‘AVALON’ IS A POPULAR STANDARD from 1920 that will offer violinists the chance to play in a swing-jazz style. Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France were some of the musicians who helped established this playing style. They remain a major influence for many musicians who pursue repertoire in this genre today.

I like to describe the playing of a good swing-jazz musician as “information in/information out.” The vibrant player—who is desired in this style—is continually interacting with the other musicians in the band and letting the rhythm section be the grid onto which he overlays his art. It’s important to never lose connection with what the band is doing. It will change and develop. You’ll respond to the band, it will respond to you, and the connection builds.

You’ll need to actually play with other musicians to develop the skill of listening and playing at the same time. Recorded music doesn’t hear you or respond to you. But good ensemble music requires multiple sets of ears and fingers playing and adjusting simultaneously. It’s like a conversation, except that it’s a simultaneous expression: not so much “I talk, you talk,” but more “We talk.”

The lyrics to the song are included here. Even if you’re not a singer, it’s important to know a song by its lyrics. I often have them running through my head as I play a melody or solo. It helps me stay grounded and interpret the melody in a lyrical manner.

THREE-FIDDLE APPROACH

I decided that a three-fiddle ensemble would sound great on this tune, and the arrangement on pages 32 and 33 is the result.

It’s important to balance the three voices so that they blend equally into one unified voice. You need to actively listen to the other voices and respond to them by continually adjusting your volume and dynamics so that they match the other players. If things begin to slip out of sync, fight the urge to play louder. You need to learn to perform as a unit and that requires each individual to be willing to defer to the ensemble.

When in doubt, lighten up and listen!

The melodic structure of “Avalon” comes in waves: it rises and falls. Keep that in mind as you work on your interpretation of the melody. Try to make it flow like the waves of the sea. The melody is made up primarily of half notes and performed at a quick tempo. The desired effect is to make the accompaniment sound as if it’s in double time.

The trio itself is a kind of sandwiching of the melody between harmony parts above and below. The notes in Violin III are roughly an interval of a third above the melody; Violin II is roughly a third below the melody. Watch for the moving line in the Violin II part in mm. 21 and 22.

Allow the moving notes to emerge from the texture of the trio. Play short springy quarters in mm. 3, 11, 19, and 27 to help sustain the swing feel. You should learn all three parts to really understand how they work together.

“Avalon” is excerpted from the new Strings Charts book Swing-Jazz Violin with Hot-Club Rhythm by Jeremy Cohen and Dix Bruce. The book features 16 jazz standards for solo violin, violin trio, and string quartet. It is available here.

Click the MP3 icons below to listen to audio recordings of "Avalon." One recording is the violin-trio version of "Avalon" with accompaniment, and the other is the band backup version only, which allows you to play the melody and harmony violin parts while the band plays the accompaniment!

"Avalon" - Violin-trio with accompaniment- audio file

"Avalon" - Band backup only - audio file