(Thunder Bay)
Every day I look forward to that Skype call when I can see my little man’s face. When I can say “boo!” and he’ll laugh, when we can play pattycake. His dad sends me videos every day. This one is especially gorgeous. I’ve watched it 30 times.

(Monday April 4, Winnipeg)
I now am in that dangerous 10-day-in zone of knowing the music enough to be pleasantly distracted by the less pertinent aspects of the show. The lighting for example – I was utterly blind to it for the first 5 nights while I was desperately recalling riffs and harmonies. I wasn’t even sure whether our travelling lighting person (Tyler, 20, the brunt of our jokes and trigger of our age-ist envy – he grew up playing video games with Justin Bieber for fuck’s sake!) was doing lights for my show until Calgary, when I spotted an incandescent purple stem sally up the back of the concert hall and bloom into a 40 foot flower all over the ceiling. At that moment I was in the middle of the 19th verse of my endless dream song and I had to shut my eyes for dear life so as to not completely lose the thread.

But what I wanted to talk about was Gary Craig, not an unpertinent aspect of the show at all, but the epicenter of that mysterious thing called FEEL. He da drummer. Last night, as my mind relaxed during “Mango” I noticed something I hadn’t noticed before. I was dancing. It was uncontrollable. I’d stop and then notice three songs later that I was some sort of spirally thing was happening in my hips and wow I was actually doing that thing that Bruce does with his feet where he rocks back and forth toe-to-heel toe-to-heel, as if his rhythms were making me do it. But who was to blame? Bruce for sure – record sales prove it. But Gary too! He brings out the pussy in those guitar patterns.

(Victoria, BC March 26,2011)
So I think this is the perfect opportuninty to try to BLOG. I’m travelling accross Canada with Bruce Cockburn, already been in Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria, heading to Nanaimo tomorrow. Gary Craig, the drummer, is taking some pics so hopefully I’ll post a few of those in the next few days.

We are travelling in a beautiful tour bus – 12 bunks, 8 riders (bruce, me, Gary, Russ the monitor man, Jon the sound/tour manager, Trevor the tech/stage manager, Tyler lights, and recently Bernie Finkelstien who is Bruce’s manager of 40 odd years.) Generally we travel by cover of night and wake up in the new city outside either the venue or the hotel, but to be honest, I’ve been so excited I haven’t been able to sleep and have seen the sun rise three days in a row.

The halls where we’ve played have all been sold out and it has been my great honor to open the night with a half hour or so of my own songs. I’ve never played solo before this unless you count the “strolling” gig in an Italian restaurant when I was 18 or the busking I did on the NY subway. I was warned that Canadians can be polite, and that Canadians might not hoot and holler, but quite the contrary! They’ve been more than putting up with me, they’ve been buying shit! Selling loads of CDs and if thats the objective….measure of one’s merit, then I’m doing OK out here by my lonesome.

Tuesday June 16 at Barbes 7-9PM 376 9th St (corner of 6th Ave) Park Slope 718 965 9177 www.barbesbrooklyn.com
Jenny Scheinman (violin) &Ã¥ Ches Smith (drums)
Playing with Ches is like playing with Paul Motian. Totally liberating and focusing at the same time. He’s super dynamic, extraordinary, open, and listens without playing along. He’s been a favorite of Marc Ribot’s (Ceramic Dog), plays in Mary Halvorson’s trio and is on her fantastic recent recording Dragon’s Jaw, is in a handful of rock bands (Siu Siu, The Secret Chiefs, Good For Cows), is a great classical percussionist and vibrophonist, and has his own solo show. This one won’t be scripted. We’re just going to see what happens. www.chessmith.com

