Raphael Fays has been one of the top Gypsy jazz virtuosos for the past two decades. Born in Paris, he was quickly recognized as a child prodigy. His father Louis Fays accompanied him for many years (as in the video.) Raphael had the misfortune of having much of his career take place during the 70s and 80s. A time when there was little interest in Gypsy jazz. However, his pioneering use of Latin rhythms and modern repertoire influenced the next generation of super stars: Bireli Lagrene, Stochelo Rosenberg, etc.

Raphael Fays has an excellent right hand Gypsy Picking technique. Watch closely. He is one of the few Gypsy guitarists who plays with his hand entirely off the top of the guitar.

To hear more Raphael Fays see: Gypsy & Classic, Raphael Fays, In Concert, and Voyages.

The video archive is dedicated to Mary Honcoop. She generously shared her large collection of Gypsy videos with nearly anyone who asked. The video archive aims to continue her generosity now that she is gone.

The Video Archive is devoted surviving video of Django Reinhardt and other masters of the Gypsy jazz genre. If you enjoy these videos consider making a donation.

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Eddie South (1904-1962) was one of the premiere jazz violinists of his generation. A child prodigy from Missouri, South graduated from the Chicago Music College. At the time, classical positions were not open to Black violinists in the 1920s, so South learned to play jazz (helped out by Darnell Howard). In the early to mid-1920s, he worked in Chicago with Jimmy Wade’s Syncopators, Charles Elgar and Erskine Tate. In 1928, a visit to Europe (where he studied at the Paris Conservatoire) made a deep impression on the violinist, particularly Budapest; later on, he would often utilize gypsy melodies as a basis for jazz improvising.

In 1931, South returned to Chicago, where his regular band included bassist Milt Hinton. In 1937, while in Paris he recorded with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. South never had a major breakthrough commercially in his American career. Classically trained, fluent in several styles including swing, gypsy and Latin; he favored a warm, lyrical sound; popular in Europe, where racial discrimination did not hinder his style.

He did work on radio and television but spent most of his life in relative obscurity, playing in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In later years he recorded for Chess and Mercury, and also made a final set released by Trip. South’s other early recordings (covering 1927-41) have been reissued on a pair of Classics CDs. One of the top violinists of the pre-bop era South was a brilliant technician who, were it not for the universal racism of the time, would probably have been a top classical violinist.

To hear South’s recordings with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli see: Intégrale Django Reinhardt Vol.6 (1937)

Eddie South’s playing is featured on the following CDs: Solo, Trio & Ochestra – Broadcasts, Film & Fugitive, Americans in Sweden, and I Like Be I Like Bop.

A complete bio-discography of Eddie South can be found here: Black Gypsy: The Recordings of Eddie South.

From the collection of Scot Wise.

Eddie South (1904-1962) was one of the premiere jazz violinists of his generation. A child prodigy from Missouri, South graduated from the Chicago Music College. At the time, classical positions were not open to Black violinists in the 1920s, so South learned to play jazz (helped out by Darnell Howard). In the early to mid-1920s, he worked in Chicago with Jimmy Wade’s Syncopators, Charles Elgar and Erskine Tate. In 1928, a visit to Europe (where he studied at the Paris Conservatoire) made a deep impression on the violinist, particularly Budapest; later on, he would often utilize gypsy melodies as a basis for jazz improvising.

In 1931, South returned to Chicago, where his regular band included bassist Milt Hinton. In 1937, while in Paris he recorded with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. South never had a major breakthrough commercially in his American career. Classically trained, fluent in several styles including swing, gypsy and Latin; he favored a warm, lyrical sound; popular in Europe, where racial discrimination did not hinder his style.

He did work on radio and television but spent most of his life in relative obscurity, playing in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In later years he recorded for Chess and Mercury, and also made a final set released by Trip. South’s other early recordings (covering 1927-41) have been reissued on a pair of Classics CDs. One of the top violinists of the pre-bop era South was a brilliant technician who, were it not for the universal racism of the time, would probably have been a top classical violinist.

This piece has an interesting blend of jazz, Latin, and Eastern European elements.

To hear South’s recordings with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli see: Intégrale Django Reinhardt Vol.6 (1937)

Eddie South’s playing is featured on the following CDs: Solo, Trio & Ochestra – Broadcasts, Film & Fugitive, Americans in Sweden, and I Like Be I Like Bop.

A complete bio-discography of Eddie South can be found here: Black Gypsy: The Recordings of Eddie South.

From the collection of Scot Wise.

The video archive is dedicated to Mary Honcoop. She generously shared her large collection of Gypsy videos with nearly anyone who asked. The video archive aims to continue her generosity now that she is gone.

Dave Apollon was one of the greatest mandolinists of the 20th Century. He was a Jewish immigrant from the Ukraine who was a master of classical, Hungarian, Romanian, Klezmer, Latin, and jazz styles.

Born in Kiev, Dave Apollon was known during his time as the “world’s greatest mandolin virtuoso.” He began playing the mandolin at a young age and apparently taught himself. When he was 13 he met a renowned italian mandolinist who was touring Russia, and Dave managed to persuade the man to help him. He taught Dave how to hold the pick and a few other “tricks” that would later serve him well. In 1919, Dave Apollon decided to escape the hardships of the Russian Revolution and made his way to America. Dave performed in vaudeville, and in 1926 he met a group of filipino string players who had just lost their job in another show. He immediately hired them to be his “orchestra” and began working up the routines and musical numbers that would be part of his show. In 1930, Dave embarked on a motion picture career, filming the first of six musical shorts. In 1937, he was featured in Universal’s “Merry Go ‘Round of 1938”, his only full-length American film. He was also a popular night club performer throughout the ’40s and ’50s. Dave Apollon was the first “new world” mandolinist. He was the first to technically master the instrument and at the same time adapt this technique to an extremely wide variety of music.

From the collection of Scot Wise.

For more Dave Apollon check out his CD The Man with Mandolin.

The video archive is dedicated to Mary Honcoop. She generously shared her large collection of Gypsy videos with nearly anyone who asked. The video archive aims to continue her generosity now that she is gone.

The Video Archive is devoted surviving video of Django Reinhardt and other masters of the Gypsy jazz genre. If you enjoy these videos consider making a donation.

To view this video you need Real Player software. Download for free here: Real Player

Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang set a precident for string jazz that was followed by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli. This clip was from their days with Paul Whiteman. Venuti’s violin technique is explained in his books Never Before…Never Again, Violin Rhythm and 50 Hot Breaks for Violin. Eddie Lang explains his astoudning guitar technique in his books Modern Advanced Guitar Method and Fingerboard Harmony for Guitar.

For more Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti, see their CDs The Quintessential Eddie Lang, A Handful of Riffs, Wild Cats, 1926-1928, 1928-1930, 1933, and Pretty Trix.

For more Venuti footage see the DVD: Jeremy Cohen & Friends Celebrate Joe Venuti: 100 Years.

Joe Venuti can also be heard on these CDs: Joe Venuti and Zoot Sims, Joe Venuti and Dave McKenna – Alone at the Palace, Joe Venuti & Earl Hines – Hot Sonatas, Joe Venuti & Chet Baker – Capolinea LP, Joe Venuti & Marian McPartland – The Maestro and Friend LP.

From the collection of Ted Gottsegen.

The video archive is dedicated to Mary Honcoop. She generously shared her large collection of Gypsy videos with nearly anyone who asked. The video archive aims to continue her generosity now that she is gone.