Dick Gibson's Colorado Jazz Party, and was such a success that he would be asked to repeat his performances annually until his death in 1978. In 1968, he was also invited to the Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1969 he performed at the London Jazz Expo. Living in Seattle in 1973 he was featured in the short film, Thank You Joe. A portion of the film was shot at the District Tavern in Seattle with Venuti sitting in with the New Deal Rhythm band led by John Holte. During the 1970s, in his last years, Venuti toured extensively in Europe with a small ensemble. During this time, he made his final recordings with Earl Hines, George Barnes, Ross Tompkins, Dave McKenna, Marian McPartland, Scott Hamilton, Leon Redbone, and Zoot Sims. Venuti continued to tour and play until his death in 1978. Playing style Venuti pioneered the violin as a solo instrument to the jazz world. He was known for a fast, "hot" playing style characteristic of jazz soloists in the 1920s. His solos have been described as incredibly rhythmic with patterns of duplets and running eighth and sixteenth notes. He favored a lively, fast tempo that showed off his superior technique. Venuti was a virtuosic player with a wide range of techniques, including left-hand pizzicato and runs spanning the length of the fingerboard. He also frequently implemented slides common in blues and country fiddle playing. Occasionally, he used an uncommon technique in which he unscrewed the end of his bow and wrapped the bow hair around the strings of the violin, allowing him to play chords, lending the subsequent sound a "wild" tone. He was particularly active in small ensemble jazz, since — prior to the invention of the musical amplifier — the force of the horns in big band jazz was sufficient to drown out the violin. Compositions Joe Venuti's compositions included "Satan's Holiday", "Goin' Home", "Put and Take", "Pretty Trix", "Doin' Things" with Eddie Lang, "Apple Blossoms", with Lennie Hayton, Frankie Trumbauer, and Eddie Lang, "Beatin' the Dog", "Black and Blue Bottom", "Black Satin", "Blues for Nobody", "Blues in G", "Blues Inc.", "Dandy Cat", "Cheese and Crackers", "Clown Cat", "Dinner at Nine", "Flip", and "Betcha I Getcha", which Venuti claimed to have co-written with Bix Beiderbecke. Practical jokes Apart from his impressive playing style, Joe Venuti was known for his practical jokes. He was known to play inexpensive