Violin in Prog
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Recommendations/Featured albums
Forum Description: Make or seek recommendations and discuss specific prog albums
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74041
Printed Date: August 23 2025 at 20:14
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Topic: Violin in Prog
Posted By: Earendil
Subject: Violin in Prog
Date Posted: December 12 2010 at 20:10
| Does anybody have any recs for violin-driven prog? I'm thinking of more in a rock than an overly symphonic setting. |
Replies:
Posted By: Ivan_Melgar_M
Date Posted: December 12 2010 at 20:15
 Hard Rock and Prog in a perfect balance with the violin assuming the lead role along with keyboards. Iván ------------- 
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Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 12 2010 at 22:40
| The David Cross era of King Crimson has violin (ofcourse), but it is more like part of the sound than a leading instrument. Perhaps on some songs it has a more important role. I particularly like the live version of Starless, where the violin takes the main theme of the first part of the song (I feel that theme was made for being played with violin instead of guitar). |
Posted By: Garion81
Date Posted: December 12 2010 at 23:12
I agree with Ivan but any of these albums would fit the bill:      ------------- 
"What are you going to do when that damn thing rusts?" |
Posted By: martinprog77
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 02:07
------------- Nothing can last there are no second chances. Never give a day away. Always live for today. |
Ivan_Melgar_M wrote:Posted By: progkidjoel
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 03:07
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This entire album is string driven for the most part, and it's http://www.maudlinofthewell.net/downloads.html" rel="nofollow - absolutely free. ------------- 
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Posted By: yanch
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 06:14
| Dixie Dregs. Plenty of violin on all of their albums. The interplay between violin and guitar on much of their work is terrific. |
Posted By: The Runaway
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 06:24
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Gentle Giant! But only in their first four albums ------------- http://www.formspring.me/Aragorn224" rel="nofollow - Trendsetter win! The search for nonexistent perfection. |
Posted By: maani
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 10:50
| There are two I can think of. For prog-jazz, try Michael Urbaniak, arguably the best jazz violinist ever. His album, Atma, is a good place to start. Also, After Crying is an instrumental prog band that features cello, violin, trumpet and piano. Their album Megalozottak is excellent. |
Posted By: EGE YURTUM
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 15:57
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High Tide - Simon House drives those records with some very unique and very noisy violin... he's a good few decibels lower with Hawkwind...... ------------- http://www.yurtattack.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.yurtattack.com/ http://www.roguespore.com/" rel="nofollow - http://www.roguespore.com/ |
Posted By: Mushroom Sword
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 15:59
| King Crimson's Red (album). |
Posted By: akaBona
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 16:16
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KBB from Japan. Excellent band. VDGG Vital |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 16:31
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I was going to mention the Dregs and Kansas, but I didn't think they
were really "violin-driven" though the violin is or was integral.
Jean-Luc Ponty fits in more with that term. His mid 70's solo stuff is
superb.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Varon
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 17:14
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A very good Van der Graaf's album "The Quite Zone/Pleasure Dome" ------------- Would you catch the final words of mine? Would you catch my words??? |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 17:35
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"Like Children" - Jerry Goodman & Jan Hammer
 |
Posted By: Lozlan
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 18:01
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Curved Air's first three albums make excellent, extensive use of violin in a rock capacity. Also they are just plain masterpieces.
------------- Certified Obscure Prog Fart. http://scottjcouturier.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - The Loose Palace of Exile - My first novel, The Mask of Tamrel, now available on Amazon and Kindle |
Posted By: Tychovski
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 18:44
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Mahavishnu Orchestra ------------- Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974, it's a scientific fact. |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 21:22
And his solo stuff as "Spiral Realms" where the music is treated so heavily to effects that it is actually hard to listen to at times. He also plays a lot of violin with Hawkwind -- best use of it is in "In the Hall of the Mountain Grill" and then "Astounding Sounds Amazing Music". Simon also doubles as the keyboard/synthesizer guy and oftens plays both at the same time when the synth sound is sequenced.
Others (out from the top of my head):
Graham Smith with VdGG/Peter Hammill
Graham Smith with String Driven Thing -- worth every moment of it!
