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.

Violinist Stephane Grappelli, although a veteran of the swing era, has always kept an open mind toward newer styles even while he has retained his own sound and veteran repertoire. This duet set with pianist McCoy Tyner might seem unlikely at first glance but it works quite well. The duo sticks to standards (including two that are associated with John Coltrane) and find plenty of common ground. The mutual respect they have for each other is obvious and they both sound a bit inspired.

Violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997) was honored in 1998 with this 22-track tribute slapped together by the Giants of Jazz label. Covering a time span from September 30, 1935, to January 21, 1943, this pleasant potpourri of classic continental swing sessions samples his early Hot Club of France recordings and follows the fiddler into temporary wartime exile as he collaborated with young George Shearing and a talented array of British jazz musicians. The collection opens with two delicious duets with Django Reinhardt, then shuffles together recordings made in Paris and London that were released under Grappelli's name. The Hot Four (heard performing W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" in 1935) actually added up to a quintet as the violinist interacted with bassist Louis Vola and three guitarists: Django and Joseph Reinhardt and Pierre Ferret…

The Jazz Club series is an attractive addition to the Verve catalogue. With it's modern design and popular choice of repertoire, the Jazz Club is not only opened for Jazz fans, but for everyone that loves good music. This is a Beautiful compilation of Stephane Grappelli in the 1970s; in addition to "Hot Club of France" style of bands (with two guitars and a bass accompanying the great French fiddler), there are also some tracks with piano (featuring, among others, George Shearing).

Atlantic has thus far been very slow to reissue its six valuable Gary Burton records. This particular set is the most accessible of the group, for it matches the advanced vibraphonist with the classic violinist Stephane Grappelli in a quartet also including electric bassist Steve Swallow and drummer Bill Goodwin. The music alternates between standards and originals (including Swallow's famous "Eiderdown"), and both Grappelli and Burton prove to be flexible enough to have much common ground despite a 35-year difference in age. A frequently delightful set.

"The man who was Django’s prestigious partner in the first, immortal Quintette du H.C.F. has made an appearance (on wax) for Barclay with a series of recordings in which you can rediscover his pretty sound and abundant, easy ideas; in a word, his style which, though with less of a bite than before, has lost none of its grace." Those were the first lines of the review that a certain Michel Delaroche (in fact Boris Vian) wrote for the November 1955 issue of Jazz Hot; the subject was this album, the first that Stéphane Grappelli ("Grappelly" at the time) had made on violin under his own name since he'd left England.
The violinist had celebrated his definitive return to France at the Club Saint-Germain on the night of April 25th 1954; he would appear there on and off for the next seven years…

This Classics CD has all of the recordings made under violinist Stephane Grappelli's name during the 1935-1940 period. The earlier selections (with his Hot Four) match his violin with Django Reinhardt's guitar in what was essentially the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. There are also nine duets with Reinhardt; a couple find Grappelli switching to piano. The set concludes in 1940 with Grappelli (in London) leading an octet on two numbers that also feature the young pianist George Shearing.