Stephane Grappelli: Improvisations

The mid-1950s were rough for Stephane Grappelli. He had recently returned to Paris after living in London for seven years to find that his brand of elegant swing was considered old-fashioned by the young Parisian bop fans. And his long-time collaborator Django Reinhardt had died in 1953, ending one of the most fruitful partnerships in jazz history. So when he went into the studio in 1956, he was faced with a dual challenge. He had to prove he wasn't just a relic of the past and that he could hold his own without the backing of Django's guitar. On Improvisations he passes both tests with grace and charm. Grappelli wisely avoids using a guitarist, which would only sound like a weak rehash of the past, opting instead for the classic jazz trio of piano, bass, and drums. When Grappelli was with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France they rarely played ballads. But on tracks such as "Someone to Watch over Me," and "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" he has the chance to explore nuances of phrasing and tone color in a way that wasn't possible at the quick tempos Django favored. Improvisations is a delightful collection of jazz standards played by a master musician in the process of discovering for himself how good he really is. --Michael Simmons

Price: $17.98