Venuti & Lang doin' what they do best...
Aaron The Baron | 09/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Joe Venuti perhaphs the finest jazz violenist ever and Ediie Land perhaphs the greatest jazz guitarist ever(with the exception of Django Reinhart) are together here for some red hot duets, leading their own groups and appearing with different vocalists or as sidemem, whatever it is they get plaenty of solos space, and this CD is consistantly enjoyable. This is an essentail set well worh the price."
Great Collection From Jazz Pioneers Lang and Venuti!
bix lang | Davenport, Iowa USA | 09/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"From "Dinah" to "Tiger Rag" this collection illuminates the magnificent musical abilities of the first great Jazz violinst, Joe Venuti and his equally innovative buddy, Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro), who practically invented jazz guitar in the 1920s. Long before Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, and Stephane Grappelli, there was Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang, both musical prodigies from South Philadelphia who had brilliant careers that began in the early days of Jazz. Lang's career was cut tragically short when he died of complications from surgery for infected tonsils at the age of 31 in 1933 (remember, this was long before the discovery of antibiotics). Like Venuti, Lang recorded with such immortals as Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Bing Crosby (who was Lang's best friend), Mildred Bailey, Red Norvo, and Frankie Trumbauer, among many others. Lang was a magnificent accompanist as well as a creative lead player who put single string improvisational guitar-playing on the musical map. That's Eddie playing incredibly behind and around Bix on the immortal "Sing'n the Blues." Venuti was the first violinist to play stunning lead solos on an instrument that previously was not even accepted in the jazz world. Whether playing a haunting ballad or an uptempo eight-to-the-bar number, Venuti was an incredible improvisor. It should be noted by Jazz afficionados that Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli in the 1930s modeled their playing on that of Lang and Venuti in the 1920s. This collection is a marvelous one, and I enthusiastically recommend it to all jazz buffs who appreciate two true immortals of the genre."
