Happy Birthday to Eddie Lang, a supreme jazz guitarist and sensitive accompanist who here provides backup to the haunting, beautiful voice and persona of Ruth Etting. She has always been one of my absolute favorite singers of that or any era.
Eh certo! Così come l'altro grande padre della chitarra Jazz, Nick Lucas, si chiamava in realtà Domenico Lucanese. Anche Carmen Manstren altri non era che Carmine Mastrandrea... La chitarra Jazz deve moltissimo agli italoamericani! :-)
this song is actually referred to as Without That Gal and it's on quite a few of Etting's albums titled as such. This is a beautiful version with Eddie Lang and very rare...thanks for posting...
@snorkelbda03: the L5 played by Eddie was the 16" model. The 17" model - the one we know better today - was introduced by Gibson after his death. It is also interesting to note that Nick Lucas (born Domenico Lucanese), a few year older than Eddie and an idol to him, was a Gibson artist too and used a round hole model guitar designed by himself. Eddie used a "Nick Lucas" very heavy pick on hard tension flat wounded strings.
@zthetha: Eddie Lang was born Salvatore Massaro in Philadelphia. There is also a rumor that he was born in Italy or on the ship that brought his parents from Italy to USA. His guitar in that movie was an L5 with 16" body and not an L4. :-)
@Vegavox Grateful for your erudition -yours is the quickest response I've ever had on youtube - 3hrs - I'd always thought he played an L5 until someone said differently - incidentally how can you tell the difference?
I've listened to this several times...just to make sure...but on my speakers (and my earphones) there exists a low "D" from Eddie's guitar (at 150 and 205)..don't understand this phenomena...his guitar is tuned standard ("E" is the lowest note)...anybody want to explain?
That's a good shot, but his guitar is tuned standard (his low string is an "E")...no question...it's obvious from his first chords and the nice run he plays as he's entering Etting's sleeper. I just believe it's an acoustic glitch we're hearing.
That was the way white female singers sang then. Listen to Bee Palmer's rendition of Singin' The Blues! Perhaps Annette Hanshaw was better than Etting, while Connee Boswell (and her sisters) where really good. Perhaps because they where from New Orleans. Anyway, this videoclip is the only one where Eddie's skills are shown in the best possible way.
I can just hear all the jazz guitarists shouting, "Get the fuckin camera off the old slapper and let's see what Eddie's doing!" If that L4 sounds so good through the most primitive recording gear what must it have really sounded like! Anyone know Eddie's real name?
How times change. In the early 30's the great guitarist (Lang) dies young from a botched tonsillectomy. In the early 70's, the great guitarist (Jimi Hendrix) dies young from dope.
