Violinspiration

Description

Reissue of a 1975 album by the great jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli alongside a trio led by British guitarist Diz Dislay. "Stéphane Grappelli is a colleague whom I venerate and whom I would like to be able to imitate. His playing is filled with technical perfection and spontaneous expressions of emotion that any violinist would envy." Thus enthused one of the greatest violin virtuosos of the 20th century, Yehudi Menuhin, about the man who was probably the most important jazz violinist in Europe: Stéphane Grappelli. The great jazzman Grappelli and the classical maestro Menuhin recorded together twice as a duo, but it was his work with the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhart that catapulted Grappelli (1908-1997) onto the world stage. In 1934, Reinhart and Grappelli formed the Quintette du Hot Club de France in Paris. It was a combo with three guitars, a bass and Grappelli on violin. With its gypsy swing, the group was the first purely European band to contribute to the evolution of jazz. Grappelli last toured with Reinhardt in 1949. The violinist continued to play with greats such as Oscar erson and Gary Burton. However, it was not until two decades later that British guitarist Diz Dislay managed to convince the great lord of the violin to join a group playing in the style of the Quintette du Hot Club. In 1975 Grappelli recorded 'Violinspiration' with this group. It is a compelling swing LP. On Souvenir de Villingen, Grappelli, an accomplished pianist, accompanies himself on electric piano. Grappelli praised MPS founder Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer as "one of the few people in the record industry for whom music is more important than business".