Jenanella - melodies and words intertwined
Charles Paxton October 7th, 2007
Jenanella - melodies and words intertwined
Jenanella playing beautiful harmonies @ Avenue 67If you ever get the chance to see Jenanella perform live, then do so, for they are one of Cumbria’s finest acts. The pretty female duo specializes in acoustic guitar and beautiful harmonies that will set your soul soaring. Theirs is a beautiful and very healthy, heady sort of music. It defies any categorization that might, by attempting to encompass it, instead diminish it. It is however, safe to describe it as the kind of music I’d hope to hear in heaven; very choral, crafted to capitalize upon the familiarity and strengths of the performers and perfectly executed, it will certainly find favor with a broad section of the wider public.We interviewed them for The Juice at Appleby’s Avenue 67 recording studio prior to their participation as feature artists in an excellent open mic evening. They explained that the band’s name is a contracted conjunction of their first names Jenny and Ella, they’ve been playing together as Jenanella for three and a half years. They aren’t particularly sure about taking their project much further, as they only get to play together about once a year now. It’s getting more difficult to get together now that they’re heading off on their own separate ways - as further education pulls them apart. Ella is going on to train at London’s Guildhall and Jenny is now studying at Leeds University.
Jenanella wake up Appleby with ‘Wake-up Call’
Both girls have some musical deep back-ground. Jenny’s originally from Manchester but has lived in Skirwith near Penrith for just over 9 years. She started learning the piano at the age of six and started the clarinet when she was nine. She also taught herself to play the guitar from the age of 14. She challenged herself to play news things, listening to music around her and picking out chord progressions from what she heard and combining them with guitar tips she’d picked up by watching her brother play.
Jenny sings like an Angel and plays guitar
Ella sings like an Angel and composes beautiful music
Ella was born in London and moved to Penrith when she was 9. She has been nurtured amongst musicians since she was a baby. Her step-father is a musician and her mother is one of Cumbria’s best known musician/ composers and a noted mentor having formed the Blue Jam community music project in Penrith. Ella says, “Music’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember”. She is an accomplished composer, she has played violin since she was nine and is a self-taught pianist and guitarist who took singing lessons and is going on to London’s Guildhall. The girls met up when they were 15 and got on very well together. They both wrote their songs; their first composition was ‘Wonderful feeling’ and some of their songs were written in just the last few weeks. The songs are written to make the most of the interaction of their voices, Jenny explains “it’s all about creating intricate harmonies and composing songs with words that really mean something.”Traditionally Jenanella’s acts are all about variety, “We’re always bringing in new stuff, new styles” Ella explains. About a third of their set is brand new and another third very early stuff. It’s all about the interplay of sound in acoustic songs. If there is ever any difference of opinion about a composition, they just leave it for a while, step back and come back to it later. It seems a very civilized and democratic approach.When asked about the creative process itself, they enthuse about how song themes have tended to evolve from ideas and feelings, not just personal experiences. “Broken inside”, a sad and beautiful song about reaction to loss is one of their early ones and inspired by archetypical feelings rather than first-hand experience, yet it rings very true. This song is so exemplary of the Jenanella project that they often play that song first, to start their gig as they mean to go on.
I need to change
The girls stress how much emotion they put into their music - Jenny tends to write the lyrics, drawing upon her feelings, Ella composes the music adding a very rootsy folk element. They sometimes write at home or hang out by one of the lakes. It’s a very cooperative process and their music really draws a lot of strength from the combination of their musical strengths and the harmonies of their voices. They sometimes find that the music’s driving the song, and the music is too good for the words. “Words can alter the melody.” Jenny explains. Ella confesses that now and then she sometimes has had difficulties remembering some of the lyrics, she tries not to listen to the lyrics, but what the music tells her. Such is their familiarity with each other and confidence in each other that when Jenny has occasionally stepped in ad lib to save the day, no one in the audience has been any the wiser.As an example of how the girls come across their lyrics, Jenny tells us about the meaning behind “Broken Inside”. “It’s about someone who’s been hurt, not in romantic love necessarily, its very sad, but there’s a lot of anger too, mostly vulnerability. They can’t understand why this person’s done what they’ve done.” Ella adds “It takes an emotion and blows it up”, out of proportion. The creation of another one of their songs “Separate Verses” was very interesting and experimental. They went their separate ways and each composed two verses and melodies on the same theme apart, and then they came back together and put together a song that really conveys the emotional turmoil and internal confusion.Jenanella play ‘Broken Inside’ at Avenue 67Are they interested in projecting a particular image? They say not really, but the music conveys the image that they are doing what they want. Ella explains “it’s not rebellious, nor is it indie, but it is independent. It’s strong and independent, serious and fun. It’s easy to get along with.” Jenny elaborates “It’s not childish, but it is fun. It’s complicated. I mean the guitar work isn’t particularly complex, but the lyrics are. Variety is a strong element.” How would they describe their live performance? Ella describes their act as “quiet, impromptu, not over-rehearsed.” Jenny adds “In the past it has been described as ‘innocent’ in the sense that It’s unpretentious,” it is true that there isn’t a lot of artist/audience interaction. “It’s about playing the music.”Yes, and as Ella explains the music is “about making two become one.” The two singers in harmony, “… the music and the lyrics, the melodies and the words go together. The melodies and words intertwine”. That’s Jenanella!