The recordings of master
jazz
duo
Eddie Lang
and
Joe Venuti
have been compiled many times and in many ways, but never before as easily as
JSP
's four-disc box set
The New York Sessions 1926-1935
. While
Mosaic
still deserves pride of place for its massive set
The Classic Columbia and OKeh Sessions
(which doubles the number of discs), this set earns great notices because of its low price and high availability. Certainly this includes all of
Lang
Venuti
's best moments, most delivered under the studio rubric
Joe Venuti's Blue Four
-- with the help of talented friends like
Adrian Rollini
,
Jimmy Dorsey
, and
Frank Signorelli
.
"The Blue Room,"
"Doin' Things,"
"The Wild Dog"
belied the frantic nature of much classic
; sides by
called to mind adjectives like buoyant, pastoral, virtuosic, ones that hadn't previously been applied to recorded
also adds many scattered sessions that didn't come out under their name, such as sidemen gigs for artists ranging from
Cliff Edwards
to
Annette Hanshaw
to bluesman
Texas Alexander
. Also appearing are a few excellent sides of guitar duets featuring
Lonnie Johnson
, who recorded under the name
Blind Willie Dunn
. All in all, it's a treasure trove of
classic jazz
for fans who've been unable to find this much material so easily. ~ John Bush