[Dixielandjazz] Claude Williams

[anichols at gis.net]

Robert,
  A few years ago, Matt Glaser, who heads up the Jazz Strings department at
The Berkley School of Music in Boston, had Claude Williams for a workshop
at the school and later that day I was in attendance to hear him at Johnny
D's music/dinner club. He was celebrating a 90's decade birthday. He got up
played a few tunes wonderfully but then Matt got his fiddle out and started
a bit of riff trading and the place came alive.  Clarence was in his glory
too and not to be outdone. He was dresssed in suit and tie. A memorable
evening. Clarence Williams died in 2004 and would have been 95/96?.

  I'm sorry I'd never got to see Grappelli live. Someone who did said he
came on stage with canes, sat down, took out his fiddle and he was sixteen
again. An absolutely wonderful DVD on his life was made by an English
couple who caught him the year before he died. It's called A Life In The
Jazz Century and has all the know footage of Django Reinhardt (sp). Much of
the recording is in Stephane's own words. What a guy.

  Matt Glaser put out a Jazz Violin book a few years ago with a picture of
he and Grappelli on the cover. The book has the total improvisation written
out for various tunes by various players and discusses what each does.
Grappelli, Eddie South, Venuti and others are represented.

Norm..

Original message:
>Message: 1
>Date: Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:56:27 +0100 (BST)
>From: "ROBERT R. CALDER" <serapion at btinternet.com>
>To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Fiddler
>Message-ID: <1314042987.77268.YahooMailRC at web87015.mail.ird.yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
>Claude Williams, please!
>There was a jazz fiddler -- on those early recordings with Andy Kirk and the
>airshots with young and manyfingered Basie, and then when he left Kansas City
>with Jay McShann and started making wonderful recordings in the post-Venuti
>style which Ms. Carter deploys when doing the proper hot stuff.
>
>
>Grappelly was amazing when still in his prime, and calling himself
>Grappelli --
>recordings tended to lop off the overtones which could be heard when he was
>playing live.  He sounded different when finally playing from a wheechair,
>with
>the amp volume raised and the sound much more electrical, presumably
>because he
>didn't want to tire his fingers -- but there's plenty Venuti and Williams and
>Stuff Smith and even of course Ray Nance for those who haven't heard a lot of
>jazz fiddle which wasn't Grappelly/ i ......
>
>I have memories of a warm glow hearing the fiddler called George
>Washingmachine
>jam on Struttin with Some Barbecue.
>
>There are lots of jazz fiddlers out there,
>
>Robert