Improvisations - Jazz In Paris

Stephane Grappelli | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 24, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 1956
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Umvd Labels
• ASIN: B00004XT2L
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,650 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #71 in Music > Jazz > European Jazz

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The mid-1950s were rough for Stephane Grappelli. He had recently returned to Paris after living in London for seven years to find that his brand of elegant swing was considered old-fashioned by the young Parisian bop fans. And his long-time collaborator Django Reinhardt had died in 1953, ending one of the most fruitful partnerships in jazz history. So when he went into the studio in 1956, he was faced with a dual challenge. He had to prove he wasn't just a relic of the past and that he could hold his own without the backing of Django's guitar. On Improvisations he passes both tests with grace and charm. Grappelli wisely avoids using a guitarist, which would only sound like a weak rehash of the past, opting instead for the classic jazz trio of piano, bass, and drums. When Grappelli was with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France they rarely played ballads. But on tracks such as "Someone to Watch over Me," and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" he has the chance to explore nuances of phrasing and tone color in a way that wasn't possible at the quick tempos Django favored. Improvisations is a delightful collection of jazz standards played by a master musician in the process of discovering for himself how good he really is. --Michael Simmons

Product Description

Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this 1956 album featuring the exceptional Jazz violinist St‚phane Grappelli in a quartet format. The album consists of Jazz standards as opposed to Grappelli's typical repertoire that he played with Django Reinhardt. All of the bonus tracks also feature the violinist in a quartet setting (including the complete long out of print 10" LP Jazz Aux Champs-Elysees No. 2 with pianist Jack Dieval). This material was recorded two years before Improvisations and also consists of a variety of standard tunes. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Improvisations, September 10, 2005

By 

Lim C. Yin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Improvisations - Jazz In Paris (Audio CD)

Jazz in Paris series have always been consistant in their recordings and artists represented.

Stephane Grappelli "Improvisations" is another exceptional CD when old recordings can be techically enhanced to sound good.

The selection of all the old favourites have been extremely well selected and played by Stephane Grappelli in his distinctive style. "Fascinatin' Rhythm" and "Cheek to Cheek" are no exception.

I hope the the digital recordings on vinyl LPs released by him in 1985 will be added to his album collection in future.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS THE NEWLY REMASTERED CD!, April 6, 2011

By 

P. Wolske - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Improvisations (Audio CD)

It should be noted that the previous negative review (because of sound quality) was for the 2001 CD release, "Jazz in Paris". This is for the newly remastered 2011 CD, which sounds great! Also 10 bonus tracks (from a rare 1954 album) have been added.

2.0 out of 5 stars Music is wonderful but sound is not, November 17, 2010

By 

Nancy Huggins (CONCORD, MA, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Improvisations - Jazz In Paris (Audio CD)

You can hardly miss by having a Stephane Grappelli DVD - so the music is lovely
but the quality of the recording is not good. Sounds very tinny and shallow in
tone.