Oscar Peterson & Stephane Grappelli


The first name in jazz violin has got to be Stephane Grappelli.
I knew of his influence from an old co-worker (who thought he was Stephane Grappelli) but it did introduce me to the world of genre-bending artists that were doing amazing things a generation before my contemporary heroes.

People like Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile who seem to traverse musical styles with ease are following in the footsteps of Grappelli, Grisman and Ponty, blurring the lines between classical, jazz, bluegrass and whatever else fell in their cross hairs.
We also owe a debt to Oscar Peterson and his ilk who likewise transcended any boundary in music-making to record and perform with someone like Stephane Grappelli.