The Tale of The Bows Continues!

In 1958, jazz bassist George Duvivier commissioned master bowmaker Samuel Kolstein to make a special French model bow for him. Just a few days after ordering that bow, George contacted Sam and asked him to make a sister bow, this one a German model design, that George would present to his best friend Milt Hinton as a gift. The bows that Sam Kolstein made for George and Milt became their primary bows for the rest of their legendary careers.

After the untimely death of George Duvivier in 1985, Sam's son Barrie Kolstein purchased the French bow from George’s mother and kept it in his personal collection. When Milt Hinton's Kolstein bow was willed to Barrie upon Milt's death in 2000, the sister bows were reunited.

In 2021, Barrie generously endowed these two remarkable bows to the International Society of Bassists.

Click on the image above to listen to John Clayton's message about the Milt Hinton Bow!

Now the ISB has asked our past president John Clayton to become the caretaker of the legendary Milt Hinton's bow. John's mission will be to amplify the legacy of Milt Hinton and spread the news about the ISB and its educational outreach through his performances and other projects.