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vincent cotro 4 / VIOLIN AND BOWED STRINGS IN JAZZ A FRENCH SCHOOL? T he first aim of this article is to discuss how much the use of the violin in jazz has hitherto remained a typically European phenomenon. That means examining the close relationship between the violin—as well as bowed strings in general, as opposed to, say, brass or reed instruments—and the European influence on jazz, an influence forged by a long tradition of classical music. We will then look at the contribution of French musicians, such as Stéphane Grappelli and Jean-Luc Ponty, to this specifically European art and consider whether there is a ‘‘French school’’ of jazz violin. The first of these issues needs some qualification: while the ‘‘classical’’ heritage has heavily influenced notions of violin playing in jazz, and continues to do so, there is also a di√erent conception of the instrument, one that occurs within American as well as European jazz. This alternative style of playing involves trying to adapt the violin to the requirements of a more specifically jazz-oriented approach. The same duality applies to the question of a ‘‘French school,’’ in as much as the French musicians who appear in the history of jazz violin reflect these two di√erent instrumental conceptions . The disparity in styles between Grappelli and Ponty, for example, is the distance between the two approaches cited above. Although it is di≈cult, from a strictly musical point of view, to make a substantial and consistent argument for a French school of jazz violin, there is no doubt that a particular tradition of bowed strings in jazz (including the violin, the cello, and string ensembles) has evolved in France from the 1930s up to the present day. The main players in this trend, and its current dynamics, will form the last part of this chapter. The violin is notable for being one of the oldest instruments in jazz and one that mostly stands for European classical culture and so-called serious music. We should not forget, though, that instruments in the violin family are widely used in European and American folk music (and can be found in various forms in the Middle East and Asia). As such, they are a common feature of the American popular music that preceded jazz. Violins can be traced back to the origins of jazz, from black string bands at the turn of the century, to ragtime orchestras and the first New Orleans jazz bands.∞ The violin part in ‘‘Lou’siana Swing,’’ recorded by the Armand J. Piron Orchestra in 1924,≤ is even considered to be as important as the horn parts (Piron himself was a very conventional violin player). A number of violinists made their mark in early jazz recordings, among them Carroll Dickerson , Claude Williams, Darnell Howard (with W. C. Handy), Juice Wilson 82 v i n c e n t c o t r o (with Noble Sissle), and Edgar Sampson (with Charlie Johnson). However, Joe Venuti (1903–78) stands out in the history of jazz as the first real soloist on this instrument, recording as early as 1926 in duet with guitarist Eddie Lang or with his own orchestras (the New Yorkers, the Blue Four), as well as performing with Don Murray, Adrian Rollini, and the Dorsey Brothers. After gaining traction as an improvising instrument in jazz, the violin mainly developed during the 1930s and 1940s from the individual contributions and experiences of Joe Venuti, Eddie South (1904–62), Stéphane Grappelli (1908– 97), and Stu√ Smith (1909–67). Virtually absent from bop and post-bop, the violin came back into favor as a jazz instrument during the 1960s, when a revival of sorts was led by performers associated with free jazz (Ornette Coleman, Leroy Jenkins) or fusion (Jean-Luc Ponty). A number of Americans (Billy Bang, Mark Feldman) and Europeans (Didier Lockwood, Michael Urbaniak . . . ) took up the baton during the following decades. Although many other violinists are cited in these pages, the instrument’s place in the general history of jazz appears undoubtedly diminished compared with the majority of wind instruments, the piano, the guitar, or even the bass.≥ At the same time, the role of Europe and European violinists seems particularly important throughout this history: French pioneer Michel Warlop (1911–47), the Danish Svend Asmussen (b. 1916), or, among the younger French generation, Dominique Pifarély (b. 1957) can be added to the already mentioned key figures (notably...

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