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Stuff Smith was one of the big three of pre-bop violinists along with <a href="spotify:artist:7rOldyBQnbp9DtBGoKEiwl">Joe Venuti</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6AfbDYupHV5e6nse9W6tKG">Stephane Grappelli</a>. Many of his fans said that he could outswing all of his competitors, and certainly Stuff was a major force on the bandstand. Smith, who cited <a href="spotify:artist:19eLuQmk9aCobbVDHc6eek">Louis Armstrong</a> as his main influence, studied music with his father and played with the family band as a child. His first major job and recordings were with Alphonse Trent's territory band in the 1920s, but it was not until 1936 that he had his breakthrough. Leading a quintet at the Onyx Club with trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:5u7FXbK7whWNTbgeicnbG9">Jonah Jones</a>, Smith's comedy vocals and hard-swinging approach made the group a hit on 52nd Street for several years; his novelty "I'se a Muggin'" became a hit. Smith worked regularly with his trios in the 1940s, but was in danger of being forgotten in the '50s when <a href="spotify:artist:3I3Jb7GD2tAy4yefo7pZD2">Norman Granz</a> recorded him fairly extensively for Verve; Stuff also participated in <a href="spotify:artist:7v4imS0moSyGdXyLgVTIV7">Nat King Cole</a>'s After Midnight sessions for Capitol. The violinist moved to Copenhagen in 1965 and was active until his death two years later. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi
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