Results for "violin"

Dave Favis-Mortlock

Born: August 27, 1953

Dave Favis-Mortlock (yes, that really is his name) plays violin, viola and flute for FiddleBop. He sings, too. "Jazz with Gypsy zing" is his passion, but he has played many other kinds of music. Dave is a self-taught violinist. He began playing in his teens, in a caravan — suitably distant from house and neighbours — in his parents' back garden. Soon the Basildon (Essex) air was alive with the sound of jigs and reels! Then Dave's musical career began, first playing folk music with the Banbury-based Rollright Stones during the late 1970s. Next came a long-running partnership, as "Mortlock and Underwood", with wizard folk-blues guitarist Frank Underwood

Gregory Harrington

Born in Dublin to Irish parents, Gregory Harrington began to play the violin at the age of four at the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He holds degrees in Business and Music from University College Dublin, American College Dublin, The Guildhall School of Music in London and Mannes College of Music in New York City. Today, Harrington is one of Ireland's most recognized violinists, having performed all over the world as soloist in some of the world’s greatest concert halls for Presidents, the United Nations, and millions of music fans at arenas and stages worldwide. He was invited to open the St Patrick's Day Parade live on NBC on 5th Avenue to a nationally televised US audience and was invited by the Green Bay Packers to perform the US National Anthem at Lambeau Field. Harrington has appeared with many great orchestras and esteemed conductors including the San Diego Symphony, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Mexico City Philharmonic, RTE Concert Orchestra and the Janacek Philharmonic under Thomas Wilkins, Robert Houlihan, Mariusz Smolij and Mark Shapiro amongst others. In 2006 he founded his own record label, Estile Records, and has has enjoyed success on the Billboard Classical Charts having released 3 critically acclaimed albums to date

Sarah Bernstein

SARAH BERNSTEIN is a New York-based composer and violinist whose work incorporates vocals, electronics, improvisation and original text. She is known for her fiery multidisciplinary performances, and has garnered international acclaim for her distinctive recordings. She has released ten albums to date as a leader/coleader. She leads the Sarah Bernstein Quartet and VEER Quartet, and performs solo as Exolinger. Collaborations include her duo with drummer Kid Millions, synth-pop group Day So Far, and a range of projects in new jazz, chamber music, experimental pop and noise. She has placed in the DownBeat Critics Poll annually since 2015, winning “Rising Star Violinist” in 2020

Maureen Choi

Born: March 11, 1983

Since starting to play violin at age 3, Maureen has won numerous solo competitions and performed with orchestras all over the U.S., Europe and Asia. After graduating from Michigan State University, she went on to study jazz and improvisation at Berklee College of Music in Boston. She has collaborated with top musicians in Detroit, Boston and New York, including Rodney Whitaker, Johnny O'Neal, Larry Harlow, Ed Byrne, Kanye West, DJ Premiere and Josh Groban. Her first jazz album "Maureen Choi Quartet" (2011) was very well received among US radio stations and in publications such as Jazziz Magazine and Jazz Corner, staying in AllAboutJazz.com’s Top 50 for several months

Omer Ashano

Born: February 4, 1993

Ashano’s musical influences are as cosmopolitan as he is, having lived in several places including Amsterdam, New York City, Athens and various cities and villages in Israel. As a result of these experiences and engaging with different people throughout his travels in Europe, North America and the far East, Ashano was constantly influenced by a variety of cultural inspirations and local communities. This helped shape his eclectic musical identity, which holds traces of Israeli music, African-american music, Classical music as well as folklore music from Africa, Romania and India.

Born in 1993, Ashano started playing violin when he was six years old, later taking up the guitar at age 13. At the time, his guitar teachers were the influencers who exposed Omer to the styles of Blues, Rock n’ Roll and Jazz as well as the ideas and possibilities surrounding improvisation. It was from this exposure that Omer started experimenting with this new knowledge and adapting it for the violin.

Steve Sandberg

Born: June 22, 1955

Three-time Emmy-nominated pianist/composer/raconteur Steve Sandberg plays classical masterpieces as well as original music that masterfully blends classical, global music traditions, and jazz with the excitement of virtuosic improvisation.

Mr. Sandberg began playing the piano at the age of four and has studied with the legendary pianist/teacher Seymour Bernstein. While getting his classical music degree at Yale University, he fell under the spell of Latin rhythms and it changed his life. Deeply drawn to these rhythms, he moved back to New York after graduating to immerse himself in the world of jazz and Afro-Caribbean music. His mentor was multi-instrumentalist Mario Rivera, a member of the Dizzie Gillespie, Tito Puente, and George Coleman ensembles. Mr. Sandberg was pianist, composer and arranger for Rivera’s “Salsa Refugee” group, and also performed with Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, and Ruben Blades. A highlight of this period was an appearance in Rio and São Paolo in a duo with vocalist Bebel Gilberto.
Steve has toured with David Byrne (“Rei Momo") as keyboardist and vocalist, and was musical director for Lincoln Center’s summer Brazilfest series.  He has conducted and arranged for Broadway (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) and for many regional and off-Broadway theatres, including the New York Shakespeare Festival. He was lead composer and musical director for Nickelodeon’s landmark children’s programs “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go!”

Jonathan Ng

Jazz violinist, vocalist, and bandleader Jonathan Ng has spent the majority of his life making music that moves people. He specializes in the traditions of swing and gypsy jazz, combining musical virtuosity with emotional expression. Jonathan also possesses a unique knowledge of swing dance bandleading founded on his expertise as a lindy hop, balboa, and blues dancer. Whether playing for a seated audience or a crowded floor of dancers, Jonathan seeks to share the spark which made him first fall in love with the recordings of Django Reinhardt and Count Basie. Jonathan's performances combine a musical acuity born from years of classical training with a captivating showmanship honed playing to countless packed rocked clubs

Kit Eakle

Born: September 6, 1946

Kit Eakle is an internationally known jazz violinist, violin teacher, educator, and publisher of music education materials. He has a Master's in Music Education from The University of Victoria, Canada. He is currently working on a book about the history of jazz violin. He has shared a stage with John Lee Hooker, David Grisman, Turtle Island String Quartet, Jason Anick, Mads Tolling, Lynton Garner (Errol's brother!), and performed as a member of the Hot Club of Marin, Django Obscura, The Sons of Emperor Norton, Sugar Moon, The Mark Holzinger Band, his own Kit Eakle Quartet, and his brother, noted David Grisman flute player, Matt Eakle

Tomoko Omura

Born: August 31, 1980

Tomoko Omura is a visionary jazz violinist, composer, and educator whose distinctive sound blends classical technique with the improvisational energy of jazz. Born and raised in Japan, Tomoko began playing the violin at the age of four, building a strong classical foundation. Her love for jazz, however, developed later in her life during her university years, where she became a self-taught jazz violinist, drawing inspiration from recordings, live performances, and her own exploration of the genre. This unique journey led her to become one of the most innovative voices in modern jazz violin.

Mateusz Smoczyński

Born: March 6, 1984

Mateusz Smoczyński is a distinguished Polish violinist, composer, and bandleader renowned for his versatility across various musical genres. He is a co-founder of the Atom String Quartet and New Trio, leads a quintet, and performs in a duo with cellist Stephan Braun.

Smoczyński has performed on prominent stages worldwide, both as a soloist and with diverse ensembles, collaborating with acclaimed artists such as Branford Marsalis, Rabih Abou-Khalil, Markus Stockhausen, Paquito D’Rivera, Tomasz Stańko, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Bobby McFerrin, Anna Maria Jopek, Leszek Możdżer, and the NDR Big Band. As soloist he performed with leading Polish orchestras.