Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session is an album by American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington, recorded in 1963 but not released until 1976, on the Atlantic label. The album features members of Ellington's orchestra performing with Stéphane Grappelli and Svend Asmussen. Trumpeter Ray Nance, who was also featured in the Ellington Orchestra as a singer and a violinist, plays violin throughout the session alongside Grappelli. Asmussen, whose primary instrument was violin, plays viola throughout the session. Each of the string players is given a solo feature: Grappelli plays "In a Sentimental Mood", Asmussen plays "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", and Nance plays "Day Dream". For the remainder of the session, all three string players are featured soloing in turn. Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJup5jgECCM&list=PLaFqfHEIPlNDd9mU4MnfrNKsuGS7JHRcs&index=1

#DukeEllington #Jazz #JazzViolin #RayNance #StéphaneGrappelli #SvendAsmussen #Music

Science Fiction is an album by the American avant-garde jazz saxophonist and composer Ornette Coleman, recorded in September and October 1971 and released on Columbia Records in February 1972.

Reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Daniel Felsenthal called it "a one-of-a-kind dispatch from the vibrant, polygenic, and contested lofts of downtown New York" and "a welcome return to the singable, quintessentially Southern melodicism that counterbalanced [Coleman's] dauntless early oeuvre" - Wikipedia

#OrnetteColeman #DonCherry #BobbyBradford #DeweyRedman #CharlieHaden #BillyHiggins #EdBlackwell #DavidHenderson #AshaPuthli #Jazz #FreeJazz #Music #AltoSax #JazzViolin

Astrorama by Jean-Luc Ponty & Masahiko Sato, released on Liberty in 1970.

Astrorama Review by Ken Dryden

Jean-Luc Ponty recorded for a number of labels prior to his signing to Atlantic in the early '70s. He joined forces with Japanese keyboardist Masahiko Satoh, the great bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, guitarist Yoshiaki Masuo, and drummer Motohiko Hino for this studio date. "Golden Green" is best known from his 1976 meeting with Stéphane Grappelli; this longer version features Ponty's expressive violin, an understated electric piano solo by Satoh, and the virtuoso playing of Pedersen, with Masuo sitting out. Both "Astrorama" and "Nuggis" were performed by Ponty the following year at the Berlin Jazz Festival, though on this session, they are joined in a long medley..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZTTaLeWe40&list=RDUZTTaLeWe40&start_radio=1

#MasahikoSato #JeanLucPonty #NielsHenningOrstedPedersen #YoshiakiMasuo #Jazz #Fusion #JazzRock #JapaneseJazz #Music #jazzviolin

Listen to the Ahmad Jamal Quintet is an album by American jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal featuring performances recorded in 1960 and released on the Argo label

Ahmad Jamal (born Frederick Russell Jones; July 2, 1930 – April 16, 2023) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator. For six decades, he was one of the most successful small-group leaders in jazz. He was a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Master and won a Lifetime Achievement Grammy for his contributions to music history. - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQr3689IW14&list=PL0zZ2E4RGKd-8DhTcwLmDwt4iMXo1PtoP&index=1

#ahmadjamal #jazzpiano #jazzviolin #argorecords #jazz #joekennedy #raycrawford

Plays Gershwin by Joe Venuti, repleased on Golden Crest in 1960.

Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903[1][2][3] – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist.

Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie Lang, a friend since childhood. Through the 1920s and early 1930s, Venuti and Lang made many recordings as leader and as featured soloists. He and Lang became so well known for their 'hot' violin and guitar solos that on many commercial dance recordings they were hired to do 12- or 24-bar duos towards the end of otherwise stock dance arrangements. In 1926, Venuti and Lang started recording for the OKeh label as a duet (after a solitary duet issued on Columbia), followed by "Blue Four" combinations, which are considered milestone jazz recordings. - Wikpedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-a6_KMNmPQ&list=RDv-a6_KMNmPQ&start_radio=1

#joevenuti #jazzviolin #georgegershwin #jazz

Birds of Fire is the second studio album by jazz fusion band the Mahavishnu Orchestra. It was released in 1973 by Columbia Records and is the last studio album released by the original line-up before it dissolved.

