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Jazzbows.com
Publishers of fine sheet music for improvising strings, in American Styles

Artist Repertoire for the Modern String Player
Beginner to Professional

Pioneers of Jazz Violin

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A LIST WITH INTERNET RESOURCES

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Compiled by Gayle Dixon

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ARTIST

Eddie South

Joe Venuti

Stuff Smith

Stephane Grappelli 

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# JAZZ SESSIONS

  52

423

111

317

 

YEARS RECORDED

1923-1959

1924-1978

1928-1967*

1929-1996

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Statistics from The Jazz Discography by Tom Lord.  

http://www.lordisco.com/musicians/index.html

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I.  Artists Recording Before 1920

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Darnell Howard (1895-1966)

Darnell Howard was a well-known clarinet, saxophone and violin player who performed with many of the renowned jazz musicians of his day including  W.C. Handy, King Oliver, Kid Ory, Erskine Tate, Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins and Earl HInes.  From Chicago, his jazz violin playing was greatly admired by  the consummate violinist, Eddie South.   


At Red Hot Jazz hear Darnell Howard's violin on W.C. Handy's first recording (Columbia, 1917).   Handy was 43 years old when  this recording was made.  
Handy's Orchestra of Memphis includes a string quartet (three violins and a cello):  violins are Edward Alexander, Darnell Howard and William Tyler, cello is Henry Graves. *   Listen to The Snaky Blues, with it's swinging string quartet, and violin solos especially on Sweet Child.

http://www.redhotjazz.com/handy.html

Also at Red Hot Jazz, photo of W.C.  Handy's Orchestra of Memphis (1918) includes Darnell Howard (with violin) and a cellist (likely Henry Graves):  

http://www.redhotjazz.com   Type WC Handy in the search box (press enter), then click on Handy's Orchestra of Memphis.  Also re-released by Memphis Archives as MA 7006.

Discographical statistics for Darnell Howard:

114 recording sessions (most on alto sax and clarinet), 1917-1966

*Special thanks to Akua Dixon for her contribution to this entry

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II.  Artists Recording during the 1920sI

 

photo of violinist Eddie South
Eddie South

Eddie South  (1904 - 1962)

Known as the Dark Angel of the Violin, Eddie South remains unsurpassed as a jazz violin virtuoso.  South performed soulful gems from the classical violin repertoire with passion and timeless beauty of tone. He brought a gypsy flair to his interpretation of popular tunes, and could swing with the best.  


Hear Black Gipsy (1927-1941): 

 http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3lr67ue070jf

Hear Fiddle Blues, Bach Double Vln Concerto w. Stephane Grappelli, and Django Reinhardt providing a swinging ripieno (1937-1941):

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:znev975kkrrt

Hear Two Guitars at Red Hot Jazz (recorded 1929 Paris, France).

Hear South play a violin obbligato on "The Man I Love" on this 1927 recording by "jazz chanteuse" Marion Harris: The Complete Victor Releases Archeophone Records (501A).  

All Music Guide has bios, analysis, critiques and sound clips.  Type "Eddie South" in the search box, click on "Credits."

Formerly unreleased recordings by AB Fable (home of  jazz violin bio-discographer Anthony Barnett):  I

AB Fable CD:   Tzigane in Rhythm:  1940-1947 Broadcasts, Film & Fugitive (2005).  ABCD1-009.  Also: 

Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers  Black Gypsy/The Recordings of Eddie South:  An Annotated Discography and Itinerary, by Anthony Barnett.  With foreword by Leroy Jenkins.  

SOUNDIES Catalog:  Eddie South/The Dark Angel of the Fiddle 

Frog Records Black Gypsy (DGF36)

 

Red Hot Jazz has an Eddie South solo from his first record date, with Jimmie Wade's Moulin Rouge Orchestra (Paramount, 1923).   Check out Someday Sweetheart:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/wmro.html

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photo of violinist Stuff Smith
Stuff Smith and His Onyx Club Boys (1936)

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Stuff Smith  (1909 - 1967)

Hezekiah Le Roy Gordon Smith

Stuff Smith spoke the "mother tongue" of jazz.  His trumpet-like tone, punctuated bowing and driving rhythm pulled from the violin all of the force and energy of a horn.  His 1950s work with Dizzy Gillespie helped to lay the foundation for be-bop.  His playing remains state-of-the-art jazz.  