Tuesdays July 14, 21 & 28 at Barbes 7-9PM 376 9th St (corner of 6th Ave) Park Slope 718 965 9177 www.barbesbrooklyn.com
Jenny Scheinman (violin/vocals), Robbie Fulks (guitar/vocals)
Robbie has been my number one playdate for the last few months. He’s a country, bluegrass musician, singer, ridiculously prolific songwriter (he took last year off and wrote and released 50 new songs which you can get on his downloadable 50Vc Doberman), and an extraordinary guitar player. Bill Frisell came to our last show at Barbes and couldn’t stop talking about him. He’s got this fluidity, this ability to drive the tempo without hurrying anything, is always up for adventure. He also happens to be hilarious and when he’s not not totally embarassing me, or even if he is, you’re sure to laugh and his off the cuff, irreverent, brainy tangents. www.robbiefulks.com

Tuesday August 4 at Le Poisson Rouge 7pm, one set 158 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012 212 505-3473, www.lepoissonrouge.com
Jenny Scheinman (violin), Nels Cline (guitar), Matt Penman (bass), Jim Black (drums)
I call this band Mischief And Mayhem. We had a stellar but star crossed beginning two years ago August that sent Nels to the hospital 6 days into the tour. In fact it was so good that he had to be quarantined and we continued on with Dave Tronzo. If you’ve been aware of my music over the last decade you probably know that I was in cahoots with Nels Cline before I even moved to New York, mostly in the context of The Scott Amendola Band, and have had various collaborations with him in the years since, most recently our bizarre coup at The Blue Note. If you don’t know anything about Nels you may recognize him as the “new” guitarist in Wilco. He’s radiant, ecstatic, brilliant and is driven to extremes by Jim. Though they hadn’t played together til M&M, I had always thought of them as musical twins. Matt Penman will be the new kid (Todd Sickafoose played last time). He was with Brad Meldau in the early and ecstatic years, has just been touring constantly with John Scofield/Joe Lovano/Matt Wilson band, is super nimble, solid, stays til the last drop has been drunk, and has big hedonistic paws that get the bass out of the bass.

NEWS, SIDEPERSONING, AND UPCOMING:
7/17 Robbie Fulks Chicago IL Martyrs
7/18 Robbie Fulks Valparaiso IN opera house
12/3-20 Jenny Scheinman Tour, west coast including UC San Diego, UC Davis, Humboldt State University, Fallon, NJ, and Berkeley. Featuring three duos, alternately, with Myra Melford, Robbie Gjersoe, and Bruce Cockburn.

- If you’ve inquired about lessons and found it hard to schedule, lets talk! Late summer/fall will be good for that.

Hello all – here’s whats coming..

Tuesday May 12 and 26 at Barbes 7-9PM 76 9th St (corner of 6th Ave) Park Slope 718 965 9177 www.barbesbrooklyn.com
Jenny Scheinman (violin/vocals), Robbie Fulks (guitar/vocals)
I just returned from playing in the midwest with Robbie Fulks in celebration of his outrageous 50 song release entitled “50 VC Doberman” which you can download from his web site. He’s an impulsive spontaneous hilarious talker and player, can get anyone to laugh, plays his ass off, and is one of the great deep and funny country songwriters. (You may remember Fxxck This Town???) Since he moved his family to Brooklyn for the spring he’s been my #1 playdate and is coaxing my lazy fingers up into the medium tempos, hoping for some blazing bluegrass breaks to emerge sometime late July before he returns to his native Chicago. I have new songs, short hair, and a new girth.

NEWS, SIDEPERSONING, AND UPCOMING:
Bill Frisell 858 Quartet tour:
5/18
5/19 Annapolis: Ram’s Head
5/20 North Hampton: Iron Horse
5/21 & 22 Boston: Regatta Bar
5/23 Piermont: Turning Point
5/24 Jacksonville, Florida
This is a string quartet (substitute Bill’s guitar for the fourth member) featuring Eyvind Kang (viola) and Hank Roberts (cello). This is one of the few projects of Bill’s that has turned into a BAND that he hopes will last forever. Its one of his best. Its a new kind of music.

Other future dates include:
5/29 Ben Allison New Haven
6/7 Todd Sickafoose 55 Bar NYC
7/17 Robbie Fulks Chicago IL Martyrs
7/18 Robbie Fulks Valparaiso IN opera house
12/3-20 Jenny Scheinman Tour, west coast including UC Davis, HSU, Fallon, NJ, and Berkeley.

