In the beginning... I was in college and opening myself up to new music in ways that had never happened before. One of the jazz LP's I bought was Charlie Parker playing with strings. To be clear, he was playing his sax, while he played music with folk playing string instruments other than guitar or bass. Here he is playing about something many of us are longing for these days
Then there was a desire to have a CD of Marian McPartland playing her own music. No easy link to the music on her CD, Silent Pool, but check out NPR's longest-running and most widely carried jazz program, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz. The way you get that honor is to live a long life and to keep playing.
But probably my favored jazz with strings CD may be Clifford Brown, an amazing trumpet player who sadly died on the Pennsylvania Turnpike at a way too young age in 1956.
Here is Blue Moon from that session where he played with strings.
My mind is on these things because I am excited about what I plan to be a witness. Jazz pianist and composer Billy Childs has written a piece of music to be played by his 6 piece band along with the Ying Quartet (need some non-jazz). Montgomery County Community College tells me that this will be the regional premiere of the piece.
and this post of many links will end with one more, no string quartet, but Mr. Child's plays an appropriate tune for this moment.
