swinging violin...

Everything about the swinging music we love to DJ

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Lawrence
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Re: Stuff Smith

#31 Post by Lawrence » Tue Mar 04, 2003 9:41 pm

Well, apparently Django, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Peterson, Earl Hines did like what Grapelli did, and therefore probably thought that he did "get it."
Lawrence wrote:...as well as perhaps the fact that violin is better-suited to classical music..
Fact? Says who? Opinion perhaps, and not one I'm disagreeing with, but fact?
Note the very conspicuous use of the qualifying term "perhaps." Perhaps the ubiquitousness of violins in classical music and the rather rare use of violins in jazz merely means that no jazz musician (even Grapelli) has opened the door for other jazz violinists as it has been opened for trumpets, trombones, pianos, and other cross-over instruments. Or, perhaps, it means something else.

Those musicians you cited rarely played with violinists, especially compared to trumpeters, trombonists, and pianists (who played other cross-over instruments). Perhaps the rare (albeit not completely absent) use of violins in their music says something, as well.
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Yakov
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#32 Post by Yakov » Fri Jan 30, 2004 11:33 am

Two words: Stuff Smith.

(Two more words: Proper pair.)

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falty411
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#33 Post by falty411 » Fri Jan 30, 2004 12:28 pm

Yeah im suprised only 2 people have mentioned Stuff Smith

hes incredible
-mikey faltesek

"Dancing is the union of the body with the rhythm and the sound of the music." Al Minns in 1984

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lowfi
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A few songs I like

#34 Post by lowfi » Fri Jan 30, 2004 3:40 pm

Two of my favorite songs contain some great jazz violin. The first is "Chile Bowl" by Ellington/Jazz Profile under the Blue Note label. There are several versions of this song and a few have a latin flavor. (130bpm)

The second song is "Honeysuckle Rose" performed by Jane Monheit, Wynton Marsalis, and Mark O'Connor on In Full Swing. Mark O'Conner is more of a blue grass artist but I believe he was a student of Grappelli. (180bpm)

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AlekseyKosygin
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#35 Post by AlekseyKosygin » Sat Jan 31, 2004 12:18 am

HERE COMES THE MAN WITH THE JIVE!

anything that came out of the onyx club in the thirties is great...

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Yakov
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#36 Post by Yakov » Sat Jan 31, 2004 2:00 pm

i tried playing "knock, knock, who's there" but the rhythm got eaten by the room and it totally crashed the floor.

so i played "i's a muggin'" instead and people thought it was "ass monkey!"

also listen for stuff smith on the excellent ella fitzgerald/duke ellington songbook.

anyone know a good "hot" stuff smith CD with better fidelity than the proper pair?

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#37 Post by AlekseyKosygin » Mon Feb 02, 2004 3:29 pm

Yakov wrote:i tried playing "knock, knock, who's there" but the rhythm got eaten by the room and it totally crashed the floor.

so i played "i's a muggin'" instead and people thought it was "ass monkey!"

also listen for stuff smith on the excellent ella fitzgerald/duke ellington songbook.

anyone know a good "hot" stuff smith CD with better fidelity than the proper pair?
oh ok, thanks for that tip, i was gonna buy the proper just because I thought the sound quality was gonna be better than Classics...but i guess it isn't...

currently my fave stuff smith song is "ain't no use"...

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RaleighRob
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Re: Stuff Smith

#38 Post by RaleighRob » Tue Feb 03, 2004 11:50 am

Lawrence wrote:...as well as perhaps the fact that violin is better-suited to classical music..
Lawrence wrote:I did overlook the "fiddle" players of the world, but Hee-Haw fiddlers frankly are not the most jazz-inclined, either.
You're overlooking a whole lot of very well-trained fiddle players, many of whom make their living in Austin and Nashville as studio musicians. They're the furthest thing from "Hee Haw". Sure, they're not playing what we call jazz, but the influences are very clear.

For example, check out Stuart Duncan when he comes through Austin with the Nashville Bluegrass Band or take a listen to his contributions on some of Bela Fleck's or Chick Corea's CDs. He's my favorite example of a fiddle player with amazing musicality and incredible improvisational skills who doesn't sound the least bit classical.

I took a workshop from him a few years back. Someone asked how they could learn to improvise. He suggested listening to early jazz as well as modern bluegrass. I asked the same thing of David Greeley, the fiddle player for Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (cajun group). He suggested a series of "jazz exercises" (for lack of a better term) that really helped.

That said, I don't think any of them play on any CD's we'd dance to. It's a shame. I'd love to hear what they could do with some jazz standards.

