Joe Venuti, Stephane Grappelli - The Best Of The Jazz Violins (1988)

This LRC budget release includes two unrelated sessions from a pair of the greatest jazz violinists: Joe Venuti and Stephane Grappelli. Venuti is heard in 1971 with pianist Lou Stein and a pair of Italian musicians (bassist Marco Ratti and drummer Gil Cuppini) performing "The Hot Canary" (a novelty piece) and six familiar standards including "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Tea for Two." Grappelli is caught in 1975 jamming his "Sysmo," Bud Powell's "Parisian Thoroughfare," and five older songs in a quartet with guitarist Jimmy Shirley, pianist Johnny Guarnieri, and bassist Slam Stewart. No real surprises occur, but the violinists are in fine form. These two sessions are a bit rare and worth searching for by fans of swing violinists.~The Best of the Jazz Violins Review by Scott Yanow