UK Violinist & Pioneers

Christian Garrick  is an improvising violinist and a composer with an international reputation.  He began playing the violin aged five, but first moved through piano and drums before settling, at sixteen, on the violin full time. By the age of eleven he was performing with Johnny Dankworth, Cleo Laine and performed with Nigel Kennedy! He is, without doubt, the most accomplished and expressive jazz violinist since Grappelli.  Christian studied at the Royal Academy of Music between 1989 and 1994. He gained first-class honours in his Performers' Degree and won the DipRAM in his post-graduate year. He has also been awarded the LRAM and the ARAM. His tutors and mentors whilst at the R.A.M. included the great unsung hero of British jazz violinists, John Van Derrick. Also among the resident and visiting staff were Martin Speake, Hugh Fraser, Nick Ingam, Steve Coleman, Jack Dejohnette, Huw Warren, Chucho Valdez, Arturo Sandoval, Gary Peacock and Kenny Wheeler. Other jazz violinists having a strong influence are Ziggy Seifert and Didier Lockwood.  Chris has won the Benjamin Doniger Prize, Lansdowne Studios Award, Modena Prize, and the Cleo Johnson Composition Award. He also won admission to the International Association of the Schools of Jazz in Siena, Italy in 1992.  Son of Pianist Michael Garrick.  Chris is also highly regarded for his work with the likes of The Brand New Heavies and Brian Ferry, as well as appearing on a significant number of film and TV soundtracks. He is also no stranger to the classical concert halls, but it is his Jazz violin for which he is best known. A fluent and inventive player with a string of awards to his name his subtle yet always driving playing is a testament to a thoughtful but at the same time joyous approach to the music. Featuring pianist Dave Gordan his quartet’s cd, “Different Strokes” was described as “…the outstanding British album of the year..”. Sunday Times. A true master of his instrument. “..exquisite musician…violin superstar” Guardian.

Mike Piggott  Jazz violinist is “One of the best swing jazz Violin players active anywhere in the world” (Jazz Times USA) and is the first fiddle player at ‘Jazz @ the Grainstore’. He is influenced by Stephan Grappelli, Joe Venuti, and Stuff Smith and has recorded and broadcast with a wide range of artists including Ralph McTell, Bert Jansch, Phil Collins, John Etheridge, Gary Potter, and Bucky Pizzarelli.
"...one of the best swing jazz fiddle players active anywhere" - Jazz Times USA
"...demonstrates his mastery of the jazz violin" - Jazz UK
Mike Piggott has been a stalwart member of the music scene for many years, having been involved not only in jazz but also in the folk and rock worlds, notably recording 6 albums with Ralph McTell, replacing John Renbourne in the re-formed Pentangle with which he recorded 2 albums, spending two years with The Denny Laine Band, and working with "Zox & The Radar Boys" an offshoot from Genesis). Mike is also a soloist in Keith Nichols' Ragtime Orchestra, which featured in the Bix Beiderbecke concert series at the Purcell Room and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, as well as being in constant demand in clubs, at festivals and on sessions. Above Mike plays the "Strohviol" - an early recording violin which has a gramophone-type horn built into it. Look out for his demo of Joe Venuti's '4-string bowing' technique.

Andy Aitchison  - jazz violinist

Andy first heard The Quintette du Hot Club de France when he was 14 and has modelled his style on Stephane Grappelli ever since - gigging mainly in London for over 30 years. 

At the beginning of his career, Andy also played with various Greek, Iranian, Klezmer and rock bands. More recently, he has returned to the Hot Club style and now is focussing all his efforts on keeping the Grappelli legacy alive.  He was with the Kimbara Brothers for many years touring hot club music throughout the UK as well as performing with John Etheridge, Tina May, Le Jazz, Fapy Lafertin, Angelo Debarre, Szapora, Jonathan Hepbir, Tim Robinson, Nils Solberg and many more.  Over the past few years, Andy has been working with the celebrated gypsy guitar master, Lollo Meier, touring in the UK and Europe.

