Violinist Jenny Scheinman was a full-fledged Left Coaster before transplanting herself to the fertile artistic ground of Brooklyn, so it was only natural that she return to her former home turf to record her first CD as a leader at Oakland's venerable Yoshi's nightspot. On this debut release she seems to have emerged fully formed as a bandleader and compelling soloist. But given Scheinman's extensive experience preceding the September 1999 recording date, playing with everyone from Rova Saxophone Quartet to Charming Hostess, her skillfulness shouldn't be surprising. And the other members of the quartet -- the unbeatable rhythm team of drummer Scott Amendola and bassist Todd Sickafoose together with guitarist Dave MacNab -- are uniquely attuned to her music and the evocative way she makes the violin sing. If one views "jazz" as a genre that by definition should offer opportunities for unbridled improvisation, then Live at Yoshi's might be considered somewhat "jazzier" than the subsequent Tzadik label releases on which Scheinman beautifully celebrates and pays homage to her Jewish heritage, drawing on the deep traditions of Eastern European and Mediterranean folk musics. Yet the violinist also refuses to be pigeonholed by typical jazz vocabularies, resulting in a far-reaching recording that broadly fits within jazz but also crosses boundaries into country, folk, rock, blues, and even classical music. And with a smaller band than the quintets featured on her Tzadik CDs -- not to mention the live setting -- the musicians can and do stretch out, playing both exuberantly and tastefully. The band brings the dynamic level down to a near whisper at times, and then Scheinman leads the ensemble into high-energy territory with a masterful conception of pacing, steadfastly holding back from revealing the full range of her talents before ultimately cutting loose.

1		Junius Elektra
2		Sensitive New Age Caveman
3		25 at 2525
4		Weighing Water
5		Stumble Light
6		Parenthesis
7		Through the Dark

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