by Anthony Barnett
SP: More generally, speak to misunderstandings of jazz violin exhibited by the jazz community and/or violinists.
AB: That is a big question. I am tempted to answer that things are much better but I am often given cause to wonder.
For example, 2009 saw, to my knowledge, three centenary celebrations of Stuff Smith: one in The Strad by classical violin guru Tully Potter (in-depth and in many ways excellent), one in Strings (largely sounding out other violinists), and an hour on the BBC in which the host, a well-known jazz …

by Anthony Barnett
 SP: Comment on the evolving position of violin in the ragtime, early, swing, bebop and current eras of jazz.  
AB: First, let me say I am not the knowledgeable person about ragtime and, say, early string bands. Document CD’s (http://www.document-records.com/index.asp) are a good source of, if not always accurate information, at least the string band music itself. I would also mention the two very useful early blues violin compilation CD’s put out by Old Hat (Folks He Sure Do Pull Some Bow! and Violin, Sing The Blues For Me …