Aaron Weinstein

Known for his refined and poetic approach to the violin, Aaron Weinstein cultivates a buoyant, roots-oriented jazz style. While still a high-school student, he drew early critical notice for his musicianship during the mid-1990s. A steady presence on New York’s stages, he has shared bills with such jazz figures as Les Paul, Dave Frishberg, Jon Hendricks, and Dick Hyman. His own recordings frequently feature guitarist John Pizzarelli, notably on the 2005 release A Handful of Stars and the 2008 set Blue Too; for the 2019 trio album 3x3 he worked instead with guitarist Matt Munisteri and bassist Tom Hubbard.

Weinstein entered the world in 1985 and spent his childhood in Winnetka, Illinois, taking up the violin while quite young. Traditional jazz soon captured his attention, prompting him to master improvisations by Joe Venuti and Stéphane Grappelli. During his teenage years he established the Stéphane Grappelli Tribute Trio and began performing in public. In 2002 DownBeat magazine named the group the top high-school instrumental jazz ensemble; additional honors included victories at the Illinois State Fiddle Championships in both 1998 and 2001. Around the same time he started appearing alongside guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli and John Pizzarelli. After graduation he refined his craft at Boston’s Berklee College of Music under a four-year scholarship and issued two self-released projects: the 1999 album Fiddler’s Dream and the 2002 EP Jazz Violin.

At age nineteen Weinstein cut his first widely distributed record, 2005’s A Handful of Stars, interpreting several standards with the Pizzarellis, tenor saxophonist Houston Person, bassist Nicki Parrott, and drummer Joe Ascione. In the wake of that release he gained broader recognition as a featured soloist at Chicago’s Jazz Hall and the Jazz Showcase, and he also performed with Frank Vignola’s Hot Club USA.

The violinist reunited with John Pizzarelli for the 2008 duo album Blue Too, later contributing to the guitarist’s 2010 effort Desert Island Dreamers and the 2012 collection Double Exposure. That same year he appeared on Catherine Russell’s Strictly Romancin’. Weinstein returned in 2019 with 3x3, again featuring his trio alongside guitarist Matt Munisteri and bassist Tom Hubbard.