Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jenny Scheinman: Here on Earth

7

Jenny Scheinman: Here on Earth

Jenny Scheinman: Here on Earth
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 herself sets the tone with her violin/fiddle, and there's a fine interweaving of her instruments with the guitars from Robbie Fulks and Robbie Gjersoe as well as Danny Barnes' banjo and tuba (along with his own guitar).

In addition, Bill Frisell's electric instrument not only adds a burnished glow to the numbers on which he appears, such as "Hive of Bees," but this idiosyncratic, eclectic musician elicits the blues at the heart of Scheinman originals like "Pent Up Polly." Given Frisell's participation, there's a nagging sense that at least a few more extended recordings here would both further and deepen the mood of material like "Up On Shenanigan."

In this context, however, it's a marvel that with each successive number, the musicians conjure up a mood with such alacrity, even when it's the subdued forlorn likes of the latter number. "Bark, George" is similarly wan, reaffirming the logic of the track sequencing for Here On Earth: there's a certain momentum here, even if it's not readily discernible at first and the flow becomes palpable by mid-point of the record.

In fact, in a further manifestation of the continuity, that atmosphere has all the fragility of the individual tracks. As the album hits its homestretch of its approximately forty-minute duration, the core ensemble picks up the pace with "Bug in The Honey" and the twinkling harmonics of "Annabelle And The Bird" represent the aural equivalent of loose ends being tied. Those tones become particularly resonant as that track leads directly into the somewhat more conventional bluegrass sounds of "Deck Saw, Porch Saw."

As evocative as are the photo images on the inside and outside covers of of Here On Earth, their black and white tones become something of an open canvas on which Jenny Scheinman and her accompanists paint even more vivid detailed imagery with their (largely) acoustic instruments. Their musicianship ultimately becomes a corollary to the assortment of miniature color photos adorning both sides of the insert enclosed within this CD package.

Track Listing

A Kid Named Lily; Rowan; Hive Of Bees; Pent Up Polly; Delinquent Bill; Up On Shenanigan; Bark, George!; Esme; The Road To Manila; Broken Pipeline; Don’t Knock Out The Old Dog’s Teeth; Bug In The Honey; Annabelle And The Bird; Deck Saw, Porch Saw; In The Honey.

Personnel

Jenny Scheinman: violin/fiddle; Danny Barnes: banjo, guitar, tuba; Bill Frisell; guitars; Robbie Fulks: guitar, banjo; Robbie Gjersoe: resonator guitar.

Album information

Title: Here on Earth | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Royal Potato Family

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Jenny Scheinman Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.