Darryl Way with Curved Air -- shame on you for asking! Punishment is all three versions of Vivaldi with Cannons back to back full blast until you repent!
Jean Luc Ponti and others with Frank Zappa
David LaFlamme with It's a Beautiful Day
--- forget her name -- sorry --- the lady that passed away that played violin with Par Lindh -- she was better than him or the band!
Anekdotten has a violin, does it not?
PFM - Lots of violin in the earlier days
Banco also has violins and other instrumental pieces but they are all over the music, not exemplified as we prefer to in the "rock music" context
Amon Duul 2 has so much violin that no one listens to it! And it loves to duet an electric guitar ... and very well too! But it might be considered too proggy because it doesn't have that "anglo-american" sound! The way the violin is used here is different, because it is also soloing almost all the time right next to the guitar, and I think this confuses people's musical minds when they think that you can only hear one thing during a "solo" ... but what if it is NOT a solo, but a part of the music? ... Yeah ... !!!!
And ... I'm sorry ... I would rather listen to Charlie Daniels, or Doug Kershaw than have to live through a Kansas album again! At least you get some honesty and down home feeling in the music that is not pretentious or pleads to be something that one is not in my book! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: kenethlevine
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 21:32
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The polish group BELIEVE does a good job with this. Their player Satomi is excellent I liked what the German group Pell Mell did too, although I guess that was more classical The Canadian group FM used electric violin |
Posted By: Dellinger
Date Posted: December 13 2010 at 22:16
By the time they released that album, David Cross had already left the band (or rather, asked to leave), and thus there are no violins in it except for one live improv track (which I particularly don't even like). |
Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 14:17
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Here's a few that haven't been mentioned yet:
The Flock
Mago de Oz
A Silver Mt. Zion
------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: Triceratopsoil
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 14:26
| Espers |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 14:29
You forgot Ragsdale's contribution, and if the OP is looking for more rock than symphonic, this is where it's at:  ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: sleeper
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 14:36
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Indukti Ram-Zet Kayo Dot Unexpect Espers Quella Vecchia Locanda ------------- Spending more than I should on Prog since 2005 
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Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 14:42
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Bondage Fruit! ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow">  https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 16:11
FM ... and Nash, the Slash ... same guy. ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: cloviskoba
Date Posted: December 14 2010 at 20:36
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Great name is Eddie Jobson! Historic rock passages with Zappa and Jethro Tull
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Posted By: Prog Geo
Date Posted: December 15 2010 at 06:27
| Spirogyra has used violin in some songs.It's a great prog folk band. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: December 15 2010 at 07:15
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enjoy  -------------  
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Posted By: pied piper
Date Posted: December 15 2010 at 09:58
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But apart from Curved Air's Darryl Way / Eddie Jobson who are gifted musicians, IMHO, the best prog fiddler ever is Ray Shulman of Gentle Giant. |
Posted By: dwill123
Date Posted: December 15 2010 at 19:51
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Vertu (Lenny White, Stanley Clarke, Rachel Z, Richie Kotzen & Karen Briggs on violin)
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Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: December 16 2010 at 10:33
Dave Arbus from EAST OF EDEN , he's great on baba o riley from the WHO
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Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: December 16 2010 at 10:37
And i'm thinking about joachim reiser from WALLENSTEIN ,have a listen to COSMIC CENTURY and SONGS,STORIES and SYIMPHONIES
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Posted By: Formentera Lady
Date Posted: December 16 2010 at 11:50
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Not mentioned, yet: Eidolon http://www.progarchives.com/mp3.asp?id=4329" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/mp3.asp?id=4329 |
Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: December 16 2010 at 12:21
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Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: December 16 2010 at 13:12
| I've always loved Didier Lockwood's performances with bands like Magma and Zao. |
Posted By: jean-marie
Date Posted: December 17 2010 at 12:10
Nobody thought of geoffrey richardson with CARAVAN???
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Posted By: richardh
Date Posted: December 17 2010 at 14:43
| Magda Hagberg(RIP) in Par Lindh Project used to play violin and sing lead vocals. Sadly missed. |
Posted By: Takeshi Kovacs
Date Posted: December 17 2010 at 15:42
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Not violin driven music, but excellent interplay between violin and keyboards on this track. Check out the 2nd part of the song too if you can. -------------  Open the gates of the city wide....
