Four of the greatest violinists in jazz get together for a once-in-a-lifetime live summit. Dane Svend Asmussen, followed in the steps of jazz legend Joe Venuti; Frenchman Stephané Grappelli together with Django Reinhardt defined European swing; Afro-American Stuff Smith built the bridge between swing and bop; Frenchman Jean-Luc Ponty catapulted the instrument into the modern era (for more on the four, check out their individual releases on MPS). Copenhagen’s famous Club Montmartre’s rhythm section with pianist Kenny Drew and bassist Niels Henning Pederson guide the violinists as they climb the heights. Ponty’s Summit Soul shows off the Europeans as Stephané, Svend and Jean-Luc solo in that order. The two Frenchmen take center stage on Sonny Rollins’ bop classic Pentup House, with first Grappelli, then Ponty soloing. Stuff Smith’s Timme’s Blues has Stuff and Svend vocalizing before going into solos. On Ellington’s It Don’t Mean A Thing first Grappelli, then Asmussen, Ponty, and Smith decisively demonstrate they all ‘got that swing’. Pennies From Heaven is all Grappelli, and it’s worth every cent. Smith’s Only Time Will Tell features Stuff, and he has a lot to say in so short a span. The summit ends with Svend, Jean-Luc, and Stephané soloing on Hot Toddy, an exhilarating final kick to an album that warms the soul.