a- Svend Asmussen's Skandia Trio
b- Mills Brothers
c- Svend's Asmussen's Quintet
d- Svend Asmussens Kvintet
e- Svend Asmussen & Ulrik Neumann
f- Swe-Danes
g- Svend Asmussen
h- Svend Asmussen & Benny Goodman
i- Svend Asmussen String Swing
j- Svend Asmussen, Putte Wickman & Ivan Renliden
k- Svend Asmussen & Toots Thielemans
l- Svend Asmussen, Gerda & Ulrik Neumann
m- Svend Asmussen's Quintet With Ulrik Neumann
n- Hoagy Carmichael & Svend Asmussen
o- Svend Asmussen Prize Winners
p- Svend Asmussen's Quartet
This DVD is a 3 hour treasure trove of Asmussen's extraordinary career showcasing all his diverse talents. A documentary that blends Asmussen's reminiscences with rare musical clips is followed by 2 hours of film and TV performances dating back to the 1930s featuring many of his bands, collaborations with Benny Goodman, Toots Theilemans, Hoagy Carmichael, and much more.
Svend Asmussen
Active Decades: '40s and '50s
Born: Feb 28, 1916 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Swing, Jazz Instrument, Piano Jazz
It seems strange that Svend Asmussen is not better known in the United States, for he has been a top swing violinist since the mid-'30s. He started playing violin when he was seven and, in 1933, made his professional debut. Always based in Scandinavia (hence his obscurity in the U.S.), Asmussen made his first records as a leader in 1935 and has been consistently popular in his homeland ever since. He played with the Mills Brothers and Fats Waller in the 1930s when they passed through Denmark, but when Benny Goodman tried to get him in the mid-'50s for his small group, strict immigration laws made it impossible for him to work in the U.S. Asmussen recorded with John Lewis (1962), Duke Ellington (as part of a 1963 violin summit), Toots Thielemans, Lionel Hampton (1978), and on a few occasions with Stephane Grappelli, in addition to many dates with his own groups.
--- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
[ NTSC ] (???)