String Jazz Greats: "Limehouse Blues" Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio

[@jamesrawlins735]

I have to say it - Frank Vignola is the greatest guitarist not known by the general public. I love that smile Mark gives him after his solo.

[@thaddeusk4230]

Here in the NYC area, he's been a known welcomed commodity for quite a while now.

[@K131399]

Im quite sure his right hand is bionic but I cant say for sure zzzzZING

[@bcp5296d]

absolutely. He's a monster. Only recently learned he played with Mark. I've turned a lot of people on to frank over the years.

[@scalaluca]

Mark O'Connor, the one and only. The giant of violin jazz players. Like no others in history.

[@jackwilloughby239]

Stephane Grappelli, Joe Kennedy? I haven't heard Mark play Bebop or Post-Bop, He doesn't Improvise on "Take Five". He's a great player but he's not played the Tchaikovsky with a Top Teir Orchestra like Roy Clark has. His best work is his first two albums.

[@brianpatterson7332]

@@jackwilloughby239 The version of Take Five Mark has on KZbin is an arranged performance for pedagogical purposes . Do you seriously think he'd struggle to improvise over such a simple piece? Check out either of his live Hot Swing albums and you'll hear some amazing improvisation. Or the video on KZbin of him improvising over an Indian raga with L Shankar., the version of Blue Men of the Sahara performed with Strength In Numbers. There's also the Improvised Violin Concerto which features hundreds of chord changes. That said, I'm sure Mark himself would agree it's ridiculous to call him "the giant of jazz players." He is, however, a much, much better violinist and guitarist than Roy Clark ever was and has improved beyond recognition since his first two albums were recorded.

[@brianpatterson7332]

​@@jackwilloughby239Here he is playing bebop: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJitoGB_aMythZosi=mZejMnWZXfaMtZjS

[@jackwilloughby239]

Do I seriously think Mark would struggle to Improvise over such a simple Piece? I competed against Mark at both Horse Pens and Winfield. After winning the fiddle competition at Winfield, Mark played some of the most astounding Jazz Violin I ever heard: Take the A Train, Sweet Georgia Brown. Nothing Mark has done since then has impressed me as much. If Mark is better than Roy, then let him play the Brahms. His version of the Presto in G minor is nowhere near Hillary Hahn.@@brianpatterson7332

[@steby123]

What one heck of a lot of talent on the preforming stage !!!!!!

[@banjogregcantrell6235]

Check the speed on the guitar picker's pick hand. What a Blurring speed ! . Amazing. All three are fantastic in their own ways. The bass , so smooth, and that is a part time fiddle and part violin. Fine music laid down there.

[@trailsofillinois]

Mark, the first time we heard you perform was on this very Mountain Stage program in 2004. We have since seen the Hot Swing Trio at Iowa City and the Appalachia Waltz at College of DuPage. Now to be able to see the actual performance that made us such big fans is a special gift for us. Thanks for all the joy you have given us over the years. Best wishes in the future.

[@charlesgarland6492]

Rotten director - has the cameras in the wrong places, so has no close up on the violin! Good shots of the guitar, mainly because he has two cameras in place. Even the sound man has placed the mic stand directly in front of the violin instead of coming from the side, or slung from a gantry, so that when there is finally a shot of Mark O'Connor playing, at about five minutes in, it's obscured by the stand. Sounds lovely. I recommend closing your eyes.

[@jayyoung4534]

"String jazz greats"" Indeed!

[@guennadikisselev6289]

Great performance Mark, Frank and Jon! Thank you!

[@ZollnerPiston]

Priceless

[@SuperGuitarman69]

Okay, I am going to say it. Mark O'connor is without any shadow of a doubt, the greatest musician to ever live.

[@musicsavestheworld1383]

+SuperGuitarman69 Don't make false idols...;) stalked We are watching you.

[@SuperGuitarman69]

Music Will Save the World We? You are going to be in Hell soon. You are the one who is history

[@BluegrassBanter]

Chris Thile

[@georgeenache5098]

Gold!!!!!

[@nancychace8619]

Stupendous!

[@reuelray]

My guitar is in the pawn shop, i'm going to leave it there.

[@BenoitDecharneux]

INCROYABLE

[@jZildjianZj]

WTF?! Damn!! Now that is TALENT!! ...damn....

[@royoser9956]

D#mn. That's just unbelievable.

[@richardharper9594]

Awesome talent from Mountlake Terrace High School!

[@josephklon]

DAMN!!!

[@WeAreNotAmused]

The soloing is out front but the GD rhthym section is off the hook

[@muggabooga]

just... wow.

[@Dragonettify]

Hot. DAMN.

[@daveguitarnowski4402]

Yeah. I got to play that guitar. Sounded a little different when Frank played it, lol.

[@mulliniks51]

Who is that guy on guitar ? I've seen him before . He's freaking awesome !

[@kwgib]

Rapid Fire Swing from Ole Mark and Frank Vignola, now severely bruised, busted and broken. May he recover soon, before Donald Trump tells us how he's gonna 'Fix It'.

[@VoltJingjit]

!!! Damn !

[@nogoogleplus]

Damn these guys are tearing it up.....ps- anyone know what guitar Frank is using?

[@RJVB]

I think that's an instrument by Monteleone

[@omahahaha]

Holy cats, that's hot!

[@colliedogboy]

Yeah! Hot Damn!

[@zarkatar]

DAYUM

[@supertravdoggy]

The bass player blows them away. That bass line is relentless it builds and builds. Mark and Frank are awesome but they are struggling just to keep up with that cat! Jon Burr never lets on to just how strenuous playing a DubDog that fast and accurate really is. Few do because very few can.

[@apostasiaelegcho5612]

Your sense of timing is off if you think anyone struggled.

[@jackagain8346]

I dare ya to listen to this in 1.5 speed....

[@musiclover9361]

"Oh my God! Well, I used to be a guitarist." - Jeff Beck.

[@elrioviolino3549]

I used to listen to O'Connor from 10 feet away at Weiser, Idaho fiddle contest jams. I have followed his work ever since, through all his many incarnations. I have great respect for him. However, he fails in his first solo on this piece. There is no "swing". There is absolutely no groove. No lyricism. Instead we get a blinding blizzard of impossibly hot licks all over the fingerboard. I found myself wanting something that wasn't there. Furthermore, the tempo was way too fast for this marvelous old piece. Having said all that, I forgive O'Connor for all his "hot-doggin'". Anybody that could have come up with "Appalachian Waltz" is a genius in my book.

[@jackwilloughby239]

He talks about Steph but plays like Joe. Mark turned into a Fiddle Player with Classical Articulation. Below is a link to my fiddle teacher Arvil Freeman. Arvil was Appalachia's finest, and the rest of Marcs band speak for themselves. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6CzeoxpZtWjfsU

[@apostasiaelegcho5612]

You're rhythmically deaf. This isn't Sally Johnson. This is on an entirely different plane.

[@joejesselli1003]

It would be nice if they could pick up the pace a bit....

[@bcp5296d]

go look up frank vignola quintet flyswatter.

[@K131399]

the guitarist's right hand is technically not human but hey he's playing with Sir Mark so..............

[@sbrickles2003]

WOW now if that doesn't inspire you to ------------burn all your wooden and string instruments nothing will. LOL Great MUGICIANS