This archival recording is full of wit, charm, and economy.
08/22/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This archival collection of guitar recordings is full of wit, charm, and economy of playing for the listener who can get past the 'old timey' feel. There is nary a clunker in this album. Aspiring jazz guitarists will find that these songs warrant further study and provide excellent transciption potential. The duets sound like a couple of old friends having a very interesting conversation. Listen to these tunes as often as possible; you'll hear something new each time."
A gem
D. W. Kessler | 10/23/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I defy anyone to resist the charm and energy of this album.
It was all downhill after these guys.
What a great compilation."
Early jazz guitar legends...
Aaron The Baron | 09/28/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD put out by the Yazoo label(surprisingly a US label) Usually we have to get this type of CD from a European label. This CD of mostly jazz guitar duets is great such jazz legends as Eddie Lang and Lonnie Johnson appear on several tracks as well as lesser known greats like Dick McDanough(who would later led his own big band, which included sideman bass sax legend Adrian Rollini). Every track is a gem, this is the best way to get introduced to the best jazz guitarists of the 30's, after you've already bought every Django Reinhart Cd there is. Recomended."
Historical note on two tracks here credited to McDonough
PH-50-NC | Southeast USA | 03/19/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I just came across a paragraph discussing two of the pieces on this album in "Lost Chords: White Musicians and their Contribution to Jazz, 1915-1945" by Dick Sudhalter that sets the record straight on "Dick Bernstein Ramble" and "Chasin' a Buck". According to Howard Alden, as quoted in this book, these pieces are actually played by George Van Eps and Bob Haggart and were recorded privately for fun.
Alden relates how he was on tour with Haggart in the early 1990s, and the bassist started discussing these two duets he had recorded decades before with George Van Eps. To Haggart's knowledge at the time, the pieces had never been released. (Actually, they had been released on the Yazoo "Fun on the Frets" Lp, incorrectly attributed to Dick McDonough and Artie Bernstein). He evidently began humming "The Ramble" (a.k.a. "Dick Bernstein Ramble"), at which point Alden, who had learned the piece from the Yazoo Lp, recognized it.
Alden is quoted as saying that if you are a student of Eps' left hand technique, you'll recognize certain elements in the two pieces which confirm who was playing guitar.
Anyway, for those who care, that's the scoop. BTW, the Sudhalter book has a nice chapter on jazz guitarists from Eddie Lang to George Barnes, with some info that I haven't seen in other sources."