Joe Venuti - Stringing the Blues (Their 52 finest) (2021)

Joe Venuti (1903-1978) and Salvatore Massaro, otherwise Eddie Lang (1902-1933) formed the most famous violin-guitar duo in jazz a decade prior to Stéphane Grappelli and Django Reinhardt. Both Americans of Italian origin, each became a supreme master, Venuti as violinist, Lang as the first pioneer of the guitar as a solo voice in jazz as opposed to being simply a rhythm instrument. As a musical partnership they produced a whole string of jazz classics. Stringing The Blues brings together 52 of these, by now, great jazz standards from 1926-1933. Five are duo performances, such as the title track. Their small group format was as Joe Venutis Blue Four or Blue Five, when they joined by Adrian Rollini, Jimmy Dorsey and others (Dinah, Ill Never Be The Same, Raggin The Scale). Four of these tracks stem from Eddie Langs last session before he died after undergoing a tonsillectomy at the age of just 30. The double CD set also offers three Eddie Lang solos (Eddies Twister) and four amazing duets as Blind Willie Dunn with Lonnie Johnson (Two\-Tone Stomp) and Carl Kress (Pickin My Way), plus a couple with his own orchestra (Freeze And Melt). The programme is rounded off by a post\-Lang session by Joe Venutis Blue Six, featuring Benny Goodman.

Tracklist:
1-1. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Black and Blue Bottom (02:48)
1-2. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Stringing the Blues (02:37)
1-3. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Red Nichols & His Five Pennies - Bugle Call Rag (02:55)
1-4. Arthur Schutt, Eddie Lang - Eddie's Twister (02:55)
1-5. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra - Just the Same (03:03)
1-6. Joe Venuti, Arthur Schutt, Eddie Lang - Doin' Things (02:52)
1-7. Joe Venuti, Arthur Schutt, Eddie Lang - Goin' Places (02:57)
1-8. Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Eddie Lang - For No Reason at All in C (03:06)
1-9. Annette Hanshaw, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - I'm Somebody's Somebody Now (03:09)
1-10. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Kickin' the Cat (03:12)
1-11. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Beatin' the Dog (02:42)
1-12. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Cheese and Crackers (02:58)
1-13. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - A Mug of Ale (03:03)
1-14. Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, Eddie Lang - Wringin' an' Twistin' (02:59)
1-15. Frank Signorelli, Eddie Lang - Perfect (03:03)
1-16. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Penn Beach Blues (02:49)
1-17. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Four String Joe (02:58)
1-18. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Dinah (02:51)
1-19. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - The Wild Dog (02:46)
1-20. Rube Bloom, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - The Man from the South (02:58)
1-21. Frank Signorelli, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Wild Cat (02:31)
1-22. Frank Signorelli, Eddie Lang, Justin Ring - Church Street Sobbin' Blues (03:03)
1-23. Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang - Two-Tone Stomp (03:02)
1-24. Clarence Williams, Eddie Lang - In the Bottle Blues (02:53)
1-25. Eddie Lang - Jet Black Blues (03:03)
1-26. Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang - A Handful of Riffs (03:09)
1-27. Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang - Bullfrog Moan (03:15)
2-1. Eddie Lang - Freeze and Melt (From "Cotton Club Parade") (02:58)
2-2. Eddie Lang - Walkin' the Dog (From "Dancing Follies of 1916") (03:02)
2-3. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Runnin' Ragged (03:07)
2-4. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Apple Blossoms (03:29)
2-5. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Put and Take (03:16)
2-6. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Really Blue (02:41)
2-7. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - I've Found a New Baby (03:12)
2-8. Harold Arlen, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Little Girl (03:01)
2-9. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - I'll Never Be the Same (03:11)
2-10. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Red Nichols & His Five Pennies - Oh Peter, You're So Nice (03:01)
2-11. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - To To Blues (03:17)
2-12. Jack Teagarden, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Beale Street Blues (03:23)
2-13. Jack Teagarden, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - After You've Gone (03:00)
2-14. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Farewell Blues (03:01)
2-15. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Someday Sweetheart (03:14)
2-16. Carl Kress, Eddie Lang - Pickin' My Way (03:02)
2-17. Lennie Hayton and his Orchestra, Bing Crosby, Eddie Lang - Some of These Days (02:36)
2-18. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Raggin' the Scale (03:04)
2-19. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Hey, Young Fella! Close Your Old Umbrella (From "Dancing Lady") (03:09)
2-20. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Jigsaw Puzzle Blues (03:26)
2-21. Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang - Pink Elephants (03:11)
2-22. Joe Venuti - Sweet Lorraine (03:16)
2-23. Joe Venuti - Doin' the Uptown Lowdown (From "Broadway Through a Keyhole") (03:19)
2-24. Joe Venuti - Jazz Me Blues (03:10)
2-25. Joe Venuti - In de Ruff (03:05)