Stuff Smith Could Swing LIke a Mofo! Can any one swing on the violin like him?
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- Опубліковано 11 вер 2024
- Bugle Call Blues Live at Montmarte, 1965. Stuff Smith. Violin - Stuff Smith,
Piano - Kenny Drew, Drums - Alex Riel, Bass - Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (NHØP).
Hezekiah Leroy Gordon Smith (August 14, 1909 - September 25, 1967), better known as Stuff Smith, was an American jazz violinist. Smith was, along with Stéphane Grappelli, Michel Warlop, Svend Asmussen, Ray Nance and Joe Venuti, one of jazz music's preeminent violinists of the swing era.
He was born in Portsmouth, Ohio, United States in 1909, and studied violin with his father.[1] Smith cited Louis Armstrong as his primary influence and inspiration to play jazz, and like Armstrong, was a vocalist as well as instrumentalist. In the 1920s, he played in Texas as a member of Alphonse Trent's band. After moving to New York City he performed regularly with his sextet at the Onyx Club starting in 1935,[1] and also with Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and later, Sun Ra.After being signed to Vocalion Records in 1936, he had a hit with "I'se a Muggin'" and was billed as Stuff Smith and His Onyx Club Boys. He recorded for Vocalion in 1936, Decca in 1937, and Varsity in 1939-1940.He is featured in several numbers on the Nat King Cole Trio album, After Midnight.Part of Smith's performance at what is considered the first outdoor jazz festival, the 1938 Carnival of Swing on Randall's Island, turned up unexpectedly on audio engineer William Savory's discs, which were self-recorded off the radio at the time, then long-sequestered. Some newsreel footage survived but no audio of the festival was thought to have survived until the discs were acquired in 2012 by Loren Schoenberg, executive director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.Smith was critical of the bebop movement, although his own style represented a transition between swing and bebop. He is credited as being the first violinist to use electric amplification techniques on a violin. He was one of the writers of the song "It's Wonderful" (1937), which was often performed by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald throughout their careers. Smith moved to Copenhagen in 1965, performed actively in Europe, and died in Munich in 1967. He is buried at Klakring Cemetery in Jutland, Denmark. Stuff Smith is one of the 57 jazz musicians photographed in the 1958 portrait A Great Day in Harlem.
#stuffsmith #jazzviolin
All of the major violinists of that day -- Venuti, Smith, Grappelli, Nance, South -- had unmistakable voices, but I would say it takes the fewest bars of all to identify Stuff. He could be viewed as the opposite end of the spectrum to Eddie South, who sounded so refined ... but, then again, Stuff clearly had the classical influence, too, which can be heard in things like Humoresque, Melody in F, To a Wild Rose. It's his frequent -- and masterful -- use of double stops that most distinguishes him from his peers.
I saw him live in Europe. Boy, he could swing as hard as horn players ! The proof that swing can be applied to almost any instrument. It is the feeling of the musician that generates it. It don't mean a thing...(etc.). He had it.
Christian Howes, Didier Lockwood (RIP), Jean Luc Ponty...some of my favourites...
Ponty was great.
This is excellent. For the record, Claude "Fiddler" Williams (Kansas City) was amazing, & a favorite.
You can't forget Michel Urbaniak from Poland. He plays like Bird on Violin.
Thank,Bret🌹🌹🌹🌹First heard Stuff on the Nat Cole recording. Nice to finally see him.
Stuff Smith was great, had several of his records. Venutti as pointed out helped get it started and was around forever. Grapelli another.
En France, nous avons d'excellents violonistes de Jazz qui, sciemment, ont renoncé au classique: Jean-Luc Ponty, Didier Lockwood, Dominique Pifarély, Scott Tixier...Stuff Smith swingue comme un démon sur ce morceau.
What a player! The face of jazz violin to boot - wonderful - came across him in the JATP 1957 Concertgebow and it blew my mind. Joy, joy, joy!!
One of the true greats of this music that sadly, most people just don't know about.
Amazing
So much fun! 🤣👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Absolutely phenomenal! He swings like an express train at full throttle. I have an lp with this band, his solos were kind of set pieces, like Illinois Jacquet’s, but when it swings this hard, who cares?
Great Stuff! What a swing! I had the very enjoyable LP Stuff and Steff,where Smith teamed with Grappelli and you could hear how these two genius aproached to their instrument each one in his special way.
