Joe Venuti

Although celebrated worldwide for his elaborate pranks—one scheme involved phoning two dozen bassists about a supposed engagement and directing them to assemble with their instruments on a crowded intersection merely to observe the resulting confusion—Joe Venuti’s lasting contribution to jazz lies in his role as the first major improvising violinist. A childhood companion of Eddie Lang, jazz’s pioneering guitarist, the pair collaborated across numerous contexts throughout the latter 1920s, among them a series of influential duet recordings. Venuti relocated to New York in 1925, after which he and Lang quickly became sought-after participants in jazz sessions, studio dates, and nightclub engagements. During the era of segregation he appeared alongside virtually every leading white jazz musician; in 1929 the two joined Paul Whiteman’s Orchestra and performed in the motion picture The King of Jazz.

Lang’s untimely passing in 1933 struck Venuti hard, prompting a gradual retreat from public view. Following a European trip in 1935 the violinist assembled a big band that endured for several years and launched the careers of vocalist Kay Starr and drummer Barrett Deems, yet remained a secondary ensemble that issued just four titles—characteristically named “Flip,” “Flop,” “Something,” and “Nothing.” A short wartime enlistment during World War II dissolved the orchestra; once discharged, Venuti confined himself to studio work in Los Angeles. He appeared regularly on Bing Crosby’s radio program in the early 1950s, but the years 1936–1966 constituted a period of obscurity marked by alcoholism and near-total neglect within the jazz community.

Beginning in 1967, however, Venuti staged a substantial return, performing at full strength at Dick Gibson’s Colorado Jazz Party. His long-dormant recording activity recommenced with numerous distinguished dates pairing his violin with Zoot Sims, Earl Hines, Marian McPartland, George Barnes, Dave McKenna, Bucky Pizzarelli, and others; despite declining health, the final ten years of his life stood as a crowning achievement.