As the band played, attendees refused to sit still; many danced along to the band inside the Hamilton Garden Room and admired the view of the city through the glass walls of the room perched atop the Kimmel Center.
The Blackbird Society Orchestra paid tribute to revolutionary South Philadelphia jazz guitarist Eddie Lang in the Hamilton Garden Room at the Kimmel Center Sunday afternoon, performing a collection of songs Lang was famous for, including “I Don’t Mind Walking in the Rain,” “Stardust” and “Breezin’ Along With the Breeze.” Lang, a South Philly, Italian-born Salvatore Massaro, is largely credited with bringing the guitar into the world of jazz music during his short 30-year life in the early 20th century.
As the band played, attendees refused to sit still; many danced along to the band inside the Hamilton Garden Room and admired the view of the city through the glass walls of the room perched atop the Kimmel Center.
“Jazz guitarists like Charlie Christian and Les Paul,” said Blackbird band leader Richard Barnes in a pre-show interview with SPR, “in every article you read, they were all influenced by Eddie Lang.”
Prior to Lang, the banjo was the primary stringed instrument used in jazz music, largely because they were louder and projected better in a band. But around the time Lang was alive (he was born in 1902 and died in 1933), microphones started to gain in popularity, which served as a way to help amplify the sound of a guitar in a jazz band.
“Everyone almost overnight gave up the banjo and guitar came the new popular instrument in the band because you could hear it now,” said Barnes.
According to a pamphlet given out at the event, Lang was also credited for being one of the first musicians to perform in many interracial bands, which was not common for the time period.
Lang is also associated with having played with a variety of other musicians, most commonly jazz violinist Joe Venuti. However, he also performed with Bing Crosby, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith and Tommy Dorsey. His relationship with Crosby was especially close. According to Barnes, the two met in 1929, and by 1931, Lang was Crosby’s personal accompanist for his performances at theaters, radio broadcasts and recordings.
At Crosby’s request, Lang went to a doctor to have a tonsillectomy completed for health reasons. He was put under a general anesthetic and the surgery was completed. Unfortunately, Lang never awoke from the anesthetic, and ultimately passed away. In many subsequent interviews, Crosby expressed regret for urging Lang to have the procedure done.
In 2010, Mayor Michael Nutter declared Oct. 25 (Lang’s birthday) Eddie Lang Day in Philadelphia. In 2016, Mural Arts Philadelphia, with help from Barnes, unveiled a mural dedicated to Lang at the corner of 7th and Fitzwater streets. Tomorrow, the 25th, City Representative Sheila Hess and Councilman Mark Squilla will be in attendance when the city officially designates the 700 block of St. Albans Street “Eddie Lang Way.”