Stuff was awesome. Great recordings on Verve. As far as lesser celebrated jazz violinists, Eddie South was the genius in my opinion. Beautiful tone, effortless technique, intonation, and great swinging. Some early recordings with Grappelli and Django are treasures--their take on Bach's double violin concerto is priceless--but he also did a lot of solo stuff that just doesn't get heard.
You omitted the best of them all, Danish Jazz violinist Svend Asmussen, who recorded from the early 30s to the 2000s. He played and recorded with Ellington, Django Reinhart, Benny Goodman and many seminal jazz giants. His harmonic approach was sophisticated and swinging. He loved Stuff Smith and recorded with him, and also wrote a beautiful ballad in memory of Stuff. He was one of two jazz violinists who never played a note out of tune. No violinist in history ever matched the variety, depth and breadth of his recodings.
Hey Bret thanks for posting this! There is certainly a reason may called him the "mad genius of the Violin"! Many have swung as hard as him but not like him, with his unique feel! I often feel he was on the cusp of developing a system akin to Barry Harris' 6th diminished on the violin with his mastery of double stops. As a Jazz Violinist myself I've found a wealth of inspiration from him and Jean Luc Ponty! Both adapted Bebop language to the instrument and helped to push the violin out of being viewed as "just a swing" instrument.
J'oubliais. Ray Nance qui n'a pas pu devenir violoniste concertiste et jouait du violon dans le grand orchestre de Duke Ellington. Tant pis pour le classique.
Stuff was unique and unforgettable -but, you have to mention John Frigo
Love Johnny Frigo. I wrote some liner lines for one of his releases on Chesky Records.
What don’t you know WOW!!! It was interesting to hear you mention Joe Venti a friend of my Parents.He used to hang at Seattles hippest Italian Restaurant the Power Palace of Judges,Jewish Gamblers Priests,Attorneys,Catholics,Bookies, and shhh probably some of the Boys. They always had his Music on in the Bar. It was home to everyone who was someone for years. Great Player. As you recited in your list I knew Venuti would be mentioned. Please tell us more about you and times as it relates to music. I Respect and learn from your program it’s definitely a Street Course in the texture of humanity. Michael
Thanks for taking the time to write. Big Joe Venuti fan here.
A mo fo ?! Lol.
When Stefan played in UK he shook everyone's hand before going in .. that's unknown right . ✌🏼
Great video Brett. Thanks for sharing it. The subject of "jazz violinists" does bring to mind the late Michael White...
The Fourth Way, with Mike Nock and Michael White!
@@JazzVideoGuy: ua-cam.com/video/O01G51WLmLU/v-deo.html
Claude Williams for another great one too, Michał Urbaniak, another bad ass too.
You know your violinists.
John Blake came closest to Stuff Smith as far as swing IMO, may they both rest in power👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽🎻🎻🎻
Agreed.
Say Hey Bret, thak you for putting this out there. What swing! Stuff could really swing. Question: Do you still have that pocket trumpet? Remember the sessions at the old radio station on W.46th St. I was there and played. I'm in the way back machine now.
My God, I'm sorry I don't recognize your name. No, the pocket trumpet is long gone. But the memories linger, obviously.
Stuff was the greatest Jazz violinist without question! Next is Joe Venuti imo!
I think he is playing viola on this. The band is totally on the same dance floor as Stuff!
definitely violin but the amplification boosts the bass frequencies leading to it being difficult to tell.
Described as 'Brutal Swing' by Nigel Kennedy.
That works
Thanks. I was very impressed and the enfant terrible has the palmarés to say it. @@JazzVideoGuy
“Duke Ellington’s Jazz Violin Sessions” is an interesting recording-with Grappelli, Nance, and Asmussen.
Yes, that is a fascinating recording.
Mads Tolling is another pretty great jazz violinist
thanks, will check him out
@@JazzVideoGuy Mads Tolling Quartet, not his solo work
Forgot Eddie South
Billy Bang got close !!!
Yes!
Jerry goodman!?
oh yeah, heard him with Mahavishnu
Billy Bang was a great player. Check out Rainbow Gladiator LP/
Yes, I will.
Stuff Smith avait largement le niveau pour être un grand violoniste classique mais il était Noir. Comme Charles Mingus, Nina Simone. Tant pis pour le classique.
the answer is NO. Right up there with Fats Waller among the HARDEST swingers EVER.
yes!