From Bach to the Duke, with a bit of Jimi thrown in

Violinist Nigel Kennedy sees no boundaries in music, writes Steve Meacham. Few people see Duke Ellington as a latter-day Johann Sebastian Bach. Fewer still mention the name of guitar guru Jimi Hendrix inthe same company as those two. But then, Nigel Kennedy - ''the ageing punk of classical music''or ''bad boy of the violin'', as he's often labelled - has made acareer out of blurring the edges between musical genres. Years ago,aged 16, he walked onto the stage of Carnegie Hall as a guest ofjazz virtuoso Stephane Grappelli, earning the wrath of hisJuilliard School tutors and scuppering an almost-signed recordingcontract with CBS. Today, at 53, he's unmistakably middle-aged but retains the sameenthusiasms and rebellious streak of his youth. Advertisement: Story continues below We're sitting in a cafe in Avalon on a summer's afternoon, closeto the holiday home he is renting at Whale Beach. The venue was hischoice and his directions are characteristically vague (''the onenext to the bottle shop on the corner''). Knowing the cafe, I'd been slightly nervous. On Fridayafternoons, it's a place parents and school kids gather over hotchocolates and sav blanc. Yet every interview with the famouslycoiffured maestro mentions his hard-drinking habits andexpletive-strewn conversation. Did Avalon know what it was infor? Certainly there's no mistaking the distinguished violinist as hecrosses the road. He's dressed in an Aston Villa shirt thatapparently once belonged to his favourite player before he took apair of scissors to it, adapting it for Australian casual wear. It's an ensemble which confirms the common prejudice aboutKennedy: that his talent as a musician is equalled by his talentfor self-promotion. Interviewers usually refer to his ''mockney''accent and propensity for hippie phrases. Some critics argue it'sall fake, Rosetta Stone that his longevity is largely due to a carefullyconstructed public image - foul-mouthed, anti-establishment enfantterrible - which is now well past its use-by date. But, as he sits down and introduces himself, he is charmpersonified. And before the end of an hour-long interview, he seemsless a Johnny Rotten-type going through the punk motions than aclassical version of Ozzy Osbourne: a genuinely affable, shamboliceccentric. Would he like a beer? ''Actually, I'm being very well-behaved atthe moment,'' he says, turning to the young waitress. ''Have yougot any teas? Can I have two teas? That would be brilliant, man. Agreen tea and an Irish breakfast.'' The main reason Kennedy is here is to perform his Bach Meets Ellington show with the Sydney Symphony at the Opera House. As awarm-up, he's also performing his own jazz-influencedinterpretation of Jimi Hendrix classics at the Basement. Not many musicians would attempt three such different composersat once. Why put Bach and Ellington on the same bill? ''It reflectsmy background and what I like in music,'' Kennedy explains. ''Bothwere great harmonic masters who wrote beautifully. I've recordedthe Bach part of the show before, but I'm altering it here. Thejazz musicians are going to provide some improvisational insightinto the Bach, which is not strange, because the baroque period wasone of the great periods of musical improvisation. ''Then, for the Ellington, I've written all the big band shitfor the strings to play.

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