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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Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli
Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Oct 4, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Peterson-Grappelli Quartet vol. 2
Oscar Peterson, Stéphane Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on Sep 1, 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Jealousy & other Great Standards
Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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One On One (Instrumental)
Stéphane Grappelli, McCoy Tyner
Pop - Released by Milestone on Jan 1, 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Grappelli & Menuhin - Their Best
Stéphane Grappelli, Yehudi Menuhin
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Jul 14, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
St. Louis Blues
Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France, Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt
Jazz - Released by Editions Audiovisuel Beulah on Nov 14, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Porter, Kern, Rodgers, Hart
Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on Feb 1, 1988
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At The Blue Note (Live At The Blue Note, New York City, NY / October 9-11, 1995)
Jazz - Released by Telarc on Jan 1, 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gershwin: Summertime
Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli
Classical - Released by Warner Classics on May 17, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vintage Grappelli
Jazz - Released by Concord Records on Jan 1, 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mon Ami Django (Live)
Folk - Released by Editions De Musique on Jan 10, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At Corby Festival May 1975
Stéphane Grappelli, Diz Disley
Jazz - Released by Storyville on Jun 20, 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Django
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on Mar 15, 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Olympia 1988 (Live Version)
Pop - Released by Rhino Atlantic on Mar 29, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
From Paris With Love
Folk - Released by Musique de la Foret - Gramophone Discs on Mar 19, 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Nearness Of You
Jazz - Released by Universal Music Division Decca Records France on Jan 1, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Looking at You
Stéphane Grappelli, Marc Fosset
Jazz - Released by JMS Productions on Jan 1, 1984
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Masters Sessions
Jazz - Released by Good Time Records on Sep 23, 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Violin Jazz Master
Jazz - Released by Tomato Records (The EGGE Company Limited) on Nov 8, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo