|
Written by Reg Clarke
|
|
From orphanage to world acclaim
One summer’s evening in 1981 Chris & I shared, with many others, the pleasurable atmosphere of Montmartre. In the Place du Tertre an elderly guy sat alongside a younger companion on two well-worn wooden peasant style chairs, the older guy playing violin the young one a guitar. I didn’t know the guitarist but the violinist was Stefan Grappelli, acclaimed as the finest jazz violinist in the history of jazz music. The 40 minutes or so impromptu street performance they gave that balmy evening on a cobbled lane set amongst the street cafes & portrait artists & stalls of the Place du Tertre was something you wished you could package & take away to replay forever.
In my mind’s eye I can still visualise the scene & feel the passion underpinning the music. Their repertoire included such jazz classics as: ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing’ … ‘Them There Eye’s’ … ‘Lime House Blues,’ and so on. Having sought a reasonable vantage point our eyes briefly met & Stefan Grappelli acknowledged me with a warm smile that one only shares with a friend, a gesture which I believe was a testimony to the very essence of the humility of the man and whose musical genius was, & still is, recognised by millions throughout the world.
Stefan Grappelli was born in Paris of Italian parents in 1908. When he was 4 years of age his mother died & two years later after his father was conscripted he was placed in an orphanage. Self-taught he busked the streets of Montmartre with his second-hand violin & eventually, having earned enough money from busking, he attended the Conservatoire de Paris where he also learned to play the saxophone, accordion & piano. However he will always be known for his violin playing.
A violin to Stefan Grappelli was like a pen to a poet, or a brush to an artist, his performances were endowed with life & engaged the sensuous & romantic susceptibilities of the listener. In the mid 1930’s, along with his friend that fine jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, Stefan Grappelli formed the Quintette du Hot Club de Paris. The Hot Club with their rhythmic powers became what was arguably the finest of all-string jazz bands. They released many albums, the originals of which are now highly prized collectors items.
In an age when one-hit wonders are frequently referred to as ‘Stars’ … or folks who are noticeably short on talent become celebrities by virtue of appearing on fatuous Reality TV shows, Stefan Grappelli was a ‘Star’ in the true meaning of the word. Stefan Grappelli died in 1997 aged 89 leaving a legacy to be enjoyed by, not only jazz aficionados, but those who appreciate the best in music whatever the genre.
If I may quote Shakespeare: ‘His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the world, “This was a man”.’ That’s Mark Antony in praise of Brutus - but it could well apply to Stefan Grappelli.
|
