Eddie South

Eddie South ranked among the leading pre-bop violinists, displaying exceptional technical command that racial barriers of the period kept from developing into a major classical career. A young prodigy, he earned his diploma from the Chicago Musical College. With classical posts closed to Black violinists throughout the 1920s, he acquired jazz skills under the guidance of Darnell Howard. In Chicago during the early and middle years of the decade, South performed with Jimmy Wade's Syncopators, Charles Elgar, and Erskine Tate. The 1928 European journey that included study at the Paris Conservatoire left a strong mark on him, above all the period spent in Budapest, after which he often incorporated gypsy melodies into his jazz improvisations. Back in Chicago by 1931, his steady ensemble featured the young bassist Milt Hinton. A 1937 trip to Paris gave him the chance to record with Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Large-scale commercial success never materialized. Radio and television work occurred, yet he remained largely unknown while playing regularly in New York, Los Angeles, and especially Chicago. His first recordings, made between 1927 and 1941, now appear on two Classics CDs. Later sessions were issued by Chess and Mercury, and one final album came out on Trip.