Results for "violin"

Ken Ford

Electric. A word that describes not only Ken Ford’s violin but aptly describes the man himself, with electrifying and deeply physical live performances that have audiences up on their feet and into the aisles, feeling the music as much as he does, jumping and dancing around on stage. Far from being any quiet instrument, Ken’s infectious energy takes the violin center stage with amazing artistry and creativity, rocking out on the violin with a passion and fervor that rivals the biggest and baddest guitar solos. A wonder to behold on stage, Ken’s evocative playing and passion for strings on the electric violin have enthralled fans of all ages, as well as peers from diverse genres, from jazz to blues, R&B to hip-hop and more

Hugh Marsh

Born: June 5, 1955

Electric violinist Hugh Marsh is widely recognized as Canada's leading improvising violinist. He has toured, recorded or played with Bruce Cockburn, Loreena Mckennitt, Peter Murphy, Robert Palmer, Bonnie Raitt, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Flea, Miho, Mercan Dede, Jon Hassell, Don Byron, James Blood Ulmer, Ursula Rucker, Andy Milne, Dafnis Prieto, Roberto Occhipinti, Michael Occhipinti, Tagaq, Soul Asylum, Goksel Baktagir, Mary Margaret O'hara, The Henry's, Daniel Lanois, Gregoire Maret, Sinead O'Connor and Random Access among many others. Marsh is also quite active in Los Angeles in the film score world through his longstanding working relationship with the composer Harry Gregson Williams

Csaba Deseo

Born: February 15, 1939

Violinist Csaba Deseo (1939) studied at Béla Bartok Conservatory in Budapest obtaining his diploma in 1961. His jazz-career started in the middle of the 1960s, playing concerts in Hungary. He soon appeared at international jazz festivals in Prague, Warsaw, Berlin, Zagreb, Bled and Ljubljana. His first LP entitled “Four String Tschaba” was recorded 1974 in West Germany by MPS-BASF with German, Swedish and English musicians. Deseo played in different formations with top Hungarian performers - Gabor Szabo, Aladar Pege, Tony Lakatos, Laszlo Gardony, Tommy Vig etc. - and also played with Jean-Luc Ponty, John Lewis, Martin Drew, Dusko Goykovic, Bosko Petrovic and many others. In the period of 1967-1999 Deseo was also member of the Hungarian State Philharmonic Orchestra, with them he toured the world from Europe to Japan to the US. In the last years he has been playing with the best musicians of the young generation from the Budapest jazz-scene

Christian Howes

Born: February 21, 1972

Christian Howes has already made an indelible mark and is poised to be a path-finding figure on the contemporary violin. He’s won recognition and kudos from artists and critics alike. Says guitar pioneer Les Paul, with whom Christian has made numerous appearances: “There is nobody better than this guy.” The prominent artists Howes has performed and/or recorded with include Greg Osby, Randy Brecker, James Carter, Jack DeJohnette, Akua Dixon’s Quartette Indigo, Billy Hart, D.D. Jackson, David Murray, Steve Turre’s Sextet with Strings, Jane Monheit, Dr. John, Frank Vignola, and Lenny White, to name a few. A native of Columbus, Ohio, Howes was classically trained beginning at age five

Papa John Creach

Born: May 28, 1917

Papa John Creach - violin Papa John Creach was arguably the best known blues violinist of his century, largely because of his association, not with a blues band, but with psychedelic rockers Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. Born in Beaver Falls, PA, the 18-year-old John Creach began playing violin in Chicago bars when the family moved there in 1935, and eventually joined a local cabaret band, the Chocolate Music Bars. Moving to L.A. in 1945, he played in the Chi Chi Club, spent time working on an ocean liner, appeared in "a couple of pictures", and performed as a duo with Nina Russell. In 1967, while playing at the Parisian Room, he was "discovered" by drummer Joey Covington