Check out my music taste: http://www.last.fm/user/TakeshiKovacs/ |
Posted By: moshkito
Date Posted: December 17 2010 at 16:31
|
Hi,
Shankar ... on double violin. He does rock and jazz and everything else you can think of! ------------- Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told! www.pedrosena.com |
Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: December 18 2010 at 14:43
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Frank Van Essen, violonist and drummer for IONA :
------------- "Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood) |
Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: December 18 2010 at 15:01
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Two excellent Japanese bands where the violin is prominent.
Fantasmagoria :
http://www.myspace.com/violinfantasmagoria" rel="nofollow - http://www.myspace.com/violinfantasmagoria
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=5506" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=5506
The violin is the showcased instrument on all tracks.Their album "Day and Night" is superb.
Outer Limits:
http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=279" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=279
Check em out,you won't be disappointed! -------------  |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: December 18 2010 at 15:46
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^^^Fantasmagoria is on my "to buy" list for my next music purchase.
------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: lucas
Date Posted: December 18 2010 at 17:38
I fail to see the greatness in this band...  ------------- "Magma was the very first gothic rock band" (Didier Lockwood) |
Posted By: Baggra
Date Posted: December 18 2010 at 17:55
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David Rose - Distance between Dreams '77 France
Ben Mink - Foreign Exchange '80 Canada
Ripoche/Demay - contes Musiceaux '77 Canada
Scarlet Rivera - same '77 US
RSC- Flyrock excellent Polish '70s fusion
(I have all of the above available as trade vinyl.)
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: December 19 2010 at 01:23
Just a case of different strokes for different folks,Lucas. ------------- |
Posted By: Lozlan
Date Posted: December 21 2010 at 19:17
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I forgot to mention Pell Mell. Amazing and little-known German (and, admittedly, symphonic) band featuring Thomas Schmitt, one of the most astonishing violinists I've ever heard in prog. Check out their debut album Marburg: it's currently the worm in my ear, and features some pretty virtuosic playing. Also it most certainly rocks.
------------- Certified Obscure Prog Fart. http://scottjcouturier.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - The Loose Palace of Exile - My first novel, The Mask of Tamrel, now available on Amazon and Kindle |
Posted By: Tapfret
Date Posted: December 21 2010 at 19:39
They sound pretty damned good to me. although, this line from their myspace bio sounds a little over indulgent. "Fantasmagoria is in full activity as the brightest hope of progressive rock band in Japan and in all over the world."  ------------- https://www.last.fm/user/Tapfret" rel="nofollow"> https://bandcamp.com/tapfret" rel="nofollow - Bandcamp |
Posted By: Earendil
Date Posted: December 22 2010 at 08:22
| Thanks everybody. First I'm going to get another Kansas album then give a lot of these a listen. |
Posted By: Baggra
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 08:47
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Posted By: CCVP
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 09:09
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Wow, nobody mentioned http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2094" rel="nofollow - Jean-Luc Ponty ?? Mindblowing music, seriously. -------------   
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Posted By: Anthony H.
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 09:33
This. -------------  |
Posted By: BaldJean
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 11:25
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Gentle Gant uses a lot of ciolin on theirf albums. the first album of the German band Aera, "Hand und Fuß", has a lot of violin on it. Darryl Way's band Wolf is full of violin on all three of their albums. Clearlight's albums "Vision" and "Le Conte du Singe-Fou" feature Didier Lockwood on violin. their second album "Forever Blowing Bubbles" features David Cross of King Crimson on violin. Gong's "Shamal" has Jorge Pinchevski on violin in 4 of the 6 tracks. there is a lot more which just doesn't come to my mind right now; I have to check our collection -------------  A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta |
Posted By: thehallway
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 11:47
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Larks Tongues in Aspic ------------- http://www.thefreshfilmblog.com/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: ProgressiveAttic
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 13:18
Exactly!!!! I expected to find his name all over this thread! Esperanto is also very hard rocking: and how about Jethro Tull with Eddie Jobson? Edit: you can also check out the setlist of the prog violin special I did at my radio show: http://deliciousagony.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3768&sid=a3c5df4a4fb8a3535a9a7be04079448e" rel="nofollow - http://deliciousagony.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3768&sid=a3c5df4a4fb8a3535a9a7be04079448e ------------- Michael's Sonic Kaleidoscope Mondays 5:00pm EST(re-runs Thursdays 3:00pm) @ Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio(http://www.deliciousagony.com) 
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Posted By: Matthew T
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 14:17
 aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwesome actually------------- Matt |
Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 14:29
Posted By: Jörgemeister
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 15:20
New Return to Forever reunion without DiMeola but with Ponty! ( i dont know if instead of DiMeola or just as an extra instrument) either way is gonna be awesome.
