Unlike a lot of musicians, the jazz violinist Billy Bang is not well served by YouTube... There's this video, and that's about it. Still, the music in the video is lovely and rewarding – but also annoying in its sanctimony (which I suppose is the price of admission for music this far from a career-sustaining audience, so we have to give the musicians some slack).

Bang's violin comes in around 1:50, and every note he bows stops your heart. Later, his pizzicato complements the cross-cultural textures created by the other musicians. Give it a listen, and you'll see what I mean. Also, the video features a komungo player – and when was the last time you heard that?

Jazz