Line up

• Adam Kowalewski (bass)
• Nigel Kennedy (violin, verbal)
• Pawel Dobrewolski (drums)
• Piotr Wylezol (keyboards)
• Tomasz Grzegorzki (sax)
• Xantoné Blacq (percussion, vocal)

• country:
  United Kingdom
• style(s):
  Folk Jazz
• label:
  Blue Note / EMI
• type:
  Band
• gender:
  male
• instrumentation:
  instrumental, vocal
• artist submitted by:
  La Candela Musikagentur GmbH

Nigel Kennedy is Britain's leading violin virtuoso, he is the world's best selling core classical violinist, he has received vast numbers of awards and accolades for his achievements. Nigel Kennedy is also a passionate jazz man who packs in audiences from fashionable European jazz clubs and vast summer festivals to important venues literally the other side of the world in Australia.

Even in his childhood years he listened to jazz secretly on a portable radio late into the night at his boarding school as an escape from the formal rigors of Menuhin's classical music schooling. This lead to him to create informal groups at school playing jazz. Menuhin found out and this lead to an important moment in Nigel Kennedy's musical growth as Menuhin invited Stephane Grappelli to visit and play at his school. Nigel was invited to play with him and that musical freedom particularly within the constraints of Menuhin's establishment, forged NK's passion and resolve to use his violin within whatever musical form felt right.

Nigel Kennedy's career has since soared and he carefully divides his time between the worlds of Jazz and of the Classics. The energy, the excitement and intimacy of jazz performances a sharp contrast to the more formal classical arenas. With a home in Poland Nigel has developed a strong bond with Polish jazz musicians.
And now Nigel Kennedy became the very first EMI violinist ever to be invited onto Blue Note, and his touring band, is a rich mixture of central jazz composers like Kenny Burrell, Duke Pearson, Horace Silver, Butch Connell together with brand new, never heard before compositions from Jack de Johnette, Ron Carter and Nigel Kennedy himself.
During the summer time of this year Nigel Kennedy and his newly found Polish Jazz band had been touring throughout Europe to present his new 'Blue Note Sessions' Album. Concerts on well known Jazz Festivals and Jazz Clubs were both by audience and press highly acclaimed.

CD: Blue Note Sessions 2006 Blue Note/ EMI

Links

• The Nigel Kennedy Quintet Website
• Nigel Kennedy Jazzhomepage