Eddie Lang & Lonnie Johnson.

[Cliff Englewood]

I can heartily recommend this one, it's well worth seeking out, two discs worth of fantastic music, excellent sound quality.

'Nuff said.

Amazon link with sound samples.

[Chuck Nessa]

Used to have the Parlophone lps. Outstanding music. I have been meaning (for a couple of years) to pick this disc up since I only have a few tracks here and there.

[J.A.W.]

Don't have access to the booklet right now, but wasn't this material, or at least some of it, released in the Venuti/Lang Mosaic set?

[Cliff Englewood]

Don't have access to the booklet right now, but wasn't this material, or at least some of it, released in the Venuti/Lang Mosaic set?

There's no Venuti on the Blue Guitars set if that helps.

[J.A.W.]

Don't have access to the booklet right now, but wasn't this material, or at least some of it, released in the Venuti/Lang Mosaic set?

There's no Venuti on the Blue Guitars set if that helps.

I know, but there's lots of Lang without Venuti and Lang with Johnson on the Mosaic.

Edited August 11, 2009 by J.A.W.

[Quincy]

Just a real quick answer as I'm heading out the door, but I see at least 13 songs with Johnson & Lang on the Mosaic.

Two Tone Stomp

Have To Change Keys

To Play These Blues

Jet Black Blues

Blue Blood Blue

Guitar Blues

A Handful Of Riffs

Blue Guitars

Bull Frog Moan

Deep Minor Rhythm

Midnight Call (Blues)

Hot Fingers

Blue Room (Blues)

There's a chance I may have missed some.

[J.A.W.]

Just a real quick answer as I'm heading out the door, but I see at least 13 songs with Johnson & Lang on the Mosaic.

Two Tone Stomp

Have To Change Keys

To Play These Blues

Jet Black Blues

Blue Blood Blue

Guitar Blues

A Handful Of Riffs

Blue Guitars

Bull Frog Moan

Deep Minor Rhythm

Midnight Call (Blues)

Hot Fingers

Blue Room (Blues)

There's a chance I may have missed some.

It's "Have to Change Keys to Play These Blues", so that's twelve songs

Edited August 12, 2009 by J.A.W.

[AllenLowe]

wait, I thought those duets were Lonnie Johnson with Blind Willie Dunn -

[Quincy]

Just a real quick answer as I'm heading out the door, but I see at least 13 songs with Johnson & Lang on the Mosaic.

Two Tone Stomp

Have To Change Keys

To Play These Blues.....

It's "Have to Change Keys to Play These Blues", so that's twelve songs

Darn that return key.

I love this music enough that even with the Mosaic I'll at least make a note and put the 2 disc set on my hunting list. In the meantime it's a great reminder to play what I have (and I do return to this set often.)

wait, I thought those duets were Lonnie Johnson with Blind Willie Dunn -

Blind Willie Dunn? He just split with Brooks didn't he?

[Cliff Englewood]

I love this music enough that even with the Mosaic I'll at least make a note and put the 2 disc set on my hunting list. In the meantime it's a great reminder to play what I have (and I do return to this set often.)

Yes Quincy, as I have learned that you're a fan of the early style of jazz from the H.R.S. thread, it would be well worth your while, here is a brief rundown of what's on it from AMG;

"Two virtuoso guitarists are featured alone, together and with a small cast of supporting players on the 1998 BGO double-album reissue compilation Blue Guitars, Vols. 1 & 2. Philadelphia native Salvatore Massara, known professionally as Eddie Lang (1902-1933) and New Orleans' own Alonzo Johnson, who worked under the name Lonnie Johnson (1899-1970) both played blues and jazz guitar about as naturally as most people manage to breathe. On approximately ten of the classic recordings assembled here, Lang masqueraded as "Blind Willie Dunn" in order to conceal the fact that theirs was a racially mingled act at a time when the recording industry was still segregated. Traversing the weave of examples from both men's careers, one is struck by the refreshing diversity of moods and textures. In addition to the Italian-American Massaro/Lang's rendition of Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Prelude in C Sharp Minor," there are piano accompaniments by Arthur Schutt, Frank Signorelli, and Rube Bloom, as well as interactions with the Louis Armstrong band and a couple of friendly run-ins with homicidal blues growler Texas Alexander."

