1926-1928

• Artist: Joe Venuti
• Rating:
• Release Date: May 07, 2002
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Jazz

Review

This particular slice of the Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang chronology presents some of their all-time best instrumental performances garnished with a small bouquet of precious novelties and sugary love songs with delightfully naïve vocals by Scrappy Lambert, Billy Hillpot, and Rube Bloom. The sweetest of these are sung in a manner so euphoric as to be almost nonsensically charming. This is true even of a suspiciously idyllic paean to the pleasures of "Pickin' Cotton," a faintly onerous song representing a tenebrous subgenre of Tin Pan Alley tunes that wistfully glorified the gallant bygone days of slave or cheap "emancipated" labor. Venuti's lyrically inspired handling of the violin and Lang's virtuosic guitar still sound surprisingly fresh and imaginative. These earliest Venuti and Lang collaborations exude a special sort of positive energy that is unique in all of classic jazz. Some of the instrumental tracks feel like well-organized, improvised hot chamber music. Fortunately, Venuti's "Kickin' the Cat" and "Beatin' the Dog" are presented without any nasty lyrics or cruel sound effects. ~ arwulf arwulf, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Black and Blue Bottom	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:44)
Stringin' the Blues	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:37)
Wild Cat	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:56)
Sunshine	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:57)
Doin' Things	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:51)
Goin' Places	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:56)
Kickin' the Cat	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(3:11)
Beatin' the Dog	Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:41)
Cheese and Crackers	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:53)
A Mug of Ale	Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(3:02)
Penn Beach Blues	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:49)
Four String Joe	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:57)
Dinah	Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young, Harry Akst	Joe Venuti	(2:50)
The Wild Dog	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:45)
I Must Be Dreaming	Paul Clarkson	Joe Venuti	(3:21)
'Tain't So, Honey, 'Tain't So	Willard Robison	Joe Venuti	(3:24)
Because My Baby Don't Mean "Maybe" Now	Frank Teschemacher, Guy d'Hardelot	Joe Venuti	(3:05)
Just Like a Melody Out of the Sky	Walter Donaldson	Joe Venuti	(3:01)
The Man from the South (With a Big Cigar in His Mouth)	Rube Bloom, Harry Woods	Joe Venuti	(2:58)
Pretty Trix	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(3:17)
Doin' Things	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:46)
Wild Cat	Eddie Lang, Joe Venuti	Joe Venuti	(2:28)
Pickin' Cotton	Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Charles Henderson	Joe Venuti	(3:04)
I'm on the Crest of a Wave	Lew Brown, Buddy DeSylva, Charles Henderson	Joe Venuti	(3:10)

Credits

Joe Venuti (Violin), Joe Venuti (Main Performer), Adrian Rollini (Goofus), Adrian Rollini (Sax (Bass)), Adrian Rollini (?), Rube Bloom (Piano), Rube Bloom (Vocals), Arnold Brillhardt (Clarinet), Arnold Brillhardt (Flute), Arnold Brillhardt (Sax (Alto)), Tony Colucci (Banjo), Jimmy Dorsey (Clarinet), Jimmy Dorsey (Sax (Alto)), Manny Klein (Trumpet), Fud Livingston (Clarinet), Fud Livingston (Sax (Tenor)), Chauncey Morehouse (Drums), Arthur Schutt (Piano), Arthur Schutt (Cello), Frank Signorelli (Piano), Frank Signorelli (Cello), Charlie Butterfield (Trombone), Max Farley (Flute), Max Farley (Sax (Alto)), Justin Ring (Cymbals), Joe Tarto (Bass), Fuzzy Farrar (Trumpet), Hank Stern (Bass), Leo McConville (Trumpet), Billy Hillpot (Vocals), Scrappy Lambert (Vocals), Paul Graselli (Drums), Herb Spencer (Sax (Tenor))