- I’ll be spending most of July through November at home in Brooklyn. If I pull it off it’ll be the first time in over a decade that I’ve stayed in one place for more than 6 weeks. So if you’ve inquired about lessons and found it hard to schedule, late summer/fall will be good for that. And if you’ve always wanted to be a record producer or are just antsy to hear the next JS album you’re invited to be my benefactor! I’m half way there and by November I should have Chapters 7 and 8 written, if not recorded.

- What else? Happy Mother’s Day!

Hi all – My shows this month are now confirmed.. I start an run at the Blue Note in NYC tomorrow with an instrumental string trio featuring Nels Cline and Steve Cardenas, then pack my bags for a few little tours with The Portable Jenny (singing duo w Robbie Gjersoe) opening for The Flatlanders. See below for info on other sideimpersonations and news. Hope to see you!

Tuesday April 7 through Sunday April 12 at Blue Note, 8 and 10:30 131 W. 3rd St, New York, NY 10012, 212-475-8592 www.bluenote.net
Jenny Scheinman (violin), Nels Cline & Steve Cardenas (guitars)
I must say this is a somewhat mischievous ensemble to debut at The Blue Note since Nels “The Enabler” Cline is drawn to extremes. But honestly I couldn’t think of anything more perfect. I’ve played with Steve Cardenas since the day I moved to NY in 1999, he is one of the great living jazz guitar players, a master of development and groove, plays with Paul Motian, Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, is a scholar of Thelonious Monk, knows my original instrumental music backwards and forwards and can play it that way. Nels Cline is a dear friend and long time collaborate with a slew of brilliant solo recordings (most recently “Coward”) which cover his incredible range of interests and talent: churning drones, claustrophobic swarms, deep elegiac blues, ecstatic bursts, Andrew Hill. He joined Wilco a few years back and now spends much of his time trotting around Mt Olympus with a gaggle of other rock stars. This will be our sophomore performance in this configuration; the first time was a year or so ago at my regular haunt Barbes, in Brooklyn, where we nearly blew the roof off – not with volume but with sheer ecstatic mayhem. Come persuade us that jazz is alive! FYI it is a double bill with Omar Sosa – look him up, I’m a fan – we have the first halves of each 2 hour set.

Singing Tour opening for The Flatlanders: The Flatlanders is a legendary band which combines the songwriting talents of three lifelong friends from west Texas; Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, and Butch Hancock. I will playing an opening set of my songs with Robbie Gjersoe.
Jenny Scheinman (vocals, fiddle) & Robbie Gjersoe (guitar)
April 15 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Whittaker Center
April 16 Alexandria, Virginia Birchmere
April 17 Alexandria, Virginia Birchmere
April 18 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania World Café
April 21 Newport Kentucky, Varsity Theater
April 22 Ann Arbor, Michigan The Ark
April 25 Chicago, Illinois Old Town School

NEWS AND SIDEPERSONING

- I’ll be performing a bit this summer with Robbie Fulks, starting with a show at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago May 2, then again in Indiana in July. check www.robbiefulks.com for more info. And speaking of Robbie Fulks, he and I just finished a version of “If You’ve Got The Money Honey, I’ve Got The Time” for a new documentary on the US Health Care System entitled “Money Making Medicine” by the team that made “Enron: The Smartest Men In The Room”. darkly apropos..
- Recently Ang Lee hired me and Bruce Cockburn to do some demo cues for his upcoming film “Taking Woodstock”, a comedy set in 1969 at a resort in upstate New York. Our cues were great! funny, moving, strange, even slightly Jewish! So when you see the movie late this summer and hear Danny Elfman’s brilliant orchestra swooping around the green slopes of the Catskills just try to imagine how much more memorable it would be to hear me sawing away on my squeakbox trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking my neck..

- Check Bill Frisell’s web site (www.billfrisell.com) for info on an 858 Tour in May. I think its in the northeast, then one date in Florida.

