Never Before...Never Again

AMG Review of Never Before...Never Again

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Violinist Joe Venuti spent the 1950s and '60s largely in obscurity, and other than his appearances on the Bing Crosby radio programs in the early '50s, not much was heard from him. His only recordings during the period were for tiny or private labels. This 1979 LP released for the first time an unusual date in which Venuti and guitarist Tony Romano performed eight duets in 1954. There are only around 26˝ minutes of music on the overly brief set, but the violinist shows throughout the date that he was still in prime form. The duo performs three basic originals and five standards (including "Almost Like Being In Love" and "I Want to Be Happy"); they clearly had a good time during the rare and very spontaneous but coherent session.