Stephane Grappelli - Jazz Artist & Entertainer "I'm very happy to celebrate with you the 50th anniversary of my friend Vassar Clements in the music. I had the opportunity to collaborate with him for an album that we recorded together a few years ago. He is not only a very talented musician, but as well a very nice man with a good heart and he is my friend. So all the best to Vassar and Happy Golden anniversary to him!" Steve Martin - Comedian - Actor - Musician Vassar is one of the influential fiddle players ever! He plays MUSIC not notes. Mark O'Conner - Artist - Entertainer In 1972 Mike Aldredge recorded "House of the Rising Sun. This version took on a whole new meaning. It was when Vassar was left playing solo at the end of the song that I Felt the depth of emotion in a violin for the first time. I was eleven years old and it altogether captivated me. I had no idea a violin could have such a voice. The violin in Vassar Clements' hand is truly a trusted friend. The ability of "sixth sense" or instinctive creativity with which he operates is mind boggling. He relies on the inspiration of the moment more than anyone I have ever known. This means he is constantly taking chances, and when it comes out on top there is a direct line tapping his emotion. I hear a lonesome sense of haunting pain, and then a peaceful beauty in his bluesy fiddling. There is no one else like him. Dave Holland - Artist -Entertainer Jazz Bassist & Ex Miles Davis Band Member Dave Holland, jazzman extols Clements' virtues as a bona fide jazz player. "Vassar's got a good feeling for jazz music. He plays with feeling more than technique or a large vocabulary. It feels good playing with Vassar". Robert K Ormann - Staff Writer Entertainment - Nashville Tennessee In many ways Vassar Clements is the complete antithesis of the classically trained Stephane Grappelli, el al. He calls himself a fiddler, not a violinist. He's a country boy, not a city slicker. He is self taught, not conservatory educated. He is American, not European. But Clements, in his own way, is every bit as much a virtuoso as the World's greatest and acknowledged maestros of the fiddle/violin. Vassar Clements is to music what Bo Jackson is to sports, A performer possessed of natural talents so prodigious that he excels whereever he decides to go. Marty Stuart - Artist - Entertainer Marty talks about Vassar and says: Everybody loves Vassar Clements. The first time I ever heard Vassar play fiddle was on some old bluegrass albums. This man played fiddle like I never heard before. It was the most lonesome, scary sound coming out of a fiddle I'd ever heard, I played the mandolin, and once I heard this music, I ditched everything I ever knew and went back and tried to play mandolin like Vassar played fiddle. Years later, I played the Opry and I saw this man playing fiddle. He stood straight, with his eyes closed and he was playing the prettiest music you could ever imagine. It froze me on the spot. This man is probably my favorite fiddle player on earth. Matt Glaser - Director & Teacher Berkley College of Music - Boston, Ma. Matt says of Vassar Clements - "Bluegrass and Beyond" Strings Magazine I was FLABBERGASTED the first time I heard Vassar Clements play the fiddle. I was a sophomore in high school and rushed out to get a copy of the album "Will The Circle Be Unbroken" after reading a review of it. As soon as I heard the first notes I was hooked. Never before had I heard fiddle playing of such incredible,expressive power, dark, brooding, bluesy, and wonderfully inventive. LIFE COLLECTOR'S EDITION August 1994 Paul Davis - Artist & writer for the above special edition When the great fiddler Vassar Clements drags his bow, slowly, slowly across the strings - as though each moment brings pain - his listener dies with him, an agonizing gloriously romantic death. Later, when his bow begins to whip and saw - no sorrow in the world can keep folks from kicking up their heels. It is this magical gift to drive audiences from tears to two-stepping that distinguishes "LIFE'S BOND OF DREAMS". Bela Fleck - Artist Entertainer The Miles Davis of bluegrass fiddle. An amazing free associative player totally spontaneous. Very pure musical force. Somebody I feel lucky to have played with. Jim Horner - Director - Jazz Ensemble Cameron University - Lawton, Ok. Vassar Clements can play any type of music for any audience, My first introduction to him was through his excellent bluegrass work. After his continuing appearances on rock, country, swing and jazz recordings with other great artists, I soon realized there were many dimensions to this man. Vassar has played with our twenty-six piece Cameron University Jazz Ensemble and he stole the show. His musical knowledge immensely benefitted the students and thrilled the audience. Vassar would fit very well with symphonies or philharmonic orchestras. He is a real gentleman and is extremely easy to work with on any production. Dale Benz - Sheldon Arts Theatre Technical & Assistant Program Director Vassar has been on my Top Ten musicians list since the early seventies. I have spent ten years here in St. Louis at the Sheldon Theatre as technical & assistant program director. I have seen and heard many of the great violin/fiddle players and I can say without a doubt that Vassar Clements is one of the best musicians anywhere. Vassar has remarkable control of his instrument, not only his technical ability, but his ability to play with precision that keeps the human element in the music. Itzak Perlman also has that quality. Lucie Ann Lakes - Fiddler - Teacher Montana News To watch Vassar perform is by far one of the greatest joys of fiddling I have ever experienced. Why would this particular fiddler leave such an impression on me? It's really quite simple. I have seen some of the best fiddlers perform for specific crowds, usually dyed-in-the-wool fanatics. But Vassar and his band played to a diverse crowd, with every generation represented. The very first tune he and the band played instantly energized the whole crowd. Vassar doesn 't need to jump around, or smash an instrument to get the audience's attention. All he has to do is play. His unique style bridges the invisible lines of music, from blues, to jazz, to swing and all-around fiddling into one magical touch, that I have never seen any other fiddler possess. The band accompanied Vassar with perfection, while making the fiddle sound superb.