Eddie South (Louisiana, Missouri, November 27, 1904 – April 25, 1962) was one of the top American jazz violinists and band leaders of the pre-bop era. He was a brilliant technician who, were it not for the universal racism of the time, would probably have been a top classical violinist. In his day he was billed as “The Dark Angel of the Violin.”
In 1927 he started his own group, Eddie South and his Alabamians, named after the Alabam club where they played in Chicago, and, along with pianist and composer Henry Crowder, toured with them in Europe from 1928 to 1930. During this period the band recorded for Victor Records.
In the 1930s on he was in great demand in a wide range of venues, appearing and recording in Hollywood, Chicago, New York and Paris, frequently performing and recording in Europe: France, England and Holland. South's visit to Europe (where he studied at the Paris Conservatoire) made a deep impression on the violinist,
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particularly his visit to Budapest.
The expressive lyricism of gypsy violin music made a deep impression on South, and remained a powerful influence for the rest of his life. However, that this inclination (and his classical tendencies) conspired to marginalize his popularity among Jazz and Popular audiences. Nonetheless, a central European repertoire and gypsy tunes was the mainstay of Eddie South’s personal musical style and he would often utilize gypsy melodies as a basis for jazz improvising. In 1931, South returned to Chicago, where his regular band included the young bassist Milt Hinton.
South also hooked into another aspect of Gypsy tradition during his many lengthy stays in Europe, joining up with Django Reinhardt -- who was transforming his Manouche gypsy tradition into a fresh new Jazz style with Stephane Grappelli in their Quintet of the Hot
Club of France. The result was some of Eddie South’s most
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spectacular collaborations and best pure jazz records, such as his exquisite 1937 duet with Django called “Eddie’s Blues” and several outstanding records of the Quintet with both Stephane and Eddie such as “Dinah” “Lady Be Good” and “Fiddle Blues.”
Club of France. The result was some of Eddie South’s most
Although playing in the big bands of Earl Hines from 1947 to 1949 and also leading his own bands that included pianist Billy Taylor, South never really had a major breakthrough commercially in his career. Through the ‘40s & ‘50s South continued to be heard widely on radio in the U.S.; held numerous residencies in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago; and performed on Armed Forces Radio.
A 1951 recording for Chess Records, Eddy South and his Orchestra credited Johnny Pate on bass and arrangements and was also the first of a series of Chess recordings on which Pate collaborated with saxophonist Eddie Johnson. South also recorded for Mercury, and also made a final set released by Trip in 1959. He was even on Chicago television in the 1950s, and later in New York with such TV personalities as Dave Garroway, continuing to perform until a few weeks before his death in Chicago April 25, 1962.Eddie South's early recordings (covering 1927-1941) have been reissued on a pair of Classics CDs.
(Edited from Wikipedia, Jazz Rhythm & AllMusic)