Jenny Scheinman first gained national attention in 2003 as a jazz performer, when she was voted the #1 Rising Star violinist for three years running in DownBeat Magazines Critics polls. Today, shes collaborated with artists ranging from Lou Reed to Norah Jones and has released eight CDs of her own. Scheinman recently released her second CD of mainly vocal compositions, The Little Prisoner.

　　The songs on The Littlest Prisoner, Scheinmans eighth record - but only the second to feature her singing - are ones she toured with before taking them into the studio. While she was impatient to make another record, she says, for her, its important to first try out the songs before an audience. And while its thrilling to play them in public for the first time, its also very challenging because her songs are often so personal.

　　Things are half done until you play them for people, she said. I get songs to the point where I think theyre probably okay, theyre probably good, but until I get a response and feel the character with a group of people in a performance, I dont really know it.

　　The songs on The Littlest Prisoner started as personal stories, but as they evolved, Scheinman says the characters took on lives of their own and stopped being about her. For example, she wrote the title track while she was pregnant and suffering from a very high fever. Unable to take any medication, she sat in an icy bath, hoping the cold water would bring her fever down. The Littlest Prisoner was originally the baby trapped inside her feverish body. By the time the song made it into the studio, it was a totally different story.

　　Shes a pregnant inmate and shes speaking to her unborn child, Scheinman said. Shes a toughie, shes kind of raging at the world for the injustice of not being able to raise her child who will be taken away from the prison. But shes also funny. Shes also telling her child about her life, shes giving her child advice, shes saying I hope my girls got good feet and not too much charm. Which is sort of a way of saying dont get into the trouble that I got into, which comes out in the later verses.

　　The Littlest Prisoner also includes three instrumentals featuring her frequent collaborators from the jazz world: guitarist Bill Frissell and drummer Brian Blade. They were tricky to fit into the album, Scheinman says, without diluting its focus. She felt the tracks needed to be there, however, and describes them as her chance to play.

　　When Im singing, I have a hard time inserting myself into the song as well as a player, Scheinman said. Because I feel like Ive just been the sort of central lyrical focus. And to transfer then right into playing, I get tired of myself. But given a song that is just instrumental, its just such a delight to sail through those little melodies.

　　Scheinman has two tours scheduled for this summer, one with Bill Frissell, the other supporting Bruce Cockburn.

　　Jenny Scheinman first gained national attention in 2003 as a jazz performer, when she was voted the #1 Rising Star violinist for three years running in DownBeat Magazines Critics polls. Today, shes collaborated with artists ranging from Lou Reed to Norah Jones and has released eight CDs of her own. Scheinman recently released her second CD of mainly vocal compositions, The Little Prisoner.

　　The songs on The Littlest Prisoner, Scheinmans eighth record - but only the second to feature her singing - are ones she toured with before taking them into the studio. While she was impatient to make another record, she says, for her, its important to first try out the songs before an audience. And while its thrilling to play them in public for the first time, its also very challenging because her songs are often so personal.

　　Things are half done until you play them for people, she said. I get songs to the point where I think theyre probably okay, theyre probably good, but until I get a response and feel the character with a group of people in a performance, I dont really know it.

　　The songs on The Littlest Prisoner started as personal stories, but as they evolved, Scheinman says the characters took on lives of their own and stopped being about her. For example, she wrote the title track while she was pregnant and suffering from a very high fever. Unable to take any medication, she sat in an icy bath, hoping the cold water would bring her fever down. The Littlest Prisoner was originally the baby trapped inside her feverish body. By the time the song made it into the studio, it was a totally different story.

　　Shes a pregnant inmate and shes speaking to her unborn child, Scheinman said. Shes a toughie, shes kind of raging at the world for the injustice of not being able to raise her child who will be taken away from the prison. But shes also funny. Shes also telling her child about her life, shes giving her child advice, shes saying I hope my girls got good feet and not too much charm. Which is sort of a way of saying dont get into the trouble that I got into, which comes out in the later verses.

　　The Littlest Prisoner also includes three instrumentals featuring her frequent collaborators from the jazz world: guitarist Bill Frissell and drummer Brian Blade. They were tricky to fit into the album, Scheinman says, without diluting its focus. She felt the tracks needed to be there, however, and describes them as her chance to play.

　　When Im singing, I have a hard time inserting myself into the song as well as a player, Scheinman said. Because I feel like Ive just been the sort of central lyrical focus. And to transfer then right into playing, I get tired of myself. But given a song that is just instrumental, its just such a delight to sail through those little melodies.

　　Scheinman has two tours scheduled for this summer, one with Bill Frissell, the other supporting Bruce Cockburn.