S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing

S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing

S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing

ASIN: B000000MDS

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The giants in question are violinist Joe Venuti, guitarist and former Texas Playboy Eldon Shamblin, steel guitarist Curley Chalker, and mandolinist Jethro Burns. The music is mostly George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Despite the country music experience of Shamblin, Burns, and Chalker (and the usual country setting of steel and mandolin), the group holds to a strict jazz aesthetic, with sophisticated, polished improvisation. Recorded in 1977, this blowing session balances refined elegance with blazing ferocity. Chalker coaxes some amazing, unique sounds from his pedal steel (especially on the ballads) while Burns and Shamblin, usually lumped in the country bag, show their amazing facility with the jazz idiom. Of course, Venuti's jazz credibility was never in question. --Marc Greilsamer

S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing,Joe Venuti,Flying Fish Records,Classic Jazz,Dixieland,Jazz,Jazz Music,Jazz Traditional,Pop,Swing
S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Unique
  • True meeting of the masters
  • Pure musicianship
 S'Wonderful: 4 Giants Of Swing
Joe Venuti
Manufacturer: Flying Fish Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Swing GeneralSwing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Jazz GeneralTraditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
New Orleans & Dixieland JazzNew Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music
DixielandDixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Traditional JazzTraditional Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Back to Back
  2. Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin
  3. Bye Bye Blues
  4. The Puritan Sessions
  5. Joe Venuti and Zoot Sims

ASIN: B000000MDS
Release Date: 1992-09-29

Tracks:

  1. Take The A Train
  2. Satin Doll
  3. Sophisticated Lady
  4. C Jam Blues
  5. There Will Never Be Another You
  6. Lime House Blues
  7. S'Wonderful
  8. Summertime
  9. Lady Be Good
  10. Rhapsody in Blue/I Got Rhythm
  11. Caravan

Amazon.com

The giants in question are violinist Joe Venuti, guitarist and former Texas Playboy Eldon Shamblin, steel guitarist Curley Chalker, and mandolinist Jethro Burns. The music is mostly George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. Despite the country music experience of Shamblin, Burns, and Chalker (and the usual country setting of steel and mandolin), the group holds to a strict jazz aesthetic, with sophisticated, polished improvisation. Recorded in 1977, this blowing session balances refined elegance with blazing ferocity. Chalker coaxes some amazing, unique sounds from his pedal steel (especially on the ballads) while Burns and Shamblin, usually lumped in the country bag, show their amazing facility with the jazz idiom. Of course, Venuti's jazz credibility was never in question. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Unique.......2002-01-21

For fans of truly unique swing and jazz type music, this is a rare find. Finding jazz type music with a strong steel guitar player is really a rare find. While all of the musicians on this cd are excellent, Curly Chalker and Jethro Burns really stand out. Know of anything else like this that doesn`t feature Buddy Emmons? E-mail me.

5 out of 5 stars True meeting of the masters.......2000-11-17

This recording is one of my favorites. Each of the artists are pioneers in their area. Joe Venuti is more than just a hot fiddle player, he was one of the people that defined jazz in the early years.

It is a matter of taste. The jazz here is not the edgy bop style of playing scales over chord changes. The solos are variations on the melody or melodies that stand on their own. I am an amateur musician and I tried to learn Eldon Shamblin's solo on "There Will Never Be an Other You." It is elusively simple, and the timing and the way it builds is sublime. It has that subtle distinction between great and genius.

Joe Venuti is beyond praise. In some senses, a very good answer to the question "what is swing?" would be "how Joe Venuti plays." Since he was with the earlist improvising bands way back in the 20's, he influenced everyone since.

Mandolin tends toward either the Eastern European or bluegrass, but Jethro Burns is firmly a swinger, and Curely Chalker is the defining voice of pedal steel guitar. Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys are synonymous with country swing.

For anyone that is interested in Jazz and American music, this once only collaberation between these greats is something that has to be in their collection.

5 out of 5 stars Pure musicianship.......2000-03-16

There is absolutely no pretense to this recording. It is a sheer delight from start to finish. It's as if one of the four called the other three on the phone and said:"why not come over to my place and some fun." The neat part is that we the listeners get to share in this jubilation. Flying Fish is a label I've respected greatly for twenty five years. I certainly thank them for making this treat available, but have to wonder why the liner notes consist of only two lines. That said, this one is a keeper that will only continue to keep you smiling long after the last track has finished.

Jazz Music:

  1. Sax O' Bebop
  2. Session 2
  3. So Inclined
  4. Solos & Duets
  5. Soul Control [Enhanced]
  6. Spinozza [Import]
  7. Stairway to the Stars [Box set] [Import]
  8. Stardust
  9. Steppin' Zone
  10. Swing [Import]

Jazz Music

Jazz Music