Amazon.com  listen to sound clips from Cat On a Hot Fiddle (1959) Verve USA.

All Music Guide has bios, analysis, critiques and sound clips.  Type "Stuff Smith" the search box, and hear Stuff wax hot and classical on The Stuff Smith Trio/Progressive Records (1943).  *Also see note below.

All About Jazz  article by Florence Wetzel.

All About Jazz  article by Ken Dryden.

All About Jazz  article by Bert Arenson.

AB Fable CDs:  Type Stuff Smith in the search box:

That Naughty Waltz:  The Complete Tenor Sax Septets (1937-1942).  ABCD1-015.

Stuff Smith & Robert Crum/The Complete 1944 Rosenkrantz Apartment Transcription Duets:  The Jazz Violinist & The Classical Pianist.  ABCD2-004/5.

Stuff Smith/1944-1946 Studio, Broadcast Concert & Apartment Performances.  Disc 1:  Desert Sands.  Disc 2:  Up Jumped the Devil.  ABCD2-007/8.

Allardyce, Barnett, Publishers  Desert Sands/Up Jumped the Devil:  A Bio-Discography.  By Anthony Barnett, paperback.  Two volumes.  446 pages.  Includes cassette (1999).


Stuff Smith first recorded in 1928.

Red Hot Jazz has sound clips of Stuff Smith solos with Alphonso Trent and his Orchestra (Gennett, 1928):  hear Gilded Kisses and Nightmare.

http://www.redhotjazz.com/trent.html

YouTube:  Stuff Smith, Roy Eldridge, Herb Ellis etc) with Ella Fitzgerald, Jazz at the Philharmonic, Amsterdam 1957.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlM1wdkvofQ

 

Juice Wilson (1904-1960s?)

Robert "Juice" Wilson was born in St. Louis, MO.  He played clarinet and violin with Noble Sissle and his Orchestra (recorded 1929, Hayes, Middlesex, England).  He appears on very few sessions but his jazz violin playing on these is classic:


Not to be missed: Kansas City Kitty 
Miranda:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/sissleo.html

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Photos of Juice Wilson at AB Fable

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Edgar Sampson  (1907 - 1973)

Edgar Sampson was known primarily as a composer, arranger, and saxophonist, but he began playing violin at age six.  He was working in Duke Ellington's band on alto sax when he was 16 years old, and went on to play with Fletcher Henderson and Rex Stewart.  While working with Chick Webb, he composed Stompin' At the Savoy (lyrics by Andy Razaf).

Sampson sold charts to Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Teddy Wilson, and others.  His tunes have become part of the standard jazz repertoire. 

At Red Hot Jazz, you can hear a Sampson violin solo with The Georgia Strutters (Harmony 468-H).  Listen to It's Right Here for You (1927):

http://www.redhotjazz.com/georgia.html

On another clip from Red Hot Jazz, Sampson is credited as violinist on Charlie Johnson's Paradise Orchestra (Small's Paradise, Harlem NY, 1925-1929).  Hear Hot-Tempered Blues and You Ain't the One (1928):

http://www.redhotjazz.com/cjpo.html

 

 

Stats for Edgar Sampson:  

97 recordings, 1927- 1956


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* Note:  Many recordings issued posthumously.  Several websites list recordings by violinist Leroy Smith under Stuff Smith's name.  Leroy Smith was an earlier African American violinist and orchestra leader from Detroit.  There are sound clips of  Leroy Smith and his Orchestra (with John Long on violin) at  

Red Hot Jazz.  

Special thanks to Anthony Barnett for his kind assistance with many details on these pages
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