Organ with Violin?

[Dan Gould]

Well, to answer my own question, it has, but its a combination that really surprises me and I'm wondering if anyone can name a jazz date with both an organist and a violinist.

I'll pop back with the one that I found later.

[Soul Stream]

Yes, on the Essence Bongo Bop. Very good violin on, I think, all the tracks along with Joey, Lonnie, Doug Carn and Reuben Wilson.

Also, Eddie Louis did an album with violin I believe.

[ghost of miles]

Not a fan, but didn't Jean-Luc Ponty do some recording along these lines, Dan?

I'd love to dig up some weird, forgotten 40's or 50's session with Stuff Smith & an organ... but I doubt if any such session exists.

[paul secor]

Stuff Smith recorded with Sun Ra in 1953 or '54 with Sun Ra playing an electric keyboard called the solovox. It's not an organ (at least it doesn't sound like a conventional organ - more like a crude synthesizer), but it's close enough. You can hear it on Sun Sound Pleasure - Evidence 22014.

Edited November 10, 2003 by paul secor

[Chuck Nessa]

Not a jazz date but I have recordings of violin sonatas with organ written by Heinrich Biber in the late 1600s. Great stuff.

Edited November 10, 2003 by Chuck Nessa

[Dan Gould]

Interesting. SS's citation isn't the album I was thinking of. It's

Herb Ellis' first full set as a leader since leaving the Concord label (where he had been during 1973-88) finds him in inspired form. The veteran guitarist is heard in a trio with the recently rediscovered organist Mel Rhyne and drummer Jake Hanna plus guest violinist Johnny Frigo and Jay Thomas on tenor and flugelhorn. A fire seemed to have been lit under Ellis for he plays on the well-rounded program with much more passion than he had on most of his later Concord albums. This CD is highlighted by "Just Blue," "Limehouse Blues," "Sugar Hill Stomp," and "Detour Ahead" but all 11 selections are worth hearing. Recommended. -- Scott Yanow

I just picked up another Herb Ellis' disc on Justice, Down Home and for the heck of it, checked AMG and saw this one and since I dig Mel Rhyne, I decided to order this one used for $4, and I started to wonder about organ/violin combinations.

[JSngry]

Howzabout Sugarcane Harris? Did any of those MPS sides he did have organ?

Ponty & Louis recorded together, w/Daniel Humair along, mid-late-60s. Pretty interesting stuff, and available on Dreyfus.

[brownie]

HLP was the name of the trio that reunited Daniel Humair, Eddy Louiss and Jean-Luc Ponty. They recorded two albums that were reissued by Dreyfus couple of years ago.

Eddy Louiss also played organ (and piano) on a Jean-Luc Ponty album 'Jazz Long Playing' that was reissued in the Jazz in Paris series.

And on a couple of Stephane Grappelli. One of them is the 1972 album 'Satin Doll' on Festival (with Jimmy Gourley on guitar and Kenny Clarke on drums)

[tonym]

Open Land by John Abercrombie (ECM)

His regular trio including Adam Nussbaum on B3 and the guy on violin - Mark Feldman.

Great stuff.

IMO a must have.

[mikeweil]

Howzabout Sugarcane Harris? Did any of those MPS sides he did have organ?

Definitely not. Electric pianos, harpsichords, you name it - but no organ.

The Herb Ellis is a great - actually the one Herb Ellis disc I like the most, bought for Melvin Rhyne. His second career started with exactly that Ellis session in 1991 - if that's anyone's idea of "recently" .....

I have the Humair/Louiss/Ponty disc, it sure is worth a listen, some of the jazziest playing Ponty ever did. Louiss is in fine form too. And Humair is always great, one of Europe's best jazz drummers, he's played with practically everybody except Rollins and Miles (he said in an interview).

[paul secor]

Howzabout Sugarcane Harris? Did any of those MPS sides he did have organ?

Good call! Even if there's no organ on the MPS sides, Sugarcane Harris made a great single, "Soul Motion" (Rush 1002), as part of the Don and Dewey duo, with Dewey Terry on organ. It's a great blues/soul violin with organ record.

[Jim Alfredson]

Stuff Smith recorded with Sun Ra in 1953 or '54 with Sun Ra playing an electric keyboard called the solovox. It's not an organ (at least it doesn't sound like a conventional organ - more like a crude synthesizer), but it's close enough. You can hear it on Sun Sound Pleasure - Evidence 22014.

Oddly enough, the Solovox was made by Hammond. It is indeed a crude, tube based synthesizer but considering it was made in the 40s...

[DrJ]

That Ponty/Louiss/Humair CD on Dreyfus is a really good one. Unusual combination for sure.

[7/4]

Stuff Smith recorded with Sun Ra in 1953 or '54 with Sun Ra playing an electric keyboard called the solovox. It's not an organ (at least it doesn't sound like a conventional organ - more like a crude synthesizer), but it's close enough. You can hear it on Sun Sound Pleasure - Evidence 22014.

Oddly enough, the Solovox was made by Hammond. It is indeed a crude, tube based synthesizer but considering it was made in the 40s...

Wasn't the tone closer to a sine tone?

I haven't heard one in years.......

[Clunky]

Stephane Grappelli JiP disc "Plays Cole Porter" featurs ogan and vioilin to great effect even including a duo track of these two unlikely bed fellows. Good album. Also features Jimmy Gourley, Daniel Humair and Eddy Louis

[Guest ariceffron]

tdoiay on the radio--- chick singer, honeysuckle rose, b3 comp w/ violin solo