Svend Asmussen

Svend Asmussen
Svend Asmussen on the cover of the Swedish weekly Se 1945
Svend Asmussen on the cover of
the Swedish weekly Se 1945
Background information
Birth nameSvend Harald Christian Asmussen
Born(1916-02-28)28 February 1916
Copenhagen, Denmark
Died7 February 2017(2017-02-07) (aged 100)
Dronningmølle, Denmark
GenresJazz
OccupationsViolinist
Years active1923–2010

Svend Asmussen (28 February 1916 – 7 February 2017) was a Danish jazz violinist, known as "The Fiddling Viking".[1] A Swing-style virtuoso, he played and recorded with many other notable jazz musicians, including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Stephane Grappelli. He played publicly until 2010 when he had a blood clot, his career having spanned eight decades.

  1. ^ Cook, Richard (2005). Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London: Penguin Books. p. 23. ISBN 0-141-00646-3.