pianist vs. piano player

[George Thompson]

Eddie South was the earliest jazz violinist I know of.  He worked
mostly in Europe before WWII.  "Fiddler" Claude Williams was alive and
active, at a very advanced age, a few years ago.  Ray Nance doubled
trumpet and violin in Ellington's band from 1941 I think, until his
death in the mid 60s.

There is also a jazz harmonica player (Toots Thielmanns) a jazz
violist, whose name I forget, and a jazz bagpiper (Rufus Harley or
Hawley -- he doubled some other instrument in more demand than the
bagpipes, but made an LP in the mid 60s).

GAT

George A. Thompson
Author of A Documentary History of "The African
Theatre", Northwestern Univ. Pr., 1998.

----- Original Message -----
From: "ANNE V. GILBERT" <avgilbert at PRODIGY.NET>
Date: Thursday, February 7, 2002 2:10 pm
Subject: Re: pianist vs. piano player

> Peter:
>
> > Admittedly "jazz violinist" muddies the water just a little.  (I
> didn't> know there was such a thing as a jazz violinist, but *jazz
> fiddler seems
> > definitely wrong.)
>
> There definitely *are* jazz violinists.  The late Stephan Grapelli
> was one,
> and he's darn good.
> Anne G
>