- I just put some violin down on Roseanne Cash’s new album. Gorgeous tracks! Look for it!

hello dear people – You’ve signed onto my mailing list from somewhere out there probably in the United States.. Welcome! if you’d like to tell me where you’re from and be on a regional list rsvp, otherwise I’ll let you know every once in a while if I have any upcoming concerts, album releases, special ideas or events.. This is what’s upcoming..

Wednesday April 1 at Largo at The Coronet (The Small Room) 9pm 366 N. La Cienaga Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90048 310 855 0350 www.largo-la.com
Jenny Scheinman (violin, maybe sing a few?), Nels Cline & Moe Hawk (guitars)
Nels is dear friend and long time collaborater with a slew of brilliant solo recordings (most recently “Coward”) covering his incredible range of interests and talent: churning drones, claustrophobic swarms, deep elegiac blues, ecstatic bursts, Andrew Hill.. He joined Wilco a few years back and now spends much of his time trotting around Mt Olympus with a gaggle of other rock stars. Moe Hawk remains a mystery, but suffice it to say that he spends a bit of time up there too…

Tuesday April 7 through Sunday April 12 at Blue Note, 8 and 10:30 131 W. 3rd St, New York, NY 10012, 212-475-8592 www.bluenote.net
Jenny Scheinman (violin), Nels Cline & Steve Cardenas (guitars)
I must say this is a somewhat mischievous ensemble to debut at The Blue Note since Nels “The Enabler” Cline is drawn to extremes. But honestly I couldn’t think of anything more perfect. Steve knows my original instrumental music backwards and forwards and can play it that way, has brought in a few lesser known Thelonious Monk tunes, and we’ve culled our collective Paul Motian library for a few choice favorites. This will be our second time in this configuration, the first time was a year or so ago at my regular haunt Barbes, in Brooklyn, where we nearly blew the roof off – not with volume but with sheer ecstatic mayhem. Nels is dear friend and long time collaborater whose recent all guitar recording “Coward” (his fifteenth?) is one of my favorites. Did I mention churning drones, claustrophobic swarms, deep elegiac blues, ecstatic bursts, Andrew Hill? He joined Wilco a few years back and now spends much of his time trotting around Mt Olympus with a gaggle of other rock stars. Come persuade America that jazz is alive! Also fyi it is a double bill with Omar Sosa – look him up, I’m a fan – we have the first halves of each 2 hour set.

NEWS AND SIDEPERSONING
- In early April I’ll be out in California with Bill Frisell doing a few concerts with his Disfarmer Trio. www.billfrisell.com

- I will be touring (Singing!) as the support act for The Flatlanders with the inimitable Robbie Gjersoe playing guitar and singing harmony. The tour looks a lot like this:
April 15 Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Whittaker Center
April 16 Alexandria, Virginia Birchmere
April 17 Alexandria, Virginia Birchmere
April 18 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania World Café
April 21 Newport Kentucky, Varsity Theater
April 22 Ann Arbor, Michigan The Ark
April 25 Chicago, Illinois Old Town School

- Robbie Fulks has invited me to join him on a few dates this summer, starting with a show at The Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago May 2, then again in Indiana in July. www.robbiefulks.com

- Speaking of Robbie Fulks, he and I just finished a version of “If You’ve Got The Money Honey, I’ve Got The Time” for a new documentary on the US Health Care System entitled “Money Making Medicine” by the team that made “Enron: The Smartest Men In The Room”. darkly apropos..

- Last month Ang Lee hired me and Bruce Cockburn to do some demo cues for his upcoming film “Taking Woodstock”, a comedy set in 1969 at a resort in upstate New York. Our cues were great I swear! funny, moving, strange, even slightly Jewish! So when you see the movie late summer and hear Danny Elfman’s brilliant orchestra swooping around the green slopes of the Catskills just try to imagine how much more memorable it would be to hear me sawing away on my squeakbox trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking my neck..

-I’ll be home in Brooklyn much of the summer working on my next singing record (all originals) and preparing for Labor Day.