List of jazz violinists


This is a list of jazz violinists who have become notable. Jazz violin is the use of the violin or electric violin to improvise solo lines. The earliest references to jazz performance using the violin as a solo instrument was during the first decades of the 20th century. Early jazz violinists included Eddie South, who played violin with Jimmy Wade's Dixielanders in Chicago; Stuff Smith; Claude "Fiddler" Williams, who played with Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy. Joe Venuti was best known for his work with guitarist Eddie Lang during the 1920s. Georgie Stoll was a jazz violinist who became an orchestra leader and film music director.
Since that time there have been many superb improvising violinists including Noel Pointer, Stéphane Grappelli, and Jean-Luc Ponty. While not primarily jazz violinists, Darol Anger, Adam Taubitz and Mark O'Connor have spent significant parts of their careers playing jazz, while emerging artists like Scott Tixier and Jeremy Kittel have devoted themselves almost exclusively to jazz both modern and traditional. Violins also appear in string ensembles or big bands supplying orchestral backgrounds to many jazz recordings. Lately, extensive academic research on jazz violin has been conducted and published.

Alphabetically by last name

A

  • Jason Anick
  • Svend Asmussen

    B

  • Elek Bacsik
  • Adam Bałdych
  • Billy Bang
  • John Blake Jr.
  • Polly Bradfield
  • Zach Brock
  • Benedikt Brydern
  • Charles Burnham

    C

  • Yilian Cañizares
  • Regina Carter
  • Sara Caswell
  • Graham Clark
  • Vassar Clements
  • Blanche Coleman
  • Ornette Coleman
  • Billy Contreras
  • Ian Cooper
  • David Cross

    D

  • Jerald Daemyon
  • Diane Delin
  • Eddie Drennon

    F

  • David Favis-Mortlock
  • Mark Feldman
  • Johnny Frigo

    G

  • Daniel Garlitsky
  • Jerry Goodman
  • Stéphane Grappelli
  • Valentin Gregor
  • Henry Grimes

    H

  • Tuva Halse
  • Edward W. Hardy
  • Alex Hargreaves
  • Don "Sugarcane" Harris
  • Christian Howes
  • Jason Kao Hwang

    J

  • Leroy Jenkins

    K

  • Carla Kihlstedt
  • Tim Kliphuis
  • Ola Kvernberg

    L

  • Didier Lockwood

    M

  • Yehudi Menuhin
  • Manoj George
  • Mat Maneri

    N

  • Stephen Nachmanovitch
  • Sana Nagano
  • Reiko Nakano
  • Ray Nance
  • Florin Niculescu

    O

  • Mic Oechsner

    P

  • Jimmy Palao
  • Dominique Pifarély
  • Noel Pointer
  • Jean-Luc Ponty
  • Ari Poutiainen
  • Tobias Preisig
  • Omar Puente

    R

  • Sonya Robinson
  • David Ragsdale

    S

  • Randy Sabien
  • Jenny Scheinman
  • Zbigniew Seifert
  • Stuff Smith
  • Ginger Smock
  • Dave Soldier
  • Eddie South

    T

  • Adam Taubitz
  • Scott Tixier
  • Mads Tolling

    U

  • Michał Urbaniak

    V

  • Joe Venuti

    W

  • Michel Warlop
  • Noel Webb
  • Michael White
  • Claude Williams
  • Samuel "Savoirfaire" Williams
  • Bob Wills

    Z

  • Helmut Zacharius