An April Kiss
April Kisses - Eddie Lang
Many guitarists are aware of Eddie Lang and his status as one of the first to popularize the guitar in the jazz idiom but that is usually where it ends. In order to truly understand and appreciate the importance of Eddie Lang (real name Sal Massaro), you must understand the context of his playing in the late 1920s and early 30s. Lang’s rise as a guitarist coincided with the boom of radio sales and the improvement of fidelity in recording equipment and microphones. The improvement in technology allayed volume problems that previously limited the use of quieter instruments in orchestras like the guitar and baritone singers (think Bing Crosby). The increased sensitivity of microphones allowed Lang to bring his talent to bear in the studio providing accompaniment and solos never before heard in contemporary music. In essence, Lang was the first studio guitar ace; legitimizing the guitar’s role as a solo, accompaniment, and ensemble instrument.
Eddie Lang recorded April Kisses along with Eddie’s Twister, his first solo record, on April 1, 1927 in New York City for the Okeh label where he was the house guitarist from 1926 until the year of his death, 1933. A common complaint about Lang was that he didn’t “swing” which is an argument easily won by the complainant. But, similar to his contemporaries (Lonnie Johnson, Johnny St. Cryer, etc…), whose societal upbringing and cultural heritage influenced their playing (the blues); Lang’s own playing was defined and influenced by his own cultural and musical heritage growing up in the Italian immigrant communities of Philadelphia (classical and Italian folk). A product of his upbringing and musical schooling, Lang brought to the public ear a level of technical proficiency and mastery of the guitar never before recorded in jazz and popular song. In the opening cadenza of April Kisses, Lang uses his prowess with single line runs to great effect establishing with the listener his ‘serious musician’ credentials.
April Kisses
The original recording of April Kisses begins with a cadenza following the V chord, A7, upon which Lang plays a flurry of single line runs. Though many people today try to imitate this flurry of notes that effortlessly fell out of Lang, most would do well to serve the music rather than their own skill and leave that sort of playing to those with the “chops”. You will notice the enclosed video skips those theatrics thus saving the author from embarrassment. Following the cadenza into the tonic (Dmaj) and the scherzando-like 3/4 time, the melody (played underneath the chords) is simple and beautiful using only dotted half notes ensconced by short bursts of single note runs and numerous tempo changes laying out the song’s delicate theme. The middle section uses a Piu Mosso to pick up the tempo slightly accentuated by the change to quarter notes for the melody, played now above the chords. Repeating once, the song returns to the original theme closing with a cascading diatonic run of chords up to a Dmaj triad on the 14th fret.
I can't help but feel strongly that this song is a variation on another piece of music. Perhaps it is based off of an Italian folk song or short classical piece. Lang was known for his transcriptions of popular classical pieces by Rachmaninoff and Debussy, so it would not surprise me that some of his softer more sentimental pieces, such as April Kisses, would have been influenced harmonically and melodically by the classics or songs he learned growing up in the Italian community in Philadelphia.
The performer would do well to focus their time on the delicate balance between the 3/4 time and the numerous fermatas and tempo markings throughout April Kisses. I found the biggest struggle playing this piece was figuring out how to control the tempo keeping the song sentimental and flowing while not getting too deep into overly garish appoggiaturas and mawkishness. April Kisses is wonderful entry piece for any guitarist interested in Eddie Lang. Don’t be scared off by the opening cadenza, skip it; think of it as “optional” and start right in at the melody.
For further reading about Eddie Lang I highly recommend:
The Guitar in Jazz, edited by Jim Salis.
Eddie Lang - The Formative Years - by Nick Dellow (Opens in PDF)
Note: The drawn image of Eddie Lang was produced by Johanna Goodman, www.johannagoodman.com, all rights reserved.
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