Bio

I'm a violinist/mandolinist/pianist/composer/producer based in the Twin Cities, Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA. I was born and raised near Minneapolis, Minnesota where I had Classical music training from the age of 7 thru college. After my senior year as Concertmaster of the Mpls Youth Symphony, I attended 2 colleges, studying orchestration with Dominick Argento at the University of Minnesota, then pursued a Jazz Violin degree at Indiana University, where I was a protege of Jazz composer David Baker and violinist Urico Rossi. While there, I was featured as a jazz violin soloist with Baker's top big band, performing my charts. Since then,I've made numerous recordings of my own and with other people, notably progressive folk with Artesian Dreams, singing with Kapers for Kids,vintage jazz with Rio Nido,progressive acoustic fusion with ECM artist Steve Tibbetts, South of the Border music with Son Del Sur, Roma Calatayud.. and hundreds of other albums and projects. We recently premiered my symphonic work, "Violin Story #1: World's Fair Exposition" with the 3M Club Symphony Orchestra, Elizabeth Barnes conducting, with two narrators and myself on solo violin. I'm hoping to tour the world with it. I'm currently composing a new orchestral work, "Violin Story #2: Goodbye, Earth," a narrated space odyssey that includes a focus on the electric violin. It will be a companion to the first Violin Story, and also features a story line, narrator and virtuoso violinist.. I hope you come to a concert hall near you to hear it someday. I've been around for a while and have played for a lot of "encounters," including a direct feed into people's cochlear implants, thanks to the Sennheiser people. Have also played for society ad infinitum with a myriad of "ethnic" ensembles, and as a pianist for State Fair Talent Contests. I've been 3 times State Champ Fiddler, and emceed fiddle contests as well. I once worked with Prince creating a new string arrangement for his hit "Purple Rain," and contracted a 21-piece orchestra for the session. He was a real talent and I was impressed with his ambidextrous abilities on various instruments..he was a [b]Hard[/b] worker, too. In the quest for diversity dept., I've also played Italian mandolin solo with Doc Severinsen and the Minnesota Orchestra, done theater, TV commercials,toured with Henry Mancini as a youth, played many times with Country crooner Ray Price, and recorded some Hip Hop with violinist Nigel Kennedy,which may be of some interest to you classical music afficianados. Oh yes..many a moon ago..dedicated an original piece to violinist Yehudi Menuhin who, after we played it for him, was so flattered he graciously sent us LPs he made with Ravi Shankar and Stephane Grapelli. Taught many a student as well. Some of them have had great success in Nashville! Danny Hochhalter, Heather Kolbrek, the Gertken Sisters.. My advice for up and comers: develop all the talents you have, and try to unify them into your presentation. Composers: A good melody is one you can remember the day after you wrote it and one you can play on the piano with one finger (I'm quoting George Martin on that last part.) If you have to read your own original music to play it back, it's probably not developed enough and will be forgotten by everyone else as well. Such is the plight of many a film score. It's a good way to make some money, but therein lies the tradeoff..It's music that can't distract from the action, so it has to be plain and forgettable. Check back later for a new tune from yours truly, "Professor" Jim Price. [b]Thanks for visiting! [color="darkblue"]Thanks to John Keen for his savvy production expertise in the creation of a lot of this music.[/[/color]b] [color="darkblue"][/color][color="indigo"][/color][color="darkblue"][/color][color="darkblue"][/color]