Stephane Grappelli: A Life in Jazz

Book excerpt: This riveting book by Paul Balmer is the definitive biography of a unique musician whose life spanned the 20th century. Stephane Grappelli's astonishing career ran on a parallel track to the history of Jazz itself. Born in Paris in 1908 Grappelli was to become a member of the greatest European Jazz band of them all - the pre-war Hot Club de France Quintet - playing Violin alongside gypsy Guitar legend Django Reinhardt. Tat dazzling association with Reinhardt may have brought Grappelli his greatest fame, but his prodigious talent was also to give him a long and varied career in music playing with everyone from Duke Ellington and Joe Venuti to George Shearing and Oscar Peterson. This rich and revealing biography takes its place alongside the author's BAFTA-nominated DVD about Grappelli, an exceptional musician whose fascinating personal story also vividly illuminates the history of American Jazz in Europe.