Roby Lakatos (1965 -)
Roby Lakatos is the seventh generation in a family of gypsy violinists. He is descended from Janos Bihari who Lakatos says was like the Paganini of the gypsy violin. Roby’s style of playing combines classical, jazz, and Romanian Gypsy music. He can play just about anything.
Here is a clip of Roby Lakatos and his ensemble playing “Those Were The Days”. The tune starts off slow but then in typical gypsy fashion the musicians go wild. Enjoy.
Joseph Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Joseph Rheinberger was a German organist and composer who lived most of his life in Germany. He was a child prodigy and was already serving as the organist for his local parish church when he was only 7 years old. He also wrote his first composition at the age of 7 or 8. Rheinberger was very particular about the music he liked and the music he disliked. One day, people outside his church noticed smoke coming from the chimney of the church. They went inside the church and discovered Rheinberger tossing sheetmusic into the fireplace.
Rheinberger was a prolific composer. Today he is best known for his elaborate and challenging organ music. He composed 36 solo pieces, 22 trios, 20 sonatas, and several pieces for violin and organ which are quite beautiful. Here is the Praeludium from his Suite for Violin and Organ, Op.166 from a Naxos recording played by violinist Line Most and organist Marie Ziener. Enjoy!
Erroll Garner (c.1921/1923-1977)
Erroll Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is most well known for his swing playing and jazz ballad playing. Of all the compositions he wrote, his most famous piece was ‘Misty’ which became a jazz standard. Garner had his own trio which he performed and recorded with. Here is a recording done in 1949 of a jazzy version of Claude Debussy’s Reverie (Dreaming) piece for solo piano. It is played by Erroll Garner and his trio.
For comparison, here is Debussy’s Reverie played the way it was originally composed by pianist Menahem Pressler.
Stephane Grappelli (1908-1997)
Stephane Grappelli was a jazz violinist and jazz pianist. He is most famous for co-founding the Quintet of the Hot Club of France with Django Reinhardt in 1934. The quintet made hundreds of recordings together from 1934 until 1939. They disbanded during the war and got together after the war. They played together until Django Reinhardt’s untimely death in 1953. After Reinhardt’s death Grappelli continued to play. Starting in the 1970s people became interested in his music again, and Grappelli toured the world several times from then on until his death in 1997. Throughout his career, Grappelli played with just about every important jazz and classical musician on the planet.
Bill Coleman (1904-1981)
Bill Coleman was a jazz trumpeter. He had a long career and as he got older his playing improved by leaps and bounds. Coleman played wth such jazz greats as: Benny Carter, Teddy Wilson, Billie Holiday, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and Stephane Grappelli.
Here is a video clip of Stephane Grappelli and Bill Coleman playing the jazz standard “After You’ve Gone”. Listen to the wonderful interplay between the trumpet and violin throughout the session and the wonderful swing feel of the ensemble. Enjoy!
Fini Henriques (1867-1940)
Fini Henriques was a Danish composer and violinist. He was a colleague of Victor Borge’s father and both he and Victor Borge’s father played in the Royal Danish Orchestra. Fini Henriques was an excellent composer. He wrote music for piano, violin, and chamber ensembles. Fini Henriques also wrote operas.
Here is a rare clip of the Danish comedian and pianist Victor Borge playing a Lullaby by Fini Henriques. This piece was sentimental for Victor Borge because his mother used to play it for him when he was a little boy. I hope that you enjoy this music.
The Original Dixieland Jass Band was a Dixieland jazz band. The group was the first to record jazz commercially and have hit records in the jazz genre. The first jazz record ever issued was the “Livery Stable Blues” in 1917. In late 1917 the band’s name was changed to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The most famous recording the band did was their recording of the Tiger Rag. They composed and recorded many jazz standards.
Here is the recording of the Original Dixieland Jass Band playing the “Livery Stable Blues”. The instruments imitate barnyard animals. If you listen carefully you can hear a horse neighing.
Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)
Gabriel Fauré was a French composer, organist, pianist, and teacher. He was one of the top French composers of his time. Today he is known for works such as his Requiem, Cantique de Jean Racine, his masterful art songs, and his piano pieces. Fauré lived long enough to be recorded playing the piano on piano rolls.
Here is a piano roll recording of Gabriel Fauré playing his Barcarolle No. 1. Listen to how beautifully the music flows and the beautiful melody and the harmony that supports it.
Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880)
Henryk Wieniawski was a Polish violinist and composer. In 1843 (when he was only 8 years old) he was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire. Wieniawski was a violin virtuoso and toured quite extensively during his career. He composed several pieces for violin and piano that he often played in recitals when on tour. Wieniawski was a wonderful melodist, but his pieces are often very challenging to play and require a virtuoso technique. A violin competition was named after him. He is to the violin what Chopin is to the piano.
Here is a video clip of violinist Itzhak Perlman (accompanied on the piano by Janet Guggenheim) playing Wieniawski’s Etude Caprice Op. 18 No.4. This video clip was taken from a film of a tour Perlman did in Russia. As you will see in the video, this piece is extremely difficult to play. Perlman is such a master of his instrument that he makes it look easy.
Bebo Valdes (1918-2013)
Bebo Valdes was a Cuban pianist, bandleader, composer, and arranger. He was a major musical figure during the golden age of Cuban music. Bebo led two famous big bands and was the main arranger for a band at the Tropicana Club. He began his career in the 1940s playing in the nightclubs of Havana, Cuba. He was an important figure in the Havana Cuban Jazz scene.
In 2001, Bebo Valdes and his trio recorded an album called El Arte del Sabor (The Art of Flavor). The album featured traditional Cuban melodies. The album won a 2002 Latin Grammy Award for teh best tropical album, and a Grammy Award for the best traditional tropical album.
Here is a piece called Priquitín Pin Pon played by Bebo Valdes (piano), Israel López “Cachao” (double bass), Carlos Patato Valdés (conga, percussion), and guest musician Paquito D’Rivera (clarinet, saxophone).
Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977)
Charlie Chaplin was an English comedian, filmmaker, and composer. He became famous during the time of silent films. One fact about Chaplin that many people don’t know about is that he was a prolific composer. Chaplin composed most of the music that was used in his silent films. He was also the composer of the song “Smile” which was recorded by many singers including Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, and Nat King Cole.
In 2016, violinist Philippe Quint, pianist Marta Aznavoorian, Joshua Bell, and a couple of arrangers got together. After listening to many of Chaplin’s songs, they chose 13 of his most popular songs and arranged them for violin and piano. The project took three years to come to fruition. The recording was released this year. The CD is entitled Chaplin’s Smile and features Quint and Aznavoorian on most of the tracks. Violinist Joshua Bell joins Quint and Aznavoorian on two of the tracks. Here are three selections from that recording. I hope that you enjoy this beautiful music.
Musical Treats 