Hot Sonatas
The more you consider this magical collaboration, the more it amazes. Both Joe Venuti and Earl Hines were already stars of the jazz landscape a full 50 years before they paired up for this elegant 1975 session--Venuti in tandem with guitaristEddie Langand Hines with the one and onlyLouis Armstrong. They were both 72 years old when their label, Chiaroscuro, decided to record an album of duets, marking the very first time the two legends had ever played with each other--on record or otherwise. It's very hard to imagine either of them being any more fertile at any other point in their careers. The interplay is magnificent, the improvisations colorful and pulsating, and the end result is a fascinating testament to the beauty of experience and mutual respect.--Marc Greilsamer