John Intrator Violonist
John Intrator is a highly versatile violinist (Gypsy jazz, Swing, Brazilian and African music, Bluegrass, Irish folk) who has performed at some of the most prestigious venues and festivals in both Europe and the USA. Complimented on his playing by the great Stephane Grappelli, John has been equally influenced by the legendary Afro-American violinist Claude Williams, with whom he performed. As to John's own style, it is characterized primarily by his love of swing and his pleasure in sharing it.
Born in 1952 in New York, John started violin studies at age six with his father, Alex Intrator, (a concert violinist in Germany until the rise of Hitler forced him to emigrate, first to the UK and then to the USA).
From 1976 to 2012 John worked full-time for the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland as a simultaneous interpreter (Russian and French into English). During this time John continued to quietly develop his musical skills, concertizing and recording only sporadically, but performing with top-notch musicians, including the legendary gypsy guitarists Maie Bittel and Sébastien Felix, the renowned violinist Claude Williams and, more recently, with the guitarists Howard Alden and Stephane Wrembel.
Since retiring from the UN in 2012 John has been concertizing full-time, touring with Stephane Wrembel’s Django à Gogo, performing with numerous bands in the Geneva area, releasing a new CD (Open House), and playing at the prestigious Khamoro Gypsy Festival in Prague (Czech Republic) with Sébastien Felix.
John studied jazz improvisation with Matt Glaser and the late John McGann; his major influences include Stephane Grappelli (who congratulated John on his first CD, Tribute) and the late Claude Williams, with whom he performed. As to John’s own style, it is characterized primarily by his love of swing and his pleasure in sharing it.