Johny Frigo

In the absence of Stephane Grappelli, Ray Nance, and Stuff Smith, 83-year-old frigo is nothing short of a violin icon. Which is not to say that he is anything of a museum piece. His work during this Caribbean jazz cruise is soulful and swinging. For the uninitiated, Frigo's playing will invite inevitable comparisons with Grappelli. True, both have a buoyant joy to their music, especially on rhythm numbers. Frigo, however, has a reservoir of Gypsy melancholia (particularly on ballads or verses) that is not to be found in the Frenchman's music. When Frigo navigates emotionally through "The Man I Love" on a Gershwin medley, handkerchiefs all over the ship must have been pressed into service. The hell-bent fiddling on "Strike up the Band" is a reminder that Frigo spent years on a country-music radio show. The last tune elicits some delightfully surprising chord choices from pianist Joe Vito…

Although Johnny Frigo was a violinist early on in his career, he switched to bass and didn't make his recorded debut as a leader until he was 71, following an appearance on The Tonight Show. At the age of 84, his swinging tone still sounds effortless in these very enjoyable studio sessions with Bucky Pizzarelli, Frank Vignola, and Bill Charlap (the latter two back Frigo separately). The songs are predominately standards from the swing era, though they aren't without a few flourishes and twists…

Comment les Européens d'origine africaine jonglent-ils avec leurs multiples identités ? C'est avec cette question que Johny Pitts, né d'une mère européenne et d'un père afro-américain, parcourt Paris, Bruxelles, Amsterdam, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscou, Marseille, Lisbonne…

Violinist Johnny Frigo's third album as a leader (he had previously made a forgotten date for Mercury in 1957 and a Chesky CD in 1988) is his definitive set, even though he was 77 at the time. With a good supporting cast (guitarist Gene Bertoncini, Bob Kindred on tenor and clarinet, pianist Joe Vito, bassist Michael Moore, and drummer Bill Goodwin), Frigo mostly explores standards, plus two of his originals…

At the age of 71, Johnny Frigo finally had his debut as a leader on record, with the exception of an obscure effort in 1957. Although he had spent much of his career as a studio bassist, Frigo successfully switched full-time to his first love, the violin, and was immediately considered one of the top swing-based violinists. Joined by both Bucky and John Pizzarelli on guitars, either Ron Carter or Michael Moore on bass, and drummer Butch Miles, Frigo is in wonderful form on 14 standards, including "Pick Yourself Up," "Detour Ahead" (which he had co-written while with the Soft Winds in the late '40s), "Stompin' at the Savoy" and "The Song Is You." This recommended CD launched the Chesky label.