Django, Grappelli, Eddie South - Bach Double - Longer Version

Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D Minor, BWV 1043
1st mvt., swing-style

Jean "Django" Reinhardt (1/23/1910 - 5/16/1953)
One of the first prominent European jazz musicians, Reinhardt remains one of the most renowned jazz guitarists. With violinist Stéphane Grappelli, he cofounded the Quintette du Hot Club de France, described by critic Thom Jurek as "one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz."

Stéphane Grappelli (1/26/1908 -- 12/1/997) was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands. 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.

Eddie South - violin, bandleader
(11/27/1904 - 4/25/1962 )
Eddie South born in Louisiana, MO, began his career in the 1920s. Due to his Classical Music training, (from Chicago Music College) he would probably have chosen to be a 'classical' musician, but, unfortunately, in those days the color of his skin precluded that option.

Starting in the early 1920s, South worked in such Chicago bands as Jimmy Wade's Syncopators, the Charlie Elgar Band, and Erskine Tate. In 1928, he traveled to Europe and studied at the Paris Conservatoire de Musique where he was deeply impressed with European music. He was even more impressed with the Gypsy melodies he heard on his visit to Budapest. Later, he would often delightfully weave those gypsy melodies into his jazz improvisations.

Returning to Chicago in 1931, South formed his own band The Alabamians that included the young bassist Milt Hinton. During his 1937 trip to Paris, South recorded with jazz greats Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. However, he worked in relative obscurity for most of his life (mostly in the Chicago area, but also in Los Angeles, CA and New York, NY) known only to true Jazz aficionados.

Some critics feel that his 'formal' training caused his playing to be also somewhat 'formal' and lacking in a 'Swing' feeling. Still, his subtle musical interpretations earned him the sobriquet "The Black Angel of the Violin".

In later years he recorded for Chess and Mercury, and also made a final set released by Trip. South's other early recordings (covering 1927-41) have been reissued on a pair of Classics CDs. One of the top violinists of the pre-bop era South was a brilliant technician who, were it not for the universal racism of the time, would probably have been a top classical violinist. (As much as I like him, he wasn't really on the level of the better classical violinists of his time. - 2ndviolinist)

Eddie South died on Apr. 25, 1962 in Chicago, Illinois.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Django
• Reinhardt
• Stéphane
• Grappelli
• Eddie
• South
• Bach
• Double
• swing
• jazz
• 1930s
• violin
• fiddle

[whenmyguitar]

Thank you very much !

[2ndviolinist]

@whenmyguitar You are welcome.

[steinviolino]

If J.S. was alive today, I bet that's what he'd be doing :~)

[2ndviolinist]

@steinviolino Possibly, in this environment for "classical" music.

[NiteDogTeamBS]

Appreciate this upload. Thanks. It really doesn't make any difference that "he wasn't really on the level of the better classical violinists of his time", as you say. He certainly gets the message and sentiment across all prejudicial boundaries.

[2ndviolinist]

@NiteDogTeamBS I think Eddie South, Joe Venuti, and Stephan Grappelli are all fantastic. I do believe the level of the successful concert violinist of that time was well above Eddie's but I consider the 3 fiddlers I mentioned as head and shoulders above any others playing jazz and I doubt many of the "straight" violinists could compete as jazz players. Thus their contributions stand out as at least as worthy as their contemporaries in the classical world and it's so much fun to listen to!

[PinkYachi]

My life is complete. :)

[lennietristanojazz]

@2ndviolinist All three of them could play classical music well according to most accounts. I think Venuti was the most classically-oriented of them. Alot of the stuff him and Eddie Lang did in the 20s anticipated things like chamber jazz etc.

[drkviolin2010]

Eddie is second to none on the violin>We must consider idiom ,and style.Jazz is different than any other .He never really got a chance to show off his concerto chops.Pound for pound Stuffy Smith dusted them all in jazz.Swung harder,beboped more inventively,and help dizzy Gillespie with ideas.

[louiba82]

you're a star! thanks for uploading :)