THE COMPLETE
JOE VENUTI & EDDIE LANG
SMALL GROUP SESSIONS
PART 1
1926
The Complete Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang Small Group Sessions consist of a total of twenty-six dates, starting in September 1926 and ending with their final date together in February 1933. These dates include recording sessions under their names and dates when the Venuti/Lang duo, trio, and Blue Four accompanied other artists. Their appearance in the King of Jazz film, the only time the duo was captured on film, is also included. The first five dates reveal the initial compositions the duo created in the early 1920s while in Philadelphia and perfected during their summer stay in Atlantic City in 1926, marking their first experience leading their own group.
Discover an unparalleled modernization of the centuries-old violin and guitar-playing tradition and the pioneering of chamber jazz with this collection. Their introduction to the entertainment industry marked a significant shift in the musical landscape, bringing forth a unique and unheard-of style during the Jazz Age. Venuti's remarkable skill and Lang's advanced technical, harmonic, and rhythmic abilities as an accompanist set these recordings apart. They are a testament to their individual and collective performance and creative small-group arranging. Joe Venuti always emphasized that the recordings he produced with guitarist Eddie Lang were his favorite and most significant of his career.
NOTE: Red Nichols is also due credit for his pioneering of chamber jazz starting in October 1926.
1926
SEPTEMBER 1926
Thursday, September 16: Joe Venuti turns twenty-three (b. 1903).
JOE VENUTI & EDDIE LANG
Joe Venuti (violin), Eddie Lang (guitar).
Wednesday, September 29, 1926
Recording Location: Columbia Studios, 1819 Broadway (at Columbus Circle), in the Gotham National Bank Bldg, NYC.
42697-1 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-Columbia test pressing
42697-2 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-3 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42698-2 Black And Blue Bottom (Venuti, Lang)-Col 914-D
STRINGING THE BLUES-Take 1
In their first recording under their names, Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang attempted three takes of "STRINGING THE BLUES." All three takes were rejected, and the masters were destroyed. However, a shellac test-pressing was made of Take 1, which still exists. Penciled comments on the label include "Reject" and "weak," likely referring to the signal level rather than the performance quality. The performance is more similar to "TIGER RAG" than the familiar issued takes, as the boys had been playing their variation on the chords of "TIGER RAG" for years and had just finished leading their band in Atlantic City for the summer season, where they began putting the finishing touches to "STRINGING THE BLUES."
"BLACK AND BLUE BOTTOM" contains little melody for two musicians known for their melodic prowess. Instead, it serves as a showcase for Joe's exceptional skill on the violin, with Eddie providing a pulsating rhythm in the background. The way the violinist effortlessly plays those harmonic breaks is genuinely breathtaking. As the song transitions into the final chorus, Lang fills with an exceptionally long series of chords (12 bars), allowing Venuti to showcase his violin playing in a four-string fashion. This recording marks the first time a violin and guitar performed an entire jazz piece from start to finish. When people first heard this music, it was truly groundbreaking.
OCTOBER 1926
“Midnight. At the Playground Cafe. Strongmen with weak pocket-books. Elderly women with young ideas. Long-haired men about to be clipped. Dainty damsels with hard eyes. Dancing. Music.” (Daily News, NY, October 3, 1926)
In October, Joe and Eddie permanently move to New York City. Venuti and Lang lead a band at Tommy Guinan’s Playground, located on 52nd Street, east of Broadway. It's a late-night/early-morning establishment featuring singer Helen Morgan and run by Tommy Guinan, the younger brother of the "Queen of Nightclubs" Texas Guinan. Newspapers at the time referred to the venue as "a radiant joy cellar for those who enjoy greeting the dawn with a rousing hiccup." (The Miami News, FL, December 26, 1926)
NOTE: A profile on the New York City nightclub scene during the Jazz Age is in the works.
NOTE: The Playground publicity department struggled to figure out how to spell the violinist’s name, as he was billed at one time or another as Vanuti, Veuuti, Vanati, and Vannti!
JOE VENUTI & EDDIE LANG
Joe Venuti (violin), Eddie Lang (guitar).
Friday, October 22, 1926
Recording Location: Columbia Studios, 1819 Broadway (at Columbus Circle), in the Gotham National Bank Bldg, NYC.
42697-4 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-5 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-6 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-7 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
NOTE: No audio exists from this, their second duet recording session.
Monday, October 25: Eddie Lang celebrates his twenty-fourth birthday. (b. 1902)
Venuti & Lang end the month playing Vaudeville with Roger Wolfe Kahn’s Orchestra as the “Millionaire Maestro” prepares to open his nightclub the first week of November.
NOVEMBER 1926
Roger Wolfe Kahn's new nightclub, Le Perroquet de Paris, located at 146 West 57th Street in NYC, is set to open on November 5th. The club will feature Venuti and Lang performing nightly.
Le Perroquet de Paris view from lobby, ca. November 1926.
Le Perroquet de Paris bandstand and dancefloor, ca. November 1926.
Recording sessions throughout November include Red Nichols (Lang), Cliff Edwards (Venuti & Lang), another record date under their names (Nov 8-STRINGING THE BLUES-4 takes), Jimmy Lytell (Lang), Roger Wolfe Kahn (Venuti & Lang), and Ross Gorman (Lang), and Jack Pettis (Venuti & Lang).
JOE VENUTI & EDDIE LANG
Joe Venuti (violin), Eddie Lang (guitar).
Monday, November 8, 1926
Recording Location: Columbia Studios, 1819 Broadway (at Columbus Circle), in the Gotham National Bank Bldg, NYC.
42697-8 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-Col 914-D
42697-9 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-10 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-unissued
42697-11 Stringing The Blues (Venuti, Lang)-Col 914-D
Columbia scheduled another session for Venuti & Lang, their third one, to try to record a good version of "STRINGING THE BLUES." Out of the four recordings made, two were considered good enough. Despite the issues they faced in the previous two sessions (which resulted in seven rejected takes), Joe and Eddie still seemed uncertain about the best tempo for the performance. However, the two successful takes allow us to understand their thought process and what they were aiming for, which they achieved with take 11 at a slightly faster tempo. This captures the essence of their performance. You can even hear their foot tapping during the breaks. These two musicians played with a powerful beat that drove their music forward, regardless of the tempo.
Application For Copyright, signed and submitted by Eddie Lang, December 3, 1926.
The Greensboro Record, North Carolina, Tuesday, April 12, 1927
The Post Cresent, Appleton, Wisconsin, Friday, April 15, 1927
DECEMBER 1926
Venuti and Lang perform nightly at Roger Wolfe Kahn’s nightclub and participate in recording sessions with Ross Gorman (Lang), Red Nichols (Lang), and Jack Pettis (Venuti & Lang).
Eddie Lang with Red Nichols and His Five Pennies, Brunswick Topics, March 1927. Image ca. December 1926-February 1927.
Young Master Kahn writes an editorial about “cleaning up the questionable side of Broadway nightlife” and prepares for a profitable New Year celebration at Le Perroquet de Paris.
Roger Wolfe Kahn editorial, The Oakland Post Enquirer, Oakland, California, Thursday, December 23, 1926.
Washington, District of Columbia, Friday, December 31, 1926.