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Re: Stuff Smith

#39 Post by Nate Dogg » Tue Feb 03, 2004 12:11 pm

RaleighRob wrote:
Lawrence wrote:...as well as perhaps the fact that violin is better-suited to classical music..
Lawrence wrote:I did overlook the "fiddle" players of the world, but Hee-Haw fiddlers frankly are not the most jazz-inclined, either.
You're overlooking a whole lot of very well-trained fiddle players, many of whom make their living in Austin and Nashville as studio musicians. They're the furthest thing from "Hee Haw". Sure, they're not playing what e call jazz, but the influences are very clear.
Speaking of Hee Haw, Buck Owens is a revered guy in Austin. The Continental Club has a Buck Owens tribute night every August 12th. Almost a big as the Elvis Tribute they hold in January. The event has been going on for 12 years or so, tribute albums have been made. Generally gets a lot of buzz. One year, Buck Owens made a surprise appearance,

As for famous Austin fiddle players, one to take notice of his Johnny Gimble

http://www.johnnygimble.com/

"Johnny has been entertaining audiences around the world for over six decades. His infectious enthusiasm for performing has been his trademark all his career. One of the few giants in the fiddling world, he has performed with many of the biggest names in the recording industry, including Bob Wills, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, and has won several Country Music Association Instrumentalist of the Year Awards. Gimble has long been recognized as the leader of his field – his playing has been the most studied of any fiddler in the western swing style. Gimble's solos reflect a life-long pursuit of improvising, with endless variations that always seem the perfect embodiment of this genre. "

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Yakov
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#40 Post by Yakov » Tue Feb 03, 2004 1:13 pm

yeah, that stuff smith thing, it's probably the source material. maybe someday someone in France will do a unbelievable super mcAwesome version that's like $25 plus int'l shipping

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Soupbone
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#41 Post by Soupbone » Tue Feb 03, 2004 8:54 pm

Well, it's not necessarily jazz (though it's certainly jazz influenced), there is a lot of swinging violin (fiddle) in western swing.
Gary

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djstarr
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#42 Post by djstarr » Thu Feb 05, 2004 2:43 am

I'm really enjoying the new Pearl Django CD - Swing 48; I also have New Metropolitan Swing which I like, and have enjoyed dancing to them live here in Seattle. The group is composed of 3 guitarists, a double-bassist and a violinist: Pearl Django

I also have been enjoying the Joe Venuti that is on the Jack Teagarden Jazz Archive CD I just got.

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Lawrence
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Re: Stuff Smith

#43 Post by Lawrence » Thu Feb 05, 2004 1:51 pm

RaleighRob wrote:You're overlooking a whole lot of very well-trained fiddle players, many of whom make their living in Austin and Nashville as studio musicians. They're the furthest thing from "Hee Haw". Sure, they're not playing what we call jazz, but the influences are very clear.
* * * *
That said, I don't think any of them play on any CD's we'd dance to. It's a shame. I'd love to hear what they could do with some jazz standards.
Until I saw him last week, I had forgotten that Clarence Gatemouth Brown played swinging violin in addition to electric and acoustic guitar.
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kitkat
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#44 Post by kitkat » Sun Oct 31, 2004 1:22 pm

I looked at this website, nearly died over the concert selection, and started complaining to a friend here about the stupid Paris scene and how they rarely went out to dance at these venues, and how the venues were closed down or not featuring such famous bands between the time I discovered this page and the time I left town.

So of course, that gets me distracted from homework and searching for Claude Bolling tracks to see what he really does sound like...if there's anything worth buying to make up for what I missed.

I heard this track, Minor Swing (take 3), from his First Class album and nearly cried because I didn't get to listen to a band with a violinist like that.

Well, then I clicked on the album and realized it was an old recording with Stéphane Grappelli (actually, apparently Stéphane's first with a jazz big band). I guess I was a few summers too late, anyway. :roll:

I can't decide whether I'd buy the CD or not. I'd pretty much be buying it for just that track, as I wouldn't want to spin any of the others. But boy, would I love to hear the rest of that track.

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#45 Post by Jerry_Jelinek » Mon Nov 01, 2004 1:40 pm

Interesting thread. I'm glad Katie revived it.

Here are the violin players that I'm used to spinning in a swing or classic jazz format:

Grapelli of course, Stuff Smith, Svend Asmussen, Andy Stein, Lev Polyakin, Joe Venuti, Ray Nance.

One of the treasures from the out of print Duke Ellington Reprise Mosaic Box set was a session of Ray Nance, Svend Asmussen and Grapelli

Code: Select all

   (P) Stephane Grappelli, Ray Nance (vln), Svend Asmussen (vla), Duke
   Ellington (p), Ernie Shepard (b), Sam Woodyard (d).
   Barclay Studios, Paris, France, February 22, 1963
   
   3527      Take The A Train                            SD-1688
   3528      Tricky's Licks -1                                    -
   3529      Blues In C -1                                       -
   3523      Limbo Jazz -1                                      -
   3524      Pretty Little One -1, -2                          -
   3525      String Along With Strings -1, -3              -
   3526      The Feeling Of Jazz -1                          -
   3530      In A Sentimental Mood -4                      -
   3531      Don't Get Around Much Anymore -5         -
   3532      Day Dream -6                                       -
   3533      Cotton Tail                                           -
   
   -1 add Buster Cooper (tb), Russell Procope (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts)
   -2 Billy Strayhorn (p) replaces Ellington
   -3 add Billy Strayhorn (p)
   -4 omit Nance and Asmussen
   -5 omit Nance and Grappelli
   -6 omit Grappelli and Asmussen


Andy is a contemporary player very much in the mold of Grapelli and Venutti. Lev is a local player. He is associate concert-master with the Cleveland Orchestra, but loves jazz. He has 2 really fine jazz CDs and a brand new Christmas CD. The Christmas combines jazz and classical.

But for high quality contemporary playing, get some Andy Stein. Some absolutely great things by Andy for both listening and swing dancing.

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