One of jazz's most revered heroes, innovative French violinist Stéphane Grappelli firmly established the violin as a jazz instrument in partnership with gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. Styling a new kind of string music born of the streets, the pair brought a different form of swing to jazz in the Quintette du Hot Club de Paris and Grappelli's free-form playing came to influence many younger artists from different musical genres, even playing on Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' album.

Born in Paris to a French mother and an Italian father, he studied dance with Isadora Duncan as a boy, lived in a Catholic orphanage during the Great War and began playing violin at the age of 12 with money raised by his father pawning a suit. Initially he learned to play by imitating street violinists in Paris before studying at the Conservatoire de Paris, graduating in 1923, and made his living busking on the streets. He then got a job playing in cinemas for silent movies and first heard jazz from the American music being played at a local brasserie. Inspired by seeing Joe Venuti, he devised his own style of improvised playing before abandoning violin for a while to concentrate on playing piano with a big band. However, a chance meeting with gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt persuaded him to return to the violin followed by a long jam session at Reinhardt's home.

It was three years, however, before another chance meeting at Claridge's in London led the two of them to start working together professionally as the Quintette du Hot Club de Paris. A residency at a Montmartre night club spread their fame as the exciting, unpredictable flow of their collaborations led to hero status. Grappelli went on to accompany numerous other artists, including Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Yehudi Menuhin and David Grisman and, during World War II, played with George Shearing. After Reinhardt's death, he found a new regular jazz guitar partner in Diz Disley, and they made several albums together. He also appeared in concert with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. He was still playing right up until his death in 1997 at the age of 89.

Stéphane Grappelli

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