Pianist Oscar Peterson and violinist Stephane Grappelli meet up for this Scandinavian concert. The "backup" crew (guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Niels Pedersen, and drummer Mickey Roker) isn't too bad either. In addition to a closing blues (which is highlighted by tradeoffs from Peterson and Grappelli), the quintet performs five veteran standards with creativity and swing.

Yehudi Menuhin was a dazzling virtuoso from childhood who became a key humanitarian in addition to being a celebrated concert artist.
The legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin was the eldest child of Russian-born Hebrew scholars who met in Palestine, emigrated to New York City, and moved to San Francisco soon after their son's birth. After just three years of violin study, Yehudi made a legendary debut at age seven with the local symphony. His Carnegie Hall debut three years later, in the Beethoven Violin Concerto, garnered praise that likened him to Mozart as a prodigy, whereupon the family (which now included sisters Hephzibah and Yaltah) lived gypsy-like in hotels wherever Yehudi was engaged at enormous fees…

Vol. 1. One of the nice things about jazz is the cross-pollination of different players in multiple settings. No one would've thought of pairing swing violinist Stéphane Grappelli and bop pianist Oscar Peterson, for instance, but the match works very well. The pair have expanded into a quartet on this reissue with the aid of double bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Kenny Clarke. The set, recorded in 1973 in Paris, includes a handful of standards, from Pinkard/Tracey/Tauber's "Them There Eyes" to Rodgers & Hart's "Thou Swell." As one might guess, Grappelli is in his own element on upbeat, swinging pieces like "Makin' Whoopee" and "Walkin' My Baby Back Home." Peterson likewise joins in the spirit of these pieces, making them the most interesting interpretations on the album. Other material, like the lingering "Flamingo" and "My One and Only Love," are also enjoyable, but seem rather tepid in comparison…

When pianist Oscar Peterson and violin player Stephane Grappelli stepped on-stage or into the studio together they really did make magic. Both performers were pioneers on their respective instruments, and both had a real French connection, with Peterson hailing from Montreal, and Grappelli of course, having been born in Paris.

This Grappelli box set bringing together 37 titles, including 23 previously unreleased, celebrates the violinist's friendship with the pianist, composer, arranger and conductor Gérard Gustin. A first album, entirely unpublished, produced by Sacha Distel in 1970, allows us to hear Stéphane in a “string” context. A setting that perfectly suits this gentleman of the violin. The two quartet sessions brought together in the second volume present another aspect of the discographic collaboration between the two men, which spanned almost ten years. As a bonus, a new unpublished quintet session from 1961, with guitarist Pierre Cullaz.

This is the first of Stephane Grappelli's sessions as a leader during the 1950s to be issued on CD, which is rather surprising given the availability of his work from the last two decades of his life. Grappelli is heard exclusively in a quartet with pianist Maurice Vander, bassist Pierre Michelot, and drummer Baptiste Reilles, except for two takes of "Someone to Watch Over Me," when Vander makes an ill-advised switch to harpsichord. The violinist is not nearly as aggressive as he would become in the decades to follow, seemingly concentrating more on achieving a beautiful tone than dazzling listeners with his considerable abilities as an improviser. Most of the material recorded during these three dates remained in his repertoire for the remainder of his career; with up-tempo selections like "The Lady Is a Tramp" and "'S Wonderful" getting the nod over most of the ballad interpretations…

Genius of gypsy style guitar playing Django Reinhardtand the violinist Stephane Grappelli made joyful music which truly swung and Grappelli went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career stretching over sixty years in a wide variety of musical settings. The Quintette itself became popular in London before the war and Grappelli decided to stay, recording with his Hot Four, with Hatchett’s Swingtette, named after the famous nightclub, with full orchestra and later with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, the classical violinist. This album includes several favourite compositions "I Found A New Baby", "Alabamy Bound", "Viper's Dream", "Dinah", "I Saw Stars" and "Body & Soul".

Stephane Grappelli and guitarist Diz Disley lead this elegant Hot Club session from 1975. Nice variety of compositions without ever leaving the style.
For twenty years Stephane Grappelli resisted repeated attempts to reconstitute the old Quintette - resisted because there was only one Django, could never be another, and the Quintette without Django would be at least as unthinkable as the Venuti Blue Four without Eddie Lang. Finally it was the persistence and perception of a Canadian-born graphic artist and acoustic guitarist Diz Disley, that persuaded Stephane to revive the two guitars/string bass rhythm section. Since then, Stephane Grappelli and the Diz Disley Trio have been playing mostly to packed houses in Britain, Europe, America and Australia and building a huge following for their special sound.

Violinists Stéphane Grappelli and Stuff Smith performed together on a few occasions, but this 1965 studio session, first issued by Barclay, was one of the more difficult dates to acquire until Universal Music reissued it on CD in 2002, as a part of their extensive Jazz in Paris series. With a solid rhythm section (pianist René Urtreger, bassist Michel Gaudry, and drummer Michel Delaporte) that pretty much sticks to a supporting role, it is clear that Smith's gritty tone rubs off on Grappelli as the session progresses. Highlights include Smith's "Blues in the Dungeon" (during which Grappelli playfully alternates between playing pizzicato and arco to back Smith's hoarse but swinging vocal) and an equally playful, swinging take of "This Can't Be Love"…

Stephane Grappelli Live at the Blue Note with Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli and Jon Burr. Stephane Grappelli was one of the masters of the jazz violin. In this wonderful Telarc recording one can witness the master's playfulness, charm and talent as he plays before an appreciative and polite audience.

At the age of 85 Stephane Grappelli was still a master of the violin, as proven during this 1993 concert at Carnegie Hall in honor of his landmark birthday (which he had celebrated the previous January 26th). With bassist Jon Burr and guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, Grappelli revisits a number of old favorites, including a lively take of "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm," an easygoing "Honeysuckle Rose," and a gently swinging "Limehouse Blues." There are no surprises, just great music from the master. Several tracks feature the Rosenberg Trio (in their American recording debut), a fine Gypsy trio (2 guitars and a bass) that Grappelli first heard at the 1991 Montreal Jazz Festival and invited to join him on stage. All six men take part in the enjoyable finale of "Sweet Georgia Brown."

The fifth in a series of recorded meetings between Stephane Grappelli and Yehudi Menuhin is one of the more disappointing efforts. Although Nelson Riddle was a renowned arranger, the arrangements of memorable songs from the 1930s (most of which were strongly associated with Fred Astaire's performances in films) by the likes of Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern, and Vincent Youmans lean more toward easy listening and are frequently handicapped by the inclusion of a bland electric piano. The jazz violinist switches to piano for both of his original compositions, which were written to feature Menuhin's violin. There's nothing wrong with the playing of either Grappelli or Menuhin, and bassist Niels Pedersen has several excellent solos, but one hearing is probably enough for even the most ardent fans of Stephane Grappelli.

Violinist Stephane Grappelli plays his usual repertoire (standards ranging from Stevie Wonder's "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" to "Chicago" and the Reinhardt-associated piece "Minor Swing") in a quartet with the guitars of John Etheridge and Martin Taylor and bassist Jack Sewing. The music, although a bit predictable, is enjoyable, for Grappelli has never lost his enthusiasm for playing swinging jazz. He performs "Let's Fall in Love" and "Love for Sale" as if he had just discovered those songs.