David Camrass - Acoustic and Electric Violin
contact details
0113 278 8872
0791 378 1993 associates with
Gitane
Hot-club jazz quartet formed in 1999. Gitane play hot-club swing, Latin-american and European gypsy jazz in a rhythmic and passionate style reminiscent of the Hot-Club Quintet of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. They are: Michael Pavanne (guitar), Mick Taylor (guitar), Dave Camrass (violin), Laurie Johnstone (bass guitar, flute). tel: 01524 380521 or Mob: 07890 701930

Billy Thompson  Classically trained from the age of 8, Billy's mind would often wander from the strict training required in Classical music and he would often ask his Mother to 'Name a tune, any tune' which he would then play by ear. Billy ambled through the 'grade' system whilst very much enjoying his time with the Cheshire County Youth Orchestra - touring the U.S.A. twice and Germany.  Billy's first band was whilst in the 6th form at Neston Comprehensive School and were called Diversion. They were a promising 'indie' type band with songs penned by good friend Edward Humphreys. Billy played both violin and mandolin. Although tempted to 'give the band a go' the 4-piece split up to go to separate Universities.  During this time, Billy also used to go busking regularly in Birkenhead and Chester with good friend Billy Leng playing a mixture of Leng originals and acoustic folk songs by Bob Dylan, Mike Scott, The Wonderstuff and The Manic Street Preachers amongst others.  After a year at the University of Wales College Cardiff studying Music, Billy transferred to a more practical degree course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he studied with violin professors Barry Haskey and Dona Lee Croft. Here he also studied Jazz and Improvisation with piano legend Keith Tippett.   Throughout college, Billy played with many different types of bands, mainly just trying to be the best he could be at improvising. Jazz was/is obviously the ultimate form of improvising and will always be part of Billy's quest to master improvisation on the violin.  It was not long after graduating with an honours degree in Music that Billy was offered an extended residency at the 5-star 'Royal Abjar Hotel' in Dubai performing Jazz

Ben Holder - Violin

Ben Holder is one of the most gifted and exciting young jazz violinists in the UK. Taught classically from the age of six, he studied at the Birmingham Conservatoire. During his classical studies, Ben began listening to Jazz - classic masters such as Benny Goodman and Oscar Peterson and of course the great jazz violinists including Grappelli, Joe Venuti and the awe inspiring Stuff Smith. Alongside his early studies and later at college he embarked on a detailed analysis of these musicians techniques and the way in which they merged this most classical of instruments into the jazz idiom.  Ben's innate sense of swing rhythm (something which often eludes classical players) stems from those early listening sessions - and his various awards bear testimony to his abilities. A first call jazz violinist for many of the North's top bands and studios, Ben is now a permanent and integral member of Gypsy Fire.

Daniel John Martin

 Daniel is the Paris based jazz violinist and vocalist who has worked with some very familiar names during his career. If you have seen Daniel in France it could well have been at one of the popular jam sessions which he hosts alongside Angelo Debarre.

Daniel is also well-known for his appearances at The Birmingham International Jazz Festival, The City of London Festival and many major French Jazz Festivals as well as finding time to record and appear at many of the recognised Jazz venues in Europe.

In his younger years Daniel spent many years travelling and living in South Africa Dakar-Senegal/ Johanesburg before moving to Paris and studying violin at the Parisian conservatories. It was during these years that he “met up with jazz” and it has been his main musical interest ever since. Originally born in Congleton in Cheshire

Daniel John Martin has recorded with many artists , Urban Gipsy is his first solo album. You can hear Daniel John Martin every wednesday at the famous -Café i- where he hosts the gipsy jam session alongside worldwide renowned guitar player ANGELO DEBARRE. They have been joined by BOULOU and ELIOS FERRE, MORENO, PATRICK SAUSSOIS, RODOLPHE RAFFALLI, ANDREAS OBERG, LUDOVIC BEIER, KIYOSHI KABAYASHI amongst others... Daniel John Martin tours regularly with his Urban Gipsy band (they tour the UK every year) He is currently preparing a new album with the quartet augmented by a string quartet with special guests.  DJM has played at ... Le Quecumbar in London...The Sunset... the Baiser Salé... The Petit Journal Montparnasse... The Théatre de Champs Elysées... Main French Jazz festivals, Radio and National TV shows