Stephane Grappelli • Improvisations - Piano a Gogo

In the winter of 1950/51 Stephane Grappelli was playing piano in Nice at the Hotel d'Angleterre, and in 1953 he joined Henri Crolla's ensemble as both pianist and violinist. If his talents as a pianist have rarely been mentioned, it's because his piano recordings are exceedingly rare. This was partly Art Tatum's fault Stephane discovered the genius one afternoon in 1935, on the beach at Le Touquet, where the local council had installed some loudspeakers. That incredible music, and Tatum's unimaginable virtuosity, left a lasting mark on him (Grappelli was so impressed that for a moment he thought he was hearing two pianists!), a mark that made him lose his enthusiasm for the piano, and concentrate on the violin instead. Actually, Grappelli thought that this "Piano à gogo" record was a mistake ("Someone asked me to do it" he said). But we're entitled to a different opinion; this album allows us to understand how he could so easily take on the piano roles he'd been known for. At times, this record even sounds very 'musique d'ambiance', in the best sense of the term: it brings an atmosphere that has an imprint of softness, yet never once becomes overly sentimental (as on Wendy, for example, where you can imagine the pianist in a club, picking out each note in the small hours of the morning after all the customers have left.) There's the influence of Art Tatum, too, in Crazy Blues, which shows how much Grappelli admired him, but the recording also shows his taste for the music of Ravel and Debussy, which transpire in the lyricism and romance of his playing revitalised by swing. Grappelli might not be the virtuoso he so obviously is with a violin, but the fluidity is still there in his piano; everything flows naturally, "Like the spontaneity and freedom of water finding its natural path" (Geoffrey Smith). With the piano he preserves the same swing, the same harmonic qualities, and his talent for bringing out a melody. This love of the piano also transpires in his violin-playing; guitarist Ike Isaacs, who accompanied him in the mid-Seventies, nicknamed him "the violin's pianist, because "he thinks vertically and horizontally at the same time."

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En el invierno de 1950/51, Stephane Grappelli tocaba el piano en Niza en el Hotel d'Angleterre, y en 1953 se unió al conjunto de Henri Crolla como pianista y violinista. Si sus talentos como pianista rara vez se han mencionado, es porque sus grabaciones de piano son extremadamente raras. Esto fue en parte culpa de Art Tatum, Stephane descubrió al genio una tarde de 1935, en la playa de Le Touquet, donde el ayuntamiento local había instalado algunos altavoces. Esa increíble música, y el inimaginable virtuosismo de Tatum, dejaron una huella duradera en él (¡Grappelli quedó tan impresionado que por un momento pensó que estaba escuchando a dos pianistas!), una marca que le hizo perder el entusiasmo por el piano y concentrarse en el violín. En realidad, Grappelli pensó que este disco de "Piano à gogo" era un error ("Alguien me pidió que lo hiciera", dijo). Pero tenemos derecho a una opinión diferente; este álbum nos permite entender cómo pudo asumir tan fácilmente los roles de piano por los que era conocido. A veces, este disco incluso suena muy 'musique d'ambiance', en el mejor sentido del término: brinda una atmósfera que tiene una huella de suavidad, pero que nunca se vuelve demasiado sentimental (como en Wendy, por ejemplo, donde puedes imaginar al pianista en un club, seleccionando cada nota en las primeras horas de la mañana después de que todos los clientes se hayan ido.) También está la influencia de Art Tatum en Crazy Blues, que muestra cuánto lo admiraba Grappelli, pero la grabación también muestra su gusto por la música de Ravel y Debussy, que transpiran en el lirismo y romanticismo de su forma de tocar revitalizada por el swing. Puede que Grappelli no sea el virtuoso que obviamente es con un violín, pero la fluidez sigue ahí en su piano; todo fluye de forma natural, "Como la espontaneidad y la libertad del agua encontrando su camino natural" (Geoffrey Smith). Con el piano conserva el mismo swing, las mismas cualidades armónicas y su talento para sacar melodía. Este amor por el piano también se refleja en su forma de tocar el violín; el guitarrista Ike Isaacs, quien lo acompañó a mediados de los setenta, lo apodó "el pianista del violín, porque "piensa vertical y horizontalmente al mismo tiempo."

Tracklist:
1 - The Lady Is a Tramp - 3:05
2 - Fascinating Rhythm - 2:55
3 - Dans La Vie - 3:54
4 - Cheek to Cheek - 3:10
5 - A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square - 3:11
6 - Taking a Chance on Love - 3:02
7 - 'S Wonderful - 2:30
8 - Someone to Watch Over Me - 2:59
9 - If I Had You - 3:20
10 - Body and Soul - 2:35
11 - I Want to Be Happy - 2:14
12 - She's Funny That Way - 2:29
13 - Time After Time - 2:43
14 - Just One of Those Things - 2:33
15 - Lookin' at You [*] - 3:44
16 - Vous Qui Passez Sans Me Voir [*] - 3:51
17 - Marno [*] - 2:46
18 - Wendy [*] - 4:50
19 - Crazy Blues [*] - 2:47
20 - Tendrement [*] - 3:46
21 - Valse du Passe [*] - 2:20
22 - I Can't Regonise the Tune [*] - 3:28
23 - Viens au Creux de Mon Epaule [*] - 2:52
24 - Red-O-Rey [*] - 2:54

Members:
Improvisations:
 - Stephane Grappelli - violin
 - Maurice Vander - Harpsichord, Piano
 - Pierre Michelot - bass
 - Baptiste "Mac Kac" Reilles - drums

Piano a Gogo:
 - Stephane Grappelli - piano
 - Guy Pedersen - bass
 - Baptiste "Mac Kac" Reilles - drums

Album: Improvisations/Piano a Gogo
Label: Universal Music S.A.S. France
Recorded: 1954 and 1956 Paris
Genre: Jazz
Time: 74:08 min

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