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BackgroundJenny M.Thomas clearly remembers opening the case of her first instrument; it was on the lawn in the backyard of her family home in Melbourne, Australia and the instrument was a violin strung up with viola strings. The case had no handle, so her mother made one from macramé and this she carried until her classical tuition began in earnest three years later at the Victorian College Of The Arts.Her first step away from classical viola was to Irish fiddle and the formation of world fusion band "AKIN". The name of this band reflected Jenny's interest in the connectability of music and how differing styles can be related. Studies in South Indian Carnatic violin plus a love of Turkish music saw her delve deeper into the sensuous music of the East, yet she was always open to the musical pathways that would lead her back to the music of her Irish/Welsh ancestry. Touring as a member of the Circus Oz troupe, performing the solo hardanger fiddle part from the Lord Of The Rings Symphony with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and touring Europe with chamber pop band Naked Raven have been some career highlights. "Into The Ether", her debut album released in 2002, established Thomas as a fascinating violinist who explores the nuances of Irish, Scandinavian and Eastern music with ethereal beauty. In her most recent solo concerts across Europe and Australia she has surprised audiences by singing and playing the violin at the same time! Perhaps even more startling was her choice of material: traditional Australian songs. The rich musical heritage of Australian folk music has proven a fascinating source of inspiration and renewal for Jenny. A home studio in Melbourne's northern suburbs was the location chosen to record a collection of traditional Australian folk songs in December 2005. Collaborating with Christopher Hale (banjo-mandolin) and Anthony Schulz (accordion), the neighbourhood sounds of birdcalls, laughing and lawn mowers wasn't captured on the recording, but the laid back, improvisational style was. Described by a critic as "state of the art on a shoestring", these songs have now been released on the CD "Farewell To Old England Forever". ‘There are in the music of the violin-if one does not see the instrument itself, and so cannot relate what one hears to form, which modifies the tone-accents so closely akin to those of certain contralto voices that one has the illusion that a singer has taken her place amid the orchestra. One raises one's eyes, and sees only the wooden case, delicate as a Chinese box, but, at moments, one is tricked by the siren's deceiving call; at times, too, one thinks one is listening to a captive genie, struggling in the darkness of the sapient, quivering and enchanted box, like a devil immersed in a stoup of holy water; sometimes, again, it is in the air, at large, like a pure and supernatural being that unfolds its invisible message as it goes by.’ ~Marcel Proust from "In Search of Lost Time" |
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