Stéphane Grappelli, the French jazz violinist, was born 107 years ago today. Grappelli founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. He has been called the grandfather of jazz violinists and continued playing concerts around the world well into his 80s. For the first three decades of his career, he was billed using a Gallicised spelling of his last name, Grappelly — reverting to Grappelli in 1969. The latter Italian spelling is now used almost universally when referring to the violinist – even on reissues of his early work. Grappelli was born in Paris to Italian/French parents. At six, he was accepted into Isadora Duncans dance school, where he liked French Impressionist music. Grappelli started his musical career busking on the streets of Paris and Montmartre with a violin. He began playing the violin at age 12 and attended the Conservatoire de Paris studying music theory (1924–28). He made a living busking on the side until he gained fame in Paris as a violin virtuoso. He also worked as a silent film pianist while at the conservatory and played the saxophone and accordion. Grappelli’s early fame came playing with the Quintette du Hot Club de France with Django Reinhardt, which disbanded in 1939 at the outbreak of World War II. In 1940, a little-known jazz pianist by the name of George Shearing made his debut as a sideman in Grappellis band. Shearing went on to enjoy a long career. After the war, Grappelli appeared on hundreds of recordings including sessions with Duke Ellington, jazz pianists Oscar Peterson, Michel Petrucciani and Claude Bolling, jazz violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, jazz violinist Stuff Smith, Indian classical violinist L. Subramaniam, vibraphonist Gary Burton, pop singer Paul Simon, mandolin player David Grisman, classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin, orchestral conductor André Previn, guitar player Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar player Joe Pass, cello player Yo Yo Ma, harmonica and jazz guitar player Toots Thielemans, jazz guitarist Henri Crolla, bassist Jon Burr and fiddler Mark OConnor. He also collaborated extensively with the British guitarist and graphic designer Diz Disley, recording 13 record albums with him and his trio (which included Denny Wright in its early years), and with now renowned British guitarist Martin Taylor. His Parisian trio of many years included guitarist Marc Fosset and bassist Patrice Carratini. In 1997, Grappelli received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is an inductee of the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. He died in Paris at age 89 after undergoing a hernia operation. He is buried in the citys famous Père Lachaise Cemetery. Here, Grappelli joins Frankie Gavin to perform “Sweet Georgia Brown.”
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 06:57:10 +0000
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