It also has the session with the fantastically named Gin Bottle Four, which also included pianist J.C. Johnson and King Oliver.

Edited August 12, 2009 by Cliff Englewood

[paul secor]

As far as I can tell, the BGO set contains five cuts that aren't on the Mosaic - four solo recordings by Lonnie Johnson & a recording by Johnson with Louis Armstrong that Lang doesn't appear on.

I bought the BGO before I got the Mosaic ( & similar to Chuck, I had much of the Johnson/Lang material on a Swaggie LP). The BGO is a great way to pick up this music if you just want guitar recordings and don't want to spring for the Mosaic. Sound on the BGO is very good.

[paul secor]

While checking out what overlaps there are on the BGO Lang/Johnson set & the Lang/Venuti Mosaic today, I noticed that the notes on the BGO state that it's King Oliver on the Gin Bottle Four recordings. The Mosaic notes state that it's Tommy Dorsey. The King Oliver Blues Singers/Hot Bands (Frog) notes play it both ways - perhaps Oliver/perhaps Dorsey.

I haven't listened to enough late Oliver to make my opinion worth anything. More interesting listening to do.

Does anyone here have an opinion?

[jeffcrom]

While checking out what overlaps there are on the BGO Lang/Johnson set & the Lang/Venuti Mosaic today, I noticed that the notes on the BGO state that it's King Oliver on the Gin Bottle Four recordings. The Mosaic notes state that it's Tommy Dorsey. The King Oliver Blues Singers/Hot Bands (Frog) notes play it both ways - perhaps Oliver/perhaps Dorsey.

I haven't listened to enough late Oliver to make my opinion worth anything. More interesting listening to do.

Does anyone here have an opinion?

Laurie Wright, in his King Oliver bio-discography, says it's Dorsey. I think it's Oliver, but what do I know? Maybe one day when I have a free hour I'll compare those tracks to other Dorsey trumpet recordings from the same era - so far I haven't done that.

[paul secor]

Thanks for the input, Jeff. Figured you might have something to offer. Hey, at this point in time It's all just opinions. No one who's alive knows for sure. Too bad know one asked Lonnie Johnson about this. Then again, he made so many recordings that he might not have remembered.

[jeffcrom]

Okay, I'm ready to give a more informed opinion - I just spent an hour in early-jazz geekdom. I listened to the following recordings from the same general period with Tommy Dorsey on trumpet:

Dorsey Brothers Orchestra - My Melancholy Baby (April 24, 1928)

Tom Dorsey and His Novelty Orchestra - It's Right Here for You (November 10, 1928)

same - You Can't Cheat a Cheater & Tiger Rag (April 23, 1929).

And some from the same period with Oliver confirmed on trumpet. I tried to pick some with style, tempo, and feel similar to the Blind Willie Dunn sides:

Clarence Williams and His Novelty Four - In the Bottle Blues & What Ya Want Me to Do? (November 23, 1928)

King Oliver and His Orchestra - What You Want Me To Do, Sweet Like This & Too Late (October 8, 1929)

I also re-read the relevant passage in the Laurie Wright book.

The Blind Willie Dunn Gin Bottle Four session is from May, 1929. I still think it's Oliver, but I also think we'll never really know definitively. But the main arguments against Oliver don't hold up, in my opinion. Wright and others say the range is too high for Oliver, but the highest note is a C (in trumpet key) above the staff. That's high for Oliver, but not unreasonable, and he plays the same note in "Too Late" - a confirmed Oliver solo. The vibrato is also supposed to be uncharacteristic of Oliver, and to an extent it is, but it is, but it sounds even less like Dorsey's vibrato, which is wider. Oliver's "Sweet Like This" is played with a vibrato that sounds something like the Gin Bottle Four trumpeter, but which is somewhat less pronounced. I don't think it's unreasonable to think Oliver may have played with a slightly more prominent vibrato on some occasions.

More damning to my argument is the fact that, late in his life, Dorsey told researcher Ken Crawford that it was him on the session. I don't necessarily consider that to be definitive evidence, considering how many times Dorsey was in the studio during the twenties and thirties, but it is evidence to be considered. So I don't think we can know for sure, but I still think it's Oliver.

Thanks for indulging me in this geekdom.