Carlos Zingaro

Born: 1948

Born 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal; violin, electronics. Carlos Zingaro undertook classical music studies at the Lisbon Music Conservatory from 1953 to 1965, and during the two years 1967/68 he studied church organ at the High School of Sacred Music. Also, during the 1960s, Zingaro was a member of the Lisbon University Chamber Orchestra. In 1967 he formed Plexus, the only Portuguese group at the time to have developed a new musical approach based on contemporary music, improvisation and rock; the group recorded a 45rpm single for RCA-Victor in 1968. From 1975 onwards Carlos Zingaro has performed with a wide variety of improvising musicians, including: Barre Phillips, Daunik Lazro, Derek Bailey, Joëlle Léandre, Jon Rose, Kent Carter, Ned Rothenberg, Peter Kowald, Roger Turner, Rüdiger Carl, Dominique Regef, Evan Parker, Günter Müller, Andres Bosshard, Jean-marc Montera, and Paul Lovens

Joe Venuti

Born: September 16, 1903

Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti is widely regarded as the first great jazz violinist. Born to Italian parents who immigrated to the States; he learned classical violin as a child, the fruits of which can be clearly seen in his exciting melodic and rhythmic technique. At school in Philadelphia in 1913 he met guitarist Eddie Lang; and they started playing together, at first playing polkas, inventing and trading variations, quickly moving into jazz. It was a fortuitous and rewarding partnership. From 1926 to 33 they made many recordings, in a variety of small band line-ups, becoming internationally famous, not least because the novelty of the guitar/violin combination. Venuti's technique was groundbreaking; he had a sharp, bright tone, excellent intonation, and an ability to play in any key, anywhere on the violin

Jean-Luc Ponty

Born: September 29, 1942

Jean-Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undispute master of violin in the arena of jazz and rock. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music. Ponty was born in a family of classical musicians on September 29, 1942 in Avranches, France. His father taught violin, his mother taught piano. At sixteen, he was admitted to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, graduating two years later with the institution's highest award, Premier Prix. In turn, he was immediately hired by one of the major symphony orchestras, Concerts Lamoureux, where he played for three years

Harry Lookofsky

Born: October 1, 1913

Harry Lookofsky was an American jazz violinist. He was also the father of keyboardist-songwriter Michael Brown, who most notably was a founding member of The Left Banke and Stories. Harry Lookofsky was born in Paducah, Kentucky in 1913 and studied classical violin in St. Louis where he joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in the mid 1930s. An early admirer of Joe Venuti, Lookofsky eventually became recognized as one of the earliest accomplished bebop jazz violinists. His technique became particularly recognized on his album Stringsville (1958, Atlantic). Lookofsky was one of many early jazz violinists who occasionally played tenor violin, an instrument he cited for its similar tonal qualities to the tenor saxophone

Didier Lockwood

Born: February 11, 1956

Didier Lockwood (born February 11, 1956) is a French jazz violinist.

He was born in Calais and studied classical violin and composition at the Calais Conservatory. However, his brother Francis made him receptive to forms of music other than the classical and he quit his studies in 1972. Didier was entranced by the improvisation of Jean-Luc Ponty on Frank Zappa's King Kong album and took up the amplified violin. He joined the progressive rock group Magma, touring and notable featured on their 1975 Live/Hhaï album. Lockwood was also influenced by Polish violinist Zbigniew Seifert and Stéphane Grappelli, whom he joined on tour.

He has also played with Quebecois fusion group Uzeb on their Absolutely Live album.

He is famous for exploring new musical environments and for performing various sound imitations on his amplified violin, such as seagulls or trains.

On July 23, 1982, in Montreux, Switzerland, he performed in concert with guitarist Allan Holdsworth, drummer Billy Cobham, bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, and keyboardist David Sancious.

Didier Lockwood created a string instruments improvisation school, CMDL (Centre des Musiques Didier Lockwood), in 2001.

He is married to singer Caroline Casadesus.

Throughout 2006 Didier has been touring with Martin Taylor the Jazz guitarist