ABSTRACT
French violinist, born in Paris; surname also spelled Grappelly and Grappely. He played classical music until around 1927, then switched to jazz. In 1934 he organized the Quintette du Hot Club de France, and won great acclaim for his work in the ensemble, which featured Django Reinhardt. He settled in Britain from 1940 to 1948, then returned to Paris and made world tours through the 1960s. Among his fine records were “St. Louis Blues” (Decca F-5824; 1935), and “Tiger Rag” (Decca F7787; 1941), the former with the “Quintet of the Hot Club of France” (including Reinhardt), the latter with a group that included George Shearing at the piano. Grappelli toured and recorded extensively in the decades before his death, often working with guitarist Diz Disley in a “re-creation”of the original Reinhardt group. He also worked with younger jazz musicians, including Larry Coryell and Gary Burton, and made a series of successful albums with classical violinist Yehudi Menuhin.
