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"Father of Jazz Guitar" RememberedEddie Lang's Centennial Celebrated |
Concert: Friday, Nov 8th, 2002, 8pmTickets: $12 |
The name Eddie Lang might not be familiar to WAC members, but jazz musicians, especially string players, will recognize it instantly. Lang emerged onto the scene in the 1920s, when jazz was the hot music and, in the space of just a few years, changed the instrumentation of jazz bands forever.
A list of major early jazz innovators would have to include Eddie Lang. Although not as well known today as Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller, Lang's influence is universal, in that he almost single-handedly changed the instrumentation of jazz.
Jazz Writer Jim Ferguson attributes "the eclipse of the banjo by the guitar" to "the immense popularity of Eddie Lang, a brilliant and sophisticated player. Under Lang's influence large numbers of banjoists changed to playing guitar. Only a few years after Lang's emergence the banjo was all but obsolete."
It is highly appropriate to take notice of his 100th birthday and pay tribute to the man whose live and recorded performances convinced so many of his contemporaries to put away their banjos in favor of (acoustic) guitars. Watchung will have its chance on Friday, November 8, when a special quartet will appear here. The Watchung Arts Center's venerable Jazz Series will celebrate Eddie Lang's 100th birthday with a tribute on Friday, November 8, starting at 8 pm.. Ticket prices have been held to $12, including intermission refreshments.
Special, because guitarist Richard Barnes has closely studied the life and music of Eddie Lang over the course of his own musical career, and patterned his playing after the master. To capture the thrill of the famous duets with Joe Venuti, he's drafted violinist Michael Salsburg, similarly devoted to this pair.
Then, to give the audience a feeling for Lang's appearances with larger groups, he's invited popular favorite Dan Levinson to play clarinet and saxophone. Dan is one of the most sought-after reed players in the region, and a fixture on the national festival circuit as well. Tom Roberts, highly regarded pianist with the Nighthawks and others, will accurately convey the keyboard style of that era on our Altenburg grand. Those who experienced his Luckey Roberts tribute here will want to return just for the piano solos.
Richard Barnes has unearthed some rarely-heard pieces for this centennial tribute, and Watchung has the ideal acoustics for these instruments. Your $12 ticket will, as usual, include intermission refreshments.
Given the limited capacity, low ticket price and the uniqueness of this event, reservations are suggested. They may be made by phone, calling (908) 753-0190 and leaving a message outside office hours (generally 1 to 4 PM). Tickets will be held for pickup and payment at the door.
Eddie Lang's enduring influence on how jazz is played today
is all the more amazing since his early death limited his career to just a
decade. Guitarist Richard Barnes has made an extensive study of Eddie Lang's
material, making it the cornerstone of his Hot & Blue Four, which performs
primarily in the Philadelphia area, Lang's home town. For this centennial event
he's resurrected some seldom-heard pieces from Lang's early recordings, tunes
that shaped jazz and pioneered musical trends. Barnes also leads a larger
group, the Blackbird Society Orchestra.
Lang's name is indelibly linked with that of Joe Venuti, a pioneering jazz violinist and schoolmate in Philadelphia. Venuti was to jazz violin what Lang was to the guitar, and their landmark duet recordings showed the infinite possibilities that string instruments have for jazz. Violinist Michael Salsburg has made an extensive study of the Venuti repertoire, which will be put to good use during this centennial celebration. He performs regularly with Richard Barnes, so their duets seem effortless, belying the complexity of the required interplay.
The guitar would not have gained prominence so quickly without Lang's demonstration of its advantages in the company of other, more traditional instruments. The Hot & Blue Four is fortunate to have Tom Roberts at the piano. Tom is somewhat of a historian himself, having put together recent tributes to piano innovators Luckey Roberts and Jelly Roll Morton. He's preparing one for stride master Willie "The Lion" Smith as well.
Reed virtuoso Dan Levinson completes the quartet. His clarinet was heard in a major Benny Goodman tribute last year, and he's revered on the jazz festival circuit for his saxophone work as well. Levinson is another jazz history scholar, leading the Roof Garden Jass Band, which perpetuates the style of the "fabulous fives" whose recordings defined and popularized jazz.
The non-profit Watchung Arts Center is on the Watchung Circle, easily reached from throughout the region via Route 22 (Plainfield overpass) or Interstate 78 (exit 40). Indeed, jazz fans from three states frequent the series here, and have for a dozen years. Parking is free at adjacent municipal lots.
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