Proof

Read "Bear Proof" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
October 12, 2023

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 ...

Album Review

Pablo Ablanedo: Christreza

Read "Christreza" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 26, 2021

This LP clocks in at around 38-minutes and is a bit of a tease since it progresses rather quickly and may leave many listeners wanting more. Here, Argentine-reared pianist/composer/educator Pablo Ablanedo's compositional gifts often take on cinematic film scoring intonations and developments, executed with jazz luminaries who the artist met while attending the Berklee College of Music in 1999. Owing to his heritage, the leader infuses subtle Latin jazz foreground grooves into several movements, whereas the opener “La ...

Album Review

Jenny Scheinman: Here on Earth

Read "Here on Earth" reviewed by Daniele Vogrig

by Daniele Vogrig
July 31, 2017

A volte può capitare che l'ascolto di alcuni dischi possa suggerire all'orecchio, o meglio all'animo dell'ascoltatore, una sensazione di familiarità, di intimità, come se certe canzoni non fossero state in realtà prodotte all'interno di uno studio di registrazione ma suonate al caldo tepore di un piccolo soggiorno, mentre fuori cade la neve. A distanza di tre anni dall'ultimo The Littlest Prisoner, Jenny Scheinman torna con un nuovo album, interamente strumentale e stilisticamente inedito nell'ottica della carriera musicale della ...

Album Review

Jenny Scheinman: Here on Earth

Read "Here on Earth" reviewed by Doug Collette

by Doug Collette
May 2, 2017

Originally commissioned as music to accompany the film Kannapolis: A Moving Portrait, but actually dating back to sources of inspiration from the artist's childhood, the music on violinist/composer Jenny Scheinman's Here On Earth stands on its own terms as an unconventional work of string music. Fifteen tracks pass in quick succession from “A Kid Name Lily," all of which, in some proportion or another, echo the combination of melancholy and fortitude permeating the arrangement of that opener. Scheinman ...

Live Review

Jenny Scheinman: Little Bit Country

by Franz A. Matzner
March 12, 2015

A brief survey of violinist, vocalist, and composer Jenny Scheinman's recordings proves her a multi-genre experimenter, uniting a wide range of musical styles through partnerships with a diverse set of premier artists, including Jason Moran, Myra Melford, and Lou Reed. Scheinman's facility and humor was confirmed over the course of a Valentine's Day weekend performance at the Kennedy Center KC Jazz Club. Partnering with guitar guru Bill Frisell and drummer Brian Blade, Scheinman announced at the outset of ...

Recording

Jenny Scheinman’s "The Littlest Prisoner" Out May 6 On Sony Masterworks

Source: Sony Music Entertainment/Legacy
April 30, 2014

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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Interview

Violinist Jenny Scheinman Interviewed at All About Jazz...And More!

Source: All About Jazz
February 27, 2012

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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216

Performance / Tour

Review Jenny Scheinman's Mischief and Mayhem @ Village Vanguard

Source: AAJ Staff
July 20, 2010

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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Performance / Tour

Jazz Violin, Given License to Operate

Source: Michael Ricci
October 30, 2008

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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119

Recording

Jenny Scheinman: Unfurling One's Wings

Source: JamBase
September 25, 2008

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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153

Recording

Jenny Scheinman Tour/Albums

Source: All About Jazz
June 2, 2008

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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155

Performance / Tour

Critically-Acclaimed Violinist Jenny Scheinman Northeast Summer Tour 2007

Source: All About Jazz
June 24, 2007

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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248

Music Industry

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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