OK, I’ll just say it: When I first started out I thought Jazz string players were lame, and there certainly weren’t any cellists that I knew of who could keep up with the “Real players” Like Coltrane, Red Garland, Hendrix, Miles or any of the masters I grew up listening to. Years later after I discovered Mark Summer, Early Ponty (“you mean string players actually CAN play post-bop”) and learned to appreciate players like Stuff Smith that I’d completely overlooked or looked down on before.
Transcribing string players who had legitimately come up with unique and compelling solutions to the instrument without resorting to gimmicks caused an absolute explosion in my playing, and it’s why I’ve been passionate about our Lick Of The Week series on The Improvisors Guide, which explores exactly that.