Uggh What's worse...

[pawlowski6132]

...Jazz violin or harmonica.

Just spinning some tunes in my office right now and had this thought based on some tracks.

Both horrible. Hard to pick a winner (loser).

[wintermoon]

Neither

[mr. beaumont]

Like 'em both.

[pawlowski6132]

Honestly, I'm shocked.

I'll throw the flute in there too.

[wintermoon]

Honestly, I'm shocked.

I'll throw the flute in there too.

Nope

[AllanAllen]

Harmonica outside of blues is... not my favorite.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

...Jazz violin or harmonica.

Just spinning some tunes in my office right now and had this thought based on some tracks.

Both horrible. Hard to pick a winner (loser).

Yagottabekiddinme! There are some fabulous harmonica players who can hold their own with Pasquale, Oscar P, Dizzy, and Sarah Vaughan. Have you ever heard Adam Gussow, Toots Thielmans, or Howard Levy? They make beautiful music on harp. Here’s a nice track from Levy:

As for violin, I’m not a fan of the sound of the instrument, but there are many excellent players who make me forget that I don’t really like most jazz violin. For example, have a listen to Regina Carter:

[pawlowski6132]

Nope

Every time you just say nope and then just run and search for something on YouTube doesn't really help you. If anything it's just reinforcing my point.

[pawlowski6132]

Thanks for all this I'll check it out. I still see Antoine as a 14-year-old boy. He's so good

You may like guitarist Antoine Boyer and his wife, harmonocist Yeore Kim’s quartet. Different, in a good way.

Forget the awful early 1970’s album cover, thank goodness some styles change.lol Herbie Mann’s 1971 album,”Push Push”, with guest guitarist Duane Allman is a cool jazz/flute album.

Though not a “jazz” band, The Derek Trucks Band did a nice job on Coltrane’s “Afro Blue”. The late flautist/organ/keys player Kofi Burbridge is featured on flute.

[pawlowski6132]

Yeah I've heard of them all. I was just listening to some of those which made me comment.

Yagottabekiddinme! There are some fabulous harmonica players who can hold their own with Pasquale, Oscar P, Dizzy, and Sarah Vaughan. Have you ever heard Adam Gussow, Toots Thielmans, or Howard Levy? They make beautiful music on harp. Here’s a nice track from Levy:

As for violin, I’m not a fan of the sound of the instrument, but there are many excellent players who make me forget that I don’t really like most jazz violin. For example, have a listen to Regina Carter:

[RLetson]

What a strange notion. I have several running feet of shelf space just for jazz violin recordings--CDs, each of which is a quarter-inch thick. (Started with Grappelli and worked my way back and forward historically/stylistically*.) Not so much harmonica material, though I'm always happy to find a Toots album I don't have. And while we're at it, there's my shelf of accordion CDs, though that goes beyond jazz to encompass musette, tango, cajun, tejano, and various eastern European traditions. (I won't shock anyone's sensibilities by describing my bagpipe holdings.)

* I discovered Grappelli after getting bit by the baroque fiddle bug via Bach and Handel solo pieces and filling out that category in all historical/stylistic directions, back to the viol family and forward to guys like Ysaye and Bartok. Also love me some Vassar Clements and western swing fiddling.

[wintermoon]

Every time you just say nope and then just run and search for something on YouTube doesn't really help you. If anything it's just reinforcing my point.

You posed a question, I answered it.
What kind of response are you looking for, one that agrees w your opinion?

[SierraTango]

This guy did a pretty good job with Django..

[jazzshrink]

You posed a question, I answered it.
What kind of response are you looking for, one that agrees w your opinion?

Perhaps he's just looking for a response. Any response.

[Alter]

How about gypsy jazz violin? This guy is killing it, whether playing violin, guitar or singing..

[pauln]

I'm in sympathy with the op.

I own a violin and I dearly love classical violin - especially concertos, and like some Blues violin (see below), but Jazz violin not much; it's a little too silky, affected, and "charming" for my tastes.

Frank was able to get this violinist with an incredibly fat beat width out of prison long enough to record this old Little Richard tune...

As far as harmonica goes, apart from a few like Stevie Wonder playing a chromatic harmonica (the ones that use a slide button allowing all the notes), what you have is a box of them in different keys. Suitable for Blues, but it seems to me within the first 3 minutes you've heard about all the licks you are going to hear for the night. Not so suitable for general Jazz with all the missing notes.

[mr. beaumont]

Jazz violin doesn't have to be old fashioned...

[djg]

Every time you just say nope and then just run and search for something on YouTube doesn't really help you. If anything it's just reinforcing my point.

go away

[jazzshrink]

Jazz violin doesn't have to be old fashioned...

Ornette Coleman, Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, John Blake, Jr., Jean-Luc Ponty ...

[pawlowski6132]

You posed a question, I answered it.
What kind of response are you looking for, one that agrees w your opinion?

Something thoughtful.

[pawlowski6132]

go away

You think it's of value to just say "nope" and post the first videos you find on you tube when you type in "jazz violin"?????

[wintermoon]

Something thoughtful.

How thoughtful a response could one give when responding to a post that says they're horrible. It can't be an analytical response, it's opinion right? That's why I said neither are bad, both instruments in a jazz application are valid imo.
And FYI, I didn't just 'run to youtube and pick the first video I saw' I happen to dig the guys/videos I posted long before you posted, Toots, Venuti, Jaspar and Moody.

[pamosmusic]

Regina Carter rules, but timbrally I don’t love violin with a jazz group. I feel the same about a bowed solo on bass. It’s cool but just not something I love.

Harmonica I haven’t really heard enough of. Not something I sprint to, but nothing against it.

[Doug B]

Like 'em both.

On the positive side, two examples:

Jean Luc Ponty-violin
Little Walter-blues harp
Jeff Beck & Lizzie Ball:

[djg]

real men play the recorder