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Posted By: Tengent
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 15:46
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Jean-Luc Ponty + Zappa. I know Fred Firth played violin throughout his time with Henry Cow, but I never liked the timbre of his violin. :( |
Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 15:53
Orrrrrrrrrrrrrr.... ------------- Property of Queen Productions... 
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Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 16:02
^Can we just post the whole album? 
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Posted By: Lizzy
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 16:04
After you. ------------- Property of Queen Productions...
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Posted By: A Person
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 16:07
Oh no, you first. |
Posted By: ProgressiveAttic
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 16:17
It's with Frank Gambale on guitar.... really amazing lineup + they are writing new material! ------------- Michael's Sonic Kaleidoscope Mondays 5:00pm EST(re-runs Thursdays 3:00pm) @ Delicious Agony Progressive Rock Radio(http://www.deliciousagony.com)
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Posted By: CCVP
Date Posted: December 27 2010 at 17:43
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!11  EXTREMELY high hopes with this one!  -------------
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Posted By: Gerinski
Date Posted: December 28 2010 at 14:31
The Dixie Dregs have already been mentioned and as it seems the OP is mostly looking for the rock side of things I think they are essential for him to check out. Specially recommended the live BRING 'EM BACK ALIVE and the studio WHAT IF.
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Posted By: BaldFriede
Date Posted: December 28 2010 at 21:04
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Not to forget Magma! What would their first live album be without the great Gidier Lockwood on violin (who was only seventeen years old at the timne of recording)? And how about some of the live albums of Peter Hammill? "There Goes the Daylight" and "Veracious" both feature Stuart Gordon on violin. -------------  BaldJean and I; I am the one in blue. |
Posted By: earlyprog
Date Posted: December 29 2010 at 05:16
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East Of Eden used the violin to great effect.
One (although atypical) example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiKrCBQn6BU&feature=player_detailpage" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiKrCBQn6BU&feature=player_detailpage
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Posted By: zwordser
Date Posted: January 04 2011 at 01:33
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Well, I know it's only one song, but the violin solo in Losing It (Rush, Signals) is the highlight, and one of the best I've heard. It was by guest Violinist Ben Mink.
------------- Z |
Posted By: goertz
Date Posted: January 04 2011 at 03:18
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Don't forget:
MAGMA and Didier Lockwood in the "Hhaï" live album from 75
Franck Zappa in the 70's with Jean Luc Ponty (especially the King Kong album) Sugar Caine Harris and Eddie Jobson
UK: with Eddie Jobson
Allan Holdsworth himself played some violin in his early albums (I think I.O.U)
The french group ATOLL in his 2nd album "L'araignée mal" has some good violin
David Rose and his excellent album "Distance between dreams"
Darryl way's Wolf group
ZAO and Yoshk'o Seffer albums
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Posted By: dwadziescia
Date Posted: January 04 2011 at 13:05
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Dirty Three. |
Posted By: someone_else
Date Posted: January 04 2011 at 14:43
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Don and Dewey / Mr. Barnum Jr.'s Magnificent And Fabulous City - Alquin. No further comment needed.
Verde por Dentro - Alejandro Matos. Ends with a beautiful violin solo ( http://www.progarchives.com/mp3.asp?id=4702" rel="nofollow - click here to listen ).
------------- 
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