O guitarrista de jazz Eddie Lang, nasceu no 25 de Outubro de 1912, e foi o primeiro virtuose da guitarra deste genero musical que se tornou fenomeno mundial. Era amigo de infância do violinista Joe Venuti e estudou violino durante 11 anos, antes de escolher a guitarra para se profissionalizar em 1924, com o grupo Mound City Blues Blowers.
Rapidamente começou a ser convidado para participar de muitas gravações, não só em jazz mas tambem em outros ritmos. Tocava nos padrões europeu e tornou-se um dos mais solicitados acompanhantes para gravações, muito embora fosse um excelente solista. Frequentemente acompanhava Joe Venuti e participava do grupo Red Nichols' Five Pennies, de Frankie Trumbauer e Bix Beiderbecke (com o qual gravou a antologica "Singin'the Blues"). Tocou em várias orquestras e com a Orchestra de Paul Whiteman, apareceu ao lado de Venuti no filme "King of Jazz".
Lang era tão versátil que conseguia acompanhar cantores de blues, tocar musica classica e "jam" com grandes musicos de sua época. Tocou no Okeh de 1926 a 1933, e sob o pseudonimo de Blind Willie Dun, Lang manteve duradoura parceria com o guitarrista de blues Lonnie Johnson.
Trabalhou alguns anos no inicio da década de 30 com Bing Crosby, e com ele apareceu no filme "Big Broadcast".
Faleceu tragicamente durante uma operação de retirada das amigdalas por excesso de sangramento. Sua morte abalou Bing Crosby que o considerava um grande amigo e por ter partido dele a recomendação para que Lang fizesse a operação.
Eddie Lang plays.
Eddie Land and Ruth Etting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyX3fUqGx6c
Eddie Lang was born on October 25,1902 and was the first Jazz guitar virtuoso. A boyhood friend of Joe Venuti, Lang took violin lessons for Singin' the Blues) years but switched to guitar before he turned professional in 1924 with the Mound City Blue Blowers. He was soon in great demand for recording dates, both in the jazz world and in pop settings.
His sophisticated European sounding chord patterns made him a unique accompanist, but he was also a fine soloist. He often played with violinist Venuti and with Red Nichols's Five Pennies , Frankie Trumbauer and Bix Beiderbecke (most memorably on the song “Singin' the Blues”). He played in many orchestras including Roger Wolfe Kahn Orchestra , Jean Goldkette and with Paul Whiteman (appearing on one short number with Venuti in Whiteman's 1930 film “King Of Jazz”).
Lang was a versatile player who could back Blues singers, play Classical music, and jam with the greatest musicians of his day. He was the house guitarist at Okeh from 1926 to 1933. Using the pseudonym of Blind Willie Dunn, Lang often teamed up with Blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson.
Eddie Lang led several dates of his own between 1927 and 1929, including an interesting session with King Oliver and Johnson, under the name of Blind Willie Dunn and his Gin Bottle Four. He worked regularly with Bing Crosby during the early 1930s and appears briefly with him in the film “The Big Broadcast”.
Tragically his premature death was caused by a poorly performed operation, where he lost too much blood during a routine tonsillectomy. Bing was deeply disturbed by Lang's death, not only because he suddenly lost one of his best friends and most talented sidemen, but because he had personally urged Lang to have the operation.
Reference - AAJ
Tradução de Humberto Amorim
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