Eddie Lang

Eddie Lang's Gibson L-5

Eddie Lang (born October 25, 1902 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † March 26, 1933 in New York City , actually Salvatore Massaro ) was an American jazz musician. He is considered to be the first virtuoso of the jazz guitar and was entitled “Mr. Guitar ".

Life

Lang took violin lessons at the age of eleven. One of his school friends was the violinist Joe Venuti , with whom he later performed frequently. Lang earned his living as a professional musician at an early age; he played the violin, banjo and guitar. He was a member of various bands in the northeastern United States. He worked in London from late 1924 to early 1925 , then settled in New York.

Lang played with Venuti in a duo, in the Blue Four (with Frank Trumbauer among others ) and in 1931 in a jointly directed all-star band (with Benny Goodman and Jack Teagarden ). He also worked for Louis Armstrong , Adrian Rollini , Roger Wolfe Kahn and Jean Goldkette . In 1929 he joined Paul Whiteman’s orchestra . With Venuti he had a brief appearance in Whiteman's film The King Of Jazz in 1930 .

When Bing Crosby left Whiteman, Lang went with him as an accompanist. With Crosby he had an appearance in the 1932 film The Big Broadcast . Under the pseudonym Blind Willie Dunn , Lang made a number of legendary duo recordings with blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson . Eddie Lang's playing is considered one of the most important stylistic influences on Django Reinhardt .

Eddie Lang died at the age of only 30 from complications from tonsil surgery.

collection

• The Classic Columbia and Okeh Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang Sessions , 1926–1955 ( Mosaic , 2002) - 8 CDs with Jack Pettis , Bix Beiderbecke , Frank Trumbauer , Jimmy Dorsey , Arthur Schutt , Don Murray , Red McKenzie , Adrian Rollini , Vic Berton , Frank Signorelli , Eddie Condon , Fud Livingston , Gladys Bentley , Victoria Spivey , King Oliver , Omer Simeon , Clarence Williams , Eva Taylor , Tommy Dorsey , Blind Willie Dunn , Texas Alexander , Lonnie Johnson , Louis Armstrong , Jack Teagarden , Happy Caldwell , Joe Sullivan , Kaiser Marshall , Bessie Smith , Hoagy Carmichael , Paul Whiteman , Bing Crosby , Jimmy McPartland , Tony Parenti , Harold Arlen , Red Nichols , Carl Kress , Dick McDonough , Benny Goodman , Bud Freeman , Pee Wee Erwin , Bunny Berigan

literature

• Adriano Mazzelotti: Eddie Lang - Stringin 'The Blues
• Maurice Summerfield: The Jazz Guitar - Its evolution and its players (English). Ashley Mark Publishing 1978, ISBN 0-9506224-1-9 .

Web links

• Eddie Lang Biography (English)
• Eddie Lang at Allmusic (English)