The silver-lined clouds that blur the edges between musical genres keep rolling in. Long may the weather pattern hold.
This album from American violinist Jenny Scheinman, for instance, is a blend of jazz, folk and cafe music that may best be described as "naive jazz". Scheinman has previously worked with Norah Jones and Madeleine Peyroux, and more extensively with guitarist Bill Frisell, who joins here in a set radiating childlike innocence despite the extreme sophistication of the playing. Contributing to this is the soft charm of Scheinman's melodies (and titles such as The Frog Threw His Head Back and Laughed), but just as important is the cornet-clarinet-guitar-accordion-bass-drums combination joining her dreamy, folksy violin.
Frisell's gift for making watercolour swirls on electric guitar perfectly suits her vision, and his fans should chase this rather magical CD, released late last year in the US and now available here.
