Stéphane Grappelli的演奏永远是一道和煦的阳光，会给你带来无限的美好。只有听过Stéphane Grappelli后，你才会真正地充分领略到小提琴的神奇。爵士乐史上最受青昧的乐器是管乐和键盘乐器，再就是吉他、贝斯这些拨弦乐器，弦乐一直是被冷遇的，顶多是一些贝斯手将贝斯当大提琴拉一拉，小提琴的古典音乐味道太浓，又浪漫得有些出头，似乎在爵士乐这个艺术范畴里天生搅不起什么风波来。这样来看，可能正因为Stéphane Grappelli是远离爵士乐大本营美国之外的法国人，才拥有了爵士乐史上最具代表性的小提琴手的称号。古典音乐出身的 Stéphane Grappelli不知源于天分，还是兴趣没有得到在严肃昔乐领域一展拳脚的机会，25岁时他的工作是为无声电影伴奏及在舞厅里拉一些供达官贵人们消磨时间的曲子，直到1933年他组建了一支由一把小提琴、三把吉他和一把贝斯的五重奏爵士乐团，才终乾发觉自己是一个天才。1960年代，Grappelli在欧洲已是一个家喻户晓的人物，但在美国人们对他还是知之甚少，直到1970年他开始定期环球巡演之后，才在世界范围内获得了名声。Stéphane Grappelli的演奏充满热情和巴黎式的浪漫，古典音乐的根底使他在技巧上无可指摘，他在演奏中总喜欢弃弓而拨几下琴弦，使音乐增添了些鲜活而调皮的色彩。Stéphane Grappelli,这位多产的一代Jazz小提琴宗师,在他漫长的音乐生涯中,给人们留下了一笔丰富的音乐遗产。为Jazz小提琴作出了卓越的贡献,1997年荣获了格莱美终身成就奖。1997年12月1日,这位大师因疝气病症辞世，享年八十九岁。Stéphane Grappelli 1908年1月26日生于法国巴黎,三岁时母亲便去世了,一战时曾经被送进孤儿院,战后才和他父亲搬进了巴黎一所公寓。开始时学键盘乐器,10岁那年看上了小提琴,然后非常努力学习小提琴技术,15岁便在巴黎街头演奏小提琴,20岁时加入了巴黎舞蹈乐团演奏小提琴。由于经常巡迥演出,那时就听到一些 Jazz,然后偿试着把它们加进古典曲目里。之后他看上了钢琴并弹了四年钢琴,听朋友劝告后又开始演奏小提琴,Grappelli同许多的爵土大师一样是通过自学成材的。1924年到1928年期间，Grappelli进入了著名的巴黎音乐学院深造,1933年在法国南部一个小咖啡馆里认识了比利时的吉他大师Diango Reinhardt。这也是他事业的转折点,他们在音乐上找到了共同的语言,并组成了五重奏组开始演奏Jazz。在1933年到1939年期间,他们演出并录制大量的作品,成为了欧洲Jazz的代表,他们一直到二战爆发才分手。之后Grappelli在伦敦找到了新的伙伴,年轻的钢琴家George Shearing,两人的新乐队一直工作到大战的结束。Grappell技艺超群,视野开阔,在他超过七十年的演奏生涯里前后和很多大师和高手有过广泛的合作。例如古典小提琴家Yehudi Menuhin,颤音琴大师 Gary Burton,小提琴大师帕尔曼,Jazz钢琴大师Duke Ellington,Oscar Peterson,小提琴手Jean-Luc ponty, Jazz钢琴天才Michel Petrucciani等,并出版发行了大量唱片。by Scott YanowOne of the all-time great jazz violinists (ranking with Joe Venuti and Stuff Smith as one of the big three of pre-bop), Stéphane Grappellis longevity and consistently enthusiastic playing did a great deal to establish the violin as a jazz instrument. He was originally self-taught as both a violinist and a pianist, although during 1924-28 he studied at the Paris Conservatoire. Grappelli played in movie theaters and dance bands before meeting guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1933. They hit it off musically from the start even though their lifestyles (Grappelli was sophisticated while Django was a gypsy) were very different. Together as Quintet of the Hot Club of France (comprised of violin, three acoustic guitars and bass) during 1933-39 they produced a sensational series of recordings and performances. During a London engagement in 1939, World War II broke out. Reinhardt rashly decided to return to France but Grappelli stayed in England, effectively ending the group. The violinist soon teamed up with the young pianist George Shearing in a new band that worked steadily through the war. In 1946, Grappelli and Reinhardt had the first of several reunions although they never worked together again on a regular basis (despite many new recordings). Grappelli performed throughout the 1950s and 60s in clubs throughout Europe and, other than recordings with Duke Ellington (Violin Summit) and Joe Venuti, he remained somewhat obscure in the U.S. until he began regularly touring the world in the early 70s. Since then Grappelli has been a constant traveler and a consistent poll-winner, remaining very open-minded without altering his swing style; he has recorded with David Grisman, Earl Hines, Bill Coleman, Larry Coryell, Oscar Peterson, Jean Luc Ponty and McCoy Tyner among many others. Active up until near the end, the increasingly frail Grappelli remained at the top of his field even when he was 89. His early recordings are all available on Classics CDs and he recorded quite extensively during his final three decades.