Randy Sabien - Live (2005)

The concert video Randy Sabien: Live in Minneapolis features the jazz violinist performing at a 1986 jazz festival. The setlist includes over a half-dozen songs including "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," "Summertime," and "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing." Along with the concert footage, Sabien offers a series of explanations on various aspects of the jazz tradition.
Randy Sabien, on jazz violin, is the "real thing" according to premier national Jazz critic Howard Reich. National Public Radio's "Jazz Profiles" dubbed Randy; "The past, present, and future of jazz violin." Down Beat Magazine's annual critic's poll voted him as; "Artist Deserving Wider Recognition."
In 1977, at age 20, Sabien enrolled at the renown Berklee College of Music in Boston. Just one year later he was the founder and chair of their new jazz string department which he headed for the following 3 years. In 1989, Randy started his own record label, Fiddlehead Music. The albums that have subsequently emerged have received rave reviews from Jazz Times Magazine, The Christian Science Monitor, USA Today and Billboard Magazine who called Sabien the "heir to Stephane Grappelli."
Randy has gained national attention through regular performances on Garrison Kiellor's popular syndicated National Public Radio's weekly program, "A Prairie Home Companion," and he has been a guest on one of television's longest running music shows, "Austin City Limits." Randy continues to teach at international string workshops, Berklee College, and at the prestigous Eastman School of Music in New York.
Sabien divides his time performing as guest jazz violin soloist with symphonies across the country, as well as performances with his jazz quartet. Sabien is also accomplished on mandolin, guitar, and piano, and has accompanied a host of nationally recognized singer/songwriters such as GRAMMY-nominated artist, Greg Brown.
Critic Howard Reich sums up Randy's unique history in this way. "By any measure, Sabien is an unusual artist in that he brings a classical technique to the art of jazz fiddling. Listen closely to his great cascades of notes, and you will hear the grand arpeggios, broken octaves, double-stops, trills, and tremolos that have marked classical violin playing since the solo work of J.S. Bach. But that's just the starting point for Sabien's art which bristles with the spirit of bona fide jazz improvisation. Rather than simply embellishing a tune, he reconcieves it, building and developing intriguing new musical motifs along the way. He could emerge as one of the more distinctive voices in jazz."

Tracklist:
01. Intro [0:15]
02. Good Queen Bess [7:40]
03. Things Ain't What They Used to Be [8:24]
04. John Denver Meets the Rhythm Section [5:51]
05. Sunday Song [5:33]
06. Summertime [5:48]
07. Dexter Digs In [7:10]
08. Untitled [8:45]
09. It Don't Mean a Thing If It Aint Got That Swing [6:39]
10. Swing Low Sweet Chariot [2:14]

Extra:
- Biography.
- Discography.
- Bonus Programme
- Jazz, What It Is Randy Sabien And His Quartet Use Visual Metaphors, Such As,
Humorously Comparing Improvisation To Football Or Swing To Jumping Rope, And Viewers In A Matter Of Minutes Begin To Understand What Jazz Really Is.


Features:
- Interactive Menu
- Direct Scene Access