A talk with Jazz Fiddle Player Katie Glassman during Women’s History Month

Boulder jazz fiddle player Katie Glassman is a unique artist. She received a Bachelor’s in Performance with a Jazz Certificate from C U Boulder, and is a songwriter, and singer. She tours and records with the Western Flyers and leads her own band, Katie Glassman and Snapshot. She also has a thriving teaching practice and travels around the U.S. to teach at music camps.

2011 saw the release of Snapshot, Katie’s first album of all original material, featuring songs such as Pretty Pictures, and Goodbye Mr. Heartache. And her 2014 follow up album Dream a Little Dream featured songs such as Liza Jane, Little Dream of Mine and Sweet Lies.

With the formation of her current group Western Flyers in 2015, Katie has found her ultimate musical home. They have already logged performances at the Library of Congress and have done national and international tours.

I recently had an opportunity to have a little Q & A with Katie. More info is also available about Katie at her website. 

Katie how did you end up becoming interested in jazz?

I grew up playing Texas-style fiddle music, which branches out to western swing. I remember when an older man came up to me after a concert and gave me a tape of Stephane Grappelli and Django Reinhart. He had handwritten all of the song titles on the tape case cover and it became one of my most coveted recordings. After hearing this, I was determined to grow up and learn jazz violin someday.

When I was a senior in high school, I had the opportunity to join the Claim Jumpers, a Dixieland jazz band at the University of Colorado in Denver. I played in that band for 3 years, learning the standards and studying under Bill Clark, Drew Morrell, and Paul Musso. I finished school at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where I studied with jazz pianist extraordinaire Chip Stephens. I became the first violinist to graduate from CU Boulder with a Certificate in Jazz.

In 2007, I moved to France to study at Centre Musique Didier Lockwood in Dammarie-Les-Lys. Didier was Stephane Grappelli’s protege and this was a dream come true. (My experience there could be a book).

Who are some of your jazz Sheroes that you have emulated?

In the last 5 years, I’ve focused primarily on the 40s swing repertoire and western swing. At the National Oldtime Fiddlers Contest, I’ve had the honor of becoming the 3-time National Swing Fiddle champion. Becoming obsessed with copying singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Jo Safford, Dinah Washington, Natalie Cole, and Anita O’Day has helped not only my fiddling but of course my singing. These are my lady influences! I value them and look to their old recordings for taste and craftsmanship. I’m so happy to see so many lady jazz violinists these days. Some things do change for the better.

What’s presently on your plate Katie?

I currently tour with the Western Flyers and play locally with my band Katie Glassman & Snapshot. My online Fiddle School teaches students from around the world how to play the fiddle through tutorial videos, private lessons and progress reports. You can learn more about our fiddle school at our website.