I’m making a video for YouTube at the moment about more relatively unknown jazz violinists (in the grand scheme of things). I came across this guy Joe Kennedy a while ago and was blown away. Heard his name from time to time and heard him on the Ahmed Jamal record “Listen To The Ahmed Jamal Quintet” Check this recording of him as bandleader. I love his playing, nice tone but a real deep understanding of jazz too.

I've been transcribing this epic early Ponty solo (if I'm feeling brave later I'll upload a video of my progress). What I find fun about it is all the rhythmic displacement stuff he's doing - there's a lot of harmonically fun stuff and bebop language in there of course but every single chorus he's using (often pretty similar) rhythmic patterns to great effect. I'm trying to follow the process and create some of my own exercises out of this. I wondered how people (/Matt!) approach practicing rhythm generally - would you take a scale and and practice rhythm/bowing patterns over it, or think specifically about incorporating rhythm into other exercises, or do you ever practice rhythmic patterns on their own? It's also an area I think I'm going to have to be braver about recording myself and listening back - coming from a classical background I feel fairly confident that I can hear whether I'm hitting the right notes with sufficient intonation when I'm thinking about practicing harmonic exercises, but with rhythm I don't know if I've developed the same capacity for real time self critique when it comes to rhythm and feel. I guess it's the thing I most cringe at when I do listen back to myself! Interested to hear others thoughts on this! https://youtu.be/hQjLPFCQ33o?si=yLG4mp5oz1fWVtq_

He is a great Romanian violinist based in Paris. He’s a real interesting player in the “gypsy jazz” world. That style is really a modern interpretation of Django and Stephane’s style, kept alive mainly in the Sinti/Manouche communities in Europe. I would say that the style of music is treated quite like folk music (certainly by guitarists) in terms of the improvisational language, the way of learning and the repertoire but at the end of the day it’s jazz! Violinists like Costel have a distinct swing feel and style of playing, just as close to other Sinti/Manouche and Romani fiddles styles as it is to Grappelli’s playing in my opinion.

I transcribed this about 13 years ago. Ola is one of the best bebop players in my opinion. He found a really interesting way to get that phrasing out on the violin. I interviewed him a while back also for my Jazz Violin Podcast here. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TFteJg6NnxWGbUM9nicfs?si=KCLiLQUBRCWLT4Tv3LlpVg

This is just incredible...immaculate phrasing 🤤 https://open.spotify.com/track/5wYyN3MQWCznOLZF9QbuEx?si=r0_5ojohQPqgKF8F-adzlg