Regina Carter Plays Paganini's Violin
Tue Nov 4, 1:57 PM ET
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20031104/ap_en_mu/carter_violin

NEW YORK - Regina Carter, the first non-classical artist and the first
black musician to play Paganini's world-famous violin, was reunited with
the instrument in a concert that marked the violin's first appearance
on U.S.  soil in a decade.

Carter, along with her quintet and an orchestra, played a mixture of
classically inspired songs and jazz tunes on the 18th-century violin at
a sold-out concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall Monday night.

The jazz violinist first performed on the instrument, crafted by Guarneri,
at its home in Genoa, Italy, in a history-making concert in 2001.  Before
Carter, only classical musicians had been allowed to play the violin,
owned by the virtuoso Nicolo Paganini.

Carter later recorded with the violin for the album "Paganini: After A
Dream," released earlier this year.

"I thought that would be the end of my dream," Carter told the audience.
"But the dream continues."

The violin made the trip, along with armed guards and a police escort,
so Carter could play it in New York.

She first performed with her own violin; when she brought it out, she
joked that there were "no armed guards" for her instrument.

Then, after an intermission she returned with the 257-year-old Guarneri
violin, holding it delicately.  To illustrate why the violin was so
revered, she asked an orchestra member to play her violin before playing
a few notes on the Guarneri - and its sharp, booming sound was evident.

"So you know we're not making up a story," Carter joked about its sound.

Carter's performance with the violin drew a standing ovation - but she
didn't need to perform on the Paganini violin to get one.  The audience
also stood up with extended applause when she played on her own instrument.

-Neb Rodgers <[log in to unmask]>