PICKIN’ MY WAY (1932) by Eddie Lang and Carl Kress

Eddie Lang (October 25, 1902 -- March 26, 1933) was an American guitarist some , considered to be the ’father of jazz guitar’ and a great influence on guitarists who came after him. He played with many other musicians, including the violinist Joe Venuti (their duo was an influence on Django), blues guitarist Lonnie Johnson, pianist Frank Signorelli and various bands. Sadly he died during an operation in New York City to remove his tonsils. This tune was recorded with guitarist Carl Kress in 1932, and is my favourite Eddie Lang pairing although only a few tracks were recorded. In describing this track, Rich Kienzle, considered that ’the two support each other so closely they seem to be thinking out of the same head. Lang’s beautifully crafted solos were well set forth by Kress’ chords. Conversely, Kress’ rich chord solos were ably underpinned by Lang’s outstanding bass lines’. Unfortunately, there is no film of Lang and Kress together (I could not even find any photographs), so I have put together my own slideshow video, attempting to simulate them playing together. Comments are welcome. P.S. See my new video of Eddie Lang doing Jigsaw Puzzle Blues!