Stephane Grappelli does jazz like no other. Although he started off as a pianist, studying at the Paris conservatoire, Grappelli soon became one of the pioneers of jazz violin, indeed violin improvisation.
Crazy rhythm is a compilation of some of Grappelli's most well known versions of jazz classics, recorded in the early 70s. What shocked me on the first listen is the real character he gets out of the violin, from youthful exhuberance in tracks like Crazy Rhythm and Sweet Georgia Brown to more conversational, lyrical tones in Ain't Misbehaving. Grappellis bow and strings certainly convey more emotion than many of the world's better singers.
Crazy Rhythm really shows off Grappelli's technical expertise, which is not lacking in the slightest. This is aided by the fact he is unconstrained by a score, as all classical musicians are - able to make it as impressive as he so wishes. As a violinist myself, it is really inspiring to hear, although sometimes it gets a bit offputting to hear something so good!
Not only is Grappelli a master of his instrument, he is also a leader of improvisation, musicality and jazz. A real quality of his music is that the tunes he uses are interpreted in his own way before any improvisation even begins. Many musicians would play the song at least close to the original before beginning thinking about more experimental passages. Not Grappelli, whose creativity begins at the same time as the music. This is fortunate - as his interpretations of many of the jazz classics are second to none.
Such be the variety of moods Grappelli creates, this is an album to suit any occasion, and can be appreciated by anyone, a fan of violin music, a fan of jazz, or just anyone who appreciates creativity and musicality. Reccommended.
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I can see you are pretty new around here, but really do look forward to your future reviews because the detail you use in your review is good and helpful and with practice will become extremely readable. Rachel X
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