Memory - Stephane Grappelli

Advantages: Great Trad Jazz
Disadvantages: None

...Jean Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt was one of the first important jazz musicians to be born in Europe. He spent most of his youth in the gypsy encampments close to Paris, France, playing banjo, guitar and violin. At an early age he started playing professionally at dance halls in Paris. When he was 18, he was injured in a fire in his caravan loosing the use of his 3rd and 4th fingers on his left hand. After this he focused on the guitar and developed an original style of playing that emphasized his undamaged fingers. The man is nothing short of the original guitar god influencing everyone from the Beatles, Tony Immoni, B. B. King, Willie Nelson, and myself. I lost the use of my left forefinger due to an accident. I decided that if Django could do it with 2 fingers then I could do it with 3 fingers!!!!!! Stéphane Grappelli is quite... Read review

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Advantages: Some of the best Jazz violin playing ever heard
Disadvantages: Very few

...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... Read review

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Advantages: A good read with excellent characters.
Disadvantages: Cannot think of any.

...to give a lecture to. He is also trying to impress her. After the blood transfusion, Joyce begins to experience deja vu everytime she sees Justin. It is as if she knows him, and she starts to experience some of his memories. The story is quite far fetched, that somebody can receive a pint of somebody's blood and know all about their memories, but the author has done it in such a way that you don't feel that it is far fetched, or fantasy in any way. What I loved about the story were some of the characters. Joyce's dad is a complete character, and I wouldn't mind seeing this story in film just to see this character alone. He gives the impression that he is old and daft, but he is more together than you think. Also, Justin's sister-in-law, Doris, is an American who wears leopardskin everything (even leopardskin nailpolish) - I... Read review

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