Reviewing the album for All About Jazz in 2002, Walter Kolosky wrote of the title track:

"Birds of Fire," which opens up the album, is a fusion classic. John McLaughlin scares the hell out of his guitar with his melodic convulsions. If you ever want to frighten a musical neophyte, turn your stereo up really loud and play the cover tune – it's guaranteed to send him or her fleeing. - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AulNvAR0u5c&list=PLJfwklRIOOp2H5Ib0mSoZ2ZAJxnFrgKUr&index=1

#mahavishnuorchestra #JohnMcLaughlin #jazzfusion #RickLaird
#BillyCobham #JanHammer #Moog #FenderRhodes #JerryGoodman #jazzviolin #jazzrock

Electric Connection is one of four American recordings Jean-Luc Ponty made in 1969. In 1969 was it was released on vinyl by World Pacific Jazz

Electric Connection Review by Scott Yanow

The innovative violinist Jean-Luc Ponty was making a strong impression in the United States in 1969, a year in which he made four notable American recordings that solidified his reputation a few years before he formed his own fusion band. For this little-known effort, Ponty is joined by a big band arranged by Gerald Wilson and including pianist George Duke (an important early collaborator), altoist Bud Shank, flutist Tony Ortega and guitarist Wilbert Longmire. Highlights include "Summit Soul," Ponty's "Hypomode Del Sol" (which sticks effectively to one chord) and Ron Carter's "Eighty-One."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwELbvukIY0&list=OLAK5uy_kL_vJnnttOgAuDhDHQFkYSBXGfYhCg904

#jeanlucponty #jazzviolin #georgeduke #budshank #geraldwilson #WorldPacific #jazz

More than Meets the Ear Review by Scott Yanow

Jean-Luc Ponty made a strong impression with his appearance at the 1967 Monterey Jazz Festival. Just barely 26 at the time of this obscure but worthy album (his first to appear on an American label), Ponty is teamed with pianist George Gruntz, trumpeter Carmell Jones, altoist Leo Wright, drummer Daniel Humair and an unidentified bassist. In addition to five originals by either Ponty or Gruntz, they perform a pair of pop songs (including Miriam Makeba's "Pata Pata") and the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends." Already a very original player, Ponty's style at this early point was far beyond hard bop and looked a little toward both pop and John Coltrane.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flZTC9AJt7M&list=PLJoHEixldsJg0uY_WmU_OxYN2M7IeAGo-&index=1

#jeanlucponty #jazzviolin #thebeatles #jazz #montereyjazz

How high the moon au violon électrique. #electricviolin #violin #spaceviolin #jazz #jazzviolin

Straight Ahead / Free At Last by Abdul Wadud, Leroy Jenkins released on Red Records in 1979

Excellent improvised cello and violin duets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCRBOteRZAc

#leroyjenkins #abdulwadud #violin #cello #jazzviolin #jazzcello #freejazz #improvisedmusic #1979inmusic

Together! Review by Scott Yanow

This Koch CD reissues an interesting and very successful matchup between guitarist Herb Ellis and the great swing violinist Stuff Smith. Pianist Lou Levy and Bob Enevoldsen (doubling on his cool-toned tenor and valve trombone) contribute some solos and drummer Shelly Manne adds fine support. The reissue (which has three alternate takes in addition to the original six-song program) features plenty of cooking and strong interplay between Stuff and Ellis on some blues, the ancient standard "How Come You Do Me Like You Do" (which has one of the violinist's two personable vocals) and Smith's two originals "Hillcrest" and "Skip It." This is one of Ellis' personal favorite records and one of the best recordings from Stuff Smith's later years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldvf4jMLIxY

#herbellis #stuffsmith #jazzguitar #jazzviolin #1963inmusic

Graham Clark : Primitive Substance interview (contains traces of daevid allen, Gong, Graham Massey) - youtube video 50m11s #GrahamClark #DaevidAllen #GongBand #GrahamMassey #JazzViolin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCRsCzZoQtg

Sweet Space is a live album by the Billy Bang Sextet, led by violinist Bang, and featuring tenor saxophonist Frank Lowe, alto saxophonist Luther Thomas, cornetist Butch Morris, pianist Curtis Clark, double bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Steve McCall. It was recorded on November 15, 1979, at the Loeb Student Center of New York University in New York City, and was released on vinyl later that year by Anima Productions.

Bill Shoemaker of Point of Departure commented: "each musician played an integral role in creating an ebullient, deceptively shambling ensemble sound," and stated that Butch Morris's "Music for the Love of It" "has a supple grace that makes it a fine set-closer, possessing enough elasticity for each musician to momentarily stretch the material without disfiguring it." - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5TPhy0iYXs

#billybang #franklowe #butchmorris #stevemccall #freejazz #jazzviolin

Mixed Quintet is an album by American jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins, recorded in 1979 for the Italian Black Saint label.

Regarding the album's title, Jenkins stated: "I called it mixed... because the quintet contains brass, reeds and strings, a mixture of instruments. I wanted to emphasize that this is different than the regular jazz quintet of a rhythm section and two front men." Concerning the music, he commented that it "isn't dependent on changes, it's dependent on direction. Where it came from and where it's going. Some people would call that open-ended, but it's not. We usually don't repeat the same heads, but we often work in a structure of theme / improvisation / theme / improvisation. So you know where you are coming from, and where you've got to go, and you've got a little time to make the ascent, the descent, or whatever is called for." - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XJb48IM8G8

#leroykenkins #freejazz #jazzviolin

Invitation is an album by the Billy Bang Quintet, led by violinist Bang, and featuring saxophonist Charles Tyler, pianist Curtis Clark, double bassist Wilber Morris, and drummer Dennis Charles. It was recorded on April 13–14, 1982, at Barigozzi Studios in Milano, Italy, and was released later that year by the Soul Note label.

Writing for The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide, Fred Goodman noted that Invitation, on which Bang's "depth as a composer, leader and instrumentalist [is] most in evidence," is "characterized by an unorthodox swing and will appeal to more traditionally minded listeners through [its] strong dedication to melody and rhythm." - Wikipedia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MFjPSh1wNw&list=OLAK5uy_nuLqnTaQ5depHJFStdoZ9wp0J9rL1cCPs

#billybang #jazzviolin #soulnote #freejazz

Jean-Luc Ponty: Sunday Walk released in 1967 on MPS

David Spicer wrote on Jazzwise:

"A truly pan-European jazz summit, featuring a Danish bassist, Swiss drummer, German pianist and French violinist, Sunday Walk was Ponty's fourth appearance on record and second album as a leader. Not yet 25 years old, the firebrand fiddler was already displaying the fierce, impatient energy and clear, strident attack that would lead to him being lured over to Los Angeles by Frank Zappa and into the orbit of the Mothers of Invention just a couple of years later. But, in 1967, the jazz-rock and fusion that he was to help pioneer hadn't even been invented yet. Here, he blazes a trail across bouncing boogaloo, fidgety bebop, sprightly waltz, louche ballad...Recorded with a live and loose club-date feel, the whole session zings with passion and commitment."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQjLPFCQ33o&list=PL8AD6-m0K9G7gZloswM-SPWZIGpNlFnvd&index=1

#jeanlucponty #jazzviolin #MPSrecords #jazz #europeanjazz

Kahil El'Zabar's The Ritual With Billy Bang, Malachi Favors – Another Kind Of Groove released on Sound Aspect in 1987

"Kahil El'Zabar (born Clifton Blackburn; November 11, 1953) is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist (mainly a percussionist) and composer.

El'Zabar was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Lake Forest College and joined the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) in the early 1970s, and became its chairman in 1975. During the 1970s, he formed the musical groups Ritual Trio and the Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, both of which remain active..." - Wikipedia

This is a truly magical recording made in Germany by this incarnation of The Ritual Trio.

Billy Bang - Violin, Bells
Malachi Favors - Double-Bass, Percussion
Kahil El'Zabar - Drums, Flute, Berimbau, Bells

#KahilElZabar #billybang #malachifavors #freejazz #aacm #jazzviolin #chicagojazz #ritualtrio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ92I5kiof0

Bangception is a live album by violinist Billy Bang and drummer Dennis Charles. It was recorded on August 29, 1982, at the Jazz Festival Willisau [de] in Willisau, Switzerland, and was released on vinyl in 1983 by the hat MUSICS label.

Harvey Pekar of JazzTimes called the duo's rendition of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" "one of the most unique and moving versions of the composition ever recorded," and praised Charles' contribution to the album, stating that he "is no junior partner here... he and Bang often engage in exchanges and dialogues. Charles does not function primarily as an accompanist."

Writing for All About Jazz, Robert Spencer commented: "Are you aware of what a total gas Billy Bang is? Are you aware of the wild swinging emotionalism of his playing, the fervor, the inventiveness, the classical sense of order and the freewheeling sense of adventure?...

#billybang #dennischarles #lonelywoman #ornettecoleman #freejazz #jazzviolin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3nBrW4nzfI&list=OLAK5uy_n4nuAlfjsL_NAK8AecZIddbUOCkn1ghRs