Stéphane Grappelli
One of the all-time great jazz violinists (ranking with Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith as one of the big three of pre-bop), Stéphane Grappelli's longevity and consistently enthusiastic playing did a great deal to establish the violin as a jazz instrument. He was originally self-taught as both a violinist and a pianist, although during 1924-28 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire. Grappelli played in movie theaters and dance bands before meeting guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1933. They hit it off musically from the start even though their lifestyles (Grappelli was sophisticated while Django was a gypsy) were very different. Together as Quintet of the Hot Club of France (comprised of violin, three acoustic guitars and bass) during 1933-39 they produced a sensational series of recordings and performances. During a London engagement in 1939, World War II broke out. Reinhardt rashly decided to return to France but Grappelli stayed in England, effectively ending the group. The violinist soon teamed up with the young pianist George Shearing in a new band that worked steadily through the war. In 1946, Grappelli and Reinhardt had the first of several reunions although they never worked together again on a regular basis (despite many new recordings). Grappelli performed throughout the 1950s and '60s in clubs throughout Europe and, other than recordings with Duke Ellington (Violin Summit) and Joe Venuti, he remained somewhat obscure in the U.S. until he began regularly touring the world in the early '70s. Since then Grappelli has been a constant traveler and a consistent poll-winner, remaining very open-minded without altering his swing style; he has recorded with David Grisman, Earl Hines, Bill Coleman, Larry Coryell, Oscar Peterson, Jean Luc Ponty and McCoy Tyner among many others. Active up until near the end, the increasingly frail Grappelli remained at the top of his field even when he was 89. His early recordings are all available on Classics CDs and he recorded quite extensively during his final three decades.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Daphne
Eddie South, Stéphane Grappelli
French Music - Released by Rooster Records on 18 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vous qui passez sans me voir
Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt
French Music - Released by Rooster Records on 20 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Tramper
Jazz - Released by Music City Entertainment on 1 Jun 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stéphane Grappelli in Concert
Jazz - Released by Orange Leisure on 20 Feb 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Stuff Smith & Stephane Grappelli
Stuff Smith, Stéphane Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Archive of Folk & Jazz Music on 24 Aug 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
European Jazz, Vol. 5: France II
Bernard Pfeiffer, Michel Legrand, Stéphane Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Supreme Media on 1 Feb 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Souvenirs
Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Firefly Entertainment on 1 Jan 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Alabamy Bound
French Music - Released by Rooster Records on 18 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live From The Archive - Featuring Stéphane Grappelli (Live)
Jazz - Released by Music Manager on 25 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
You're the Cream in My Coffee
Pop - Released by Musicnology on 1 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The French Connection: Stéphane Grappelli, Vol. 6
Jazz - Released by MN Records on 2 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Stéphane Grappelli, Vol. 1 (Digitally Remastered)
Gypsy - Released by Old Europe on 18 Apr 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The French Connection: Stéphane Grappelli, Vol. 1
Jazz - Released by MN Records on 2 Dec 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best Of Stéphane Grappelli In London
Jazz - Released by Saar srl on 21 May 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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You'd Better Go Now
Jazz - Released by Blooming Jazz Records on 2 Aug 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Songs Of Praise & Hope, Vol. 2
Bernard Pfeiffer, Michel Legrand, Stéphane Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Mile End on 5 May 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo