Though violinist Jenny Scheinman has made her biggest mark in cutting-edge jazz, she cut her teeth on folk and country while growing up in rural California and may be best-known for accompanying rootsy singers including Lucinda Williams and Norah Jones. 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.
Benefiting from an earthy, vibrant sound fashioned by producer and guitarist Tony Scherr in his home studio in Brooklyn, New York, Scheinman’s forceful but friendly singing on tunes such as Mississippi John Hurt’s “Miss Collins” and her own mystical rocker “Come On Down” have the quality of light escaping darkness. The settings vary from voice and slide guitar to wired electric band. The standout tracks include Williams’ “King Of Hearts”, which is shook up by Scherr’s shivering guitar solo, and an unlikely reading of the Platters classic “Twilight Time” that brings it smolderingly up to date.
The equally varied Crossing The Field, an instrumental album, doesn’t hold together quite as well. With each segue from lush, classically-tinged orchestral piece to twangy dips into Frisellian Americana featuring inventor Bill Frisell on guitar to swinging encounters with the great young jazz pianist Jason Moran, you’re reminded of how eclectic and ambitious the album’s aims are. At times, the violinist gets lost in the soufflé.
The collaborations with Moran, including a lovely reading of Duke Ellington’s “Awful Sad” (the only non-original on the album), suggest these two adventurous artists should record a complete album together. Crossing The Field comes alive most when they share the spotlight.
