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Little Girl

Joe Venuti's Rhythm Boys

Eddie Lang, Frank Signorelli , Harold Arlen , Jimmy Dorsey, Joe Venuti, Paul Graselli

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This side was cut in New York City on June 10th 1931 by "Joe Venuti's Rhythm Boys" a group consisting of Harold Arlen vocals, Joe Venuti violin, Eddie Lang guitar, Jimmy Dorsey clarinet, alto, & baritone sax, Frank Signorelli piano & celeste, and Paul Graselli drums.

*"Little Girl" was composed by Madeline Hyde and Francis Henry.

Joe Venuti pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz with his childhood friend guitarist Eddie Lang. Together the pair started recording for the OKeh label as a duo followed by "Blue Four" combinations, which are now considered milestones of recorded jazz.

Tenor vocalist and renowned popular songwriter Harold Arlen graces listeners with his velvety voice on this landmark recording of 1931. Publishing more than five-hundred songs over the course of his lengthy career spading from 1924 to 1952, Arlen scored the first hit credited under his own name with the 1929 publication of "Get Happy" after which he took a job composing music for The Cotton Club.

As a talented pianist Harold Arlen played with a number of bands and in 1933 while attending a party wrote his first major hit "Stormy Weather" with partner Ted Koehler. He was a highly regarded contributor to the Great American Songbook, writing his fair share of words and music for Broadway. In 1938 while driving along Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard, Harold stopped in front of Schwab's Drug Store just in time to see a rainbow appear over Hollywood, providing instant inspiration for his biggest hit "Over the Rainbow". Written in collaboration with lyricist E.Y. Harburg the song became his best known publication of all time and after its debut in the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz" was an instant success.

For a rendition of this song as sung by "Whispering" Jack Smith Click Here.