Eddie Condon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Eddie Condon
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Condon in 1946
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Albert Edwin Condon |
| Born | November 16, 1905 Goodland, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 1973 (aged 67) New York City, NY, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, swing |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, bandleader |
| Instruments | Guitar |
| Years active | 1921–1973 |
| Labels | Commodore, OKeh, Victor, Brunswick, Columbia |
| Associated acts | George Brunies, Billy Butterfield, Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, Walter Page, Pee Wee Russell, Ralph Sutton, Jack Teagarden, George Wettling |
Eddie Condon (born Albert Edwin Condon; November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was a famous American jazz musician. He played the banjo and guitar, and also led his own bands. Eddie was a very important person in the Chicago jazz scene. He could also play the piano and sing!
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Eddie Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana. He grew up in Illinois, in towns like Momence and Chicago Heights. When he was young, he first played the ukulele. But soon, he switched to the banjo.
By 1921, when he was just 15 years old, Eddie was already a professional musician. He even got his first union card in Waterloo, Iowa, at that young age.
Starting Out in Chicago Jazz
For most of the 1920s, Eddie Condon lived and played music in Chicago. He performed with many well-known jazz artists. Some of these included Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, and Frank Teschemacher.
In 1925, Eddie and another musician named Red McKenzie started a group called the Chicago Rhythm Kings. Eddie and other white musicians in Chicago often visited places like Lincoln Gardens. They went there to watch and learn from King Oliver and his band. Later, they would go to the Sunset Café to see Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five for the