Giuseppe (Joe) Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August
14, 1978) was an Italian-American jazz musician, considered to be the father of
jazz violin.
At school in Philadelphia in 1913 he met guitarist
Eddie Lang; they started playing together , at first playing polkas, inventing
and trading variations, quickly moving into jazz. It was a fortuitous and
rewarding partnership. From 1926 to 33 they made many recordings, in a variety
of small band line-ups, becoming internationally famous, not least because the
novelty of the guitar/violin combination.
Through the 1920s and early 1930s, Venuti and Lang
made many recordings, as leader and as featured soloists. He and Lang became so
well known for their 'hot' violin and guitar solos that on many commercial
dance recordings they were hired do 12 or 24 bar solos towards the end of
otherwise stock dance arrangements. In 1926, Venuti and Lang started recording
for the OKeh label as a duet, followed by "Blue Four" combinations.
Venuti also recorded a number of larger, more commercial dance records for OKeh
under the name New Yorkers.
His approach to playing was mirrored very much in
his character; he was a notorious prankster, and there are countless stories (often
spread, exagerrated and quite possibly invented by himself!) of madcap
adventures and escapades. He is said to have pushed a piano out of a fifth
floor window in order to see what key it would play when it hit the sidewalk;
to have nailed a pianist's shoes to the floor because he wouldn't stop tapping
his feet; to have given a fellow musician directions to a gig which involved a
200 mile journey, ending up round the block from where he started, and perhaps
most famously calling up 26 (or was it 46?) tuba players (or was it double bass
players?) to an imaginary gig in Hollywood (or was it Manhatten?)- just for the
fun of seeing the confusion as they all arrived at the same place at once.
According to one source, every Christmas he sent
Wingy Manone, a one-armed trumpet player, the same gift--one cufflink. He is
said to have chewed up a violin he borrowed from bandleader Paul Whiteman, when
still on stage after his own performance with Whiteman's band had finished.
He worked with Benny Goodman, the Dorsey Brothers,
Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, the Boswell Sisters and most of
the other important white jazz and semi-jazz figures of the late 1920s and
early 1930s. Venuti and Lang recorded a series of milestone jazz records for
the OKeh label during the 1920s. However, following Lang's early death in 1933,
his career began to wane, though he continued performing through the 1930s,
recording a series of excellent commercial dance records (usually containing a
Venuti violin solo) for the dime store labels, OKeh and Columbia, as well as
the occasional jazz small group sessions. He was also a strong early influence
on western swing players like Cecil Brower, not to mention the fact that Lang
and Venuti were the primary influences of Django Reinhardt and Stephane
Grappelli.
This productive period was brought to a tragic close
by the sudden death of Eddie Lang in 1933; he died in hospital during an
operation for tonsillitis. Venuti then formed his own big band, but this did
not prove a big success, whether because he missed Lang's steadying influence
and more astute business sense, because of Venuti's increasing drinking
problem, or simply because musical tastes were changing. His career went into a
rapid decline, and after the war he folded his band and moved to the West Coast
to concentrate on anonymous Hollywood studio work. The only notable feature of
this largely bleak part of his career was his numerous appearances during the
'50's on Bing Crosby's radio show, where he was able to show off his quick wit,
outrageous stories and gruff repartee to best advantage.
His fortunes changed once more in 1967; building on
an electrifying appearance at the annual Dick Gibson Colorado Jazz Party, he
resumed his recording career, working with artists such as Earl Hines, Bucky
Pizzarelli and most notably the swinging tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims.
He continued working, appearing at major jazz
festivals round the world up until his death from cancer in 1978.
His dazzling technique, humour and inventiveness
helped to put jazz violin on the musical map, and he has been a major inspiration
to all who have followed in his footsteps. (Info edited from
www.fiddlingaround.co.uk & Wikipedia)
In a
tribute to Bix dinner party in 1975 violinist Joe Venuti plays "China
Boy". For a while Joe had pianist Marian McPartland on tour with him and
one notices the terrific subtle back up lines Marian throws in. How light her
accompanyment is as well. On bass is Major Holley and some fine drumming by
Cliff Leeman.
1 comment:
Found this link at Plixid so for Joe Venuti – The Chronological Classics (1933) go here:
http://novafile.com/co8i7if7f77b
01. Isn’t It Heavenly? (3:19)
02. My Gypsy Rhapsody (3:30)
03. You’re My Past, Present And Future (3:02)
04. I Want To Ring Bells (3:03)
05. Doin’ The Uptown Lowdown (2:49)
06. Gather Lip Rouge While You May (3:06)
07. Moon Glow (2:57)
08. Cheese And Crackers (2:58)
09. Sweet Lorraine (3:12)
10. Doin’ The Uptown Lowdown (3:18)
11. The Jazz Me Blues (3:10)
12. In De Ruff (3:09)
13. Fiddlesticks (2:50)
14. Everybody Shuffle (2:52)
15. Moon Glow (3:22)
16. Phantom Rhapsody (3:08)
17. Heat Wave (3:09)
18. Easter Parade (3:06)
19. Build A Little Home (3:15)
20. No More Love (3:06)
21. My Dancing Lady (3:12)
22. Everything I Have Is Yours (3:07)
23. One Minute To One (3:05)
24. You Have Taken My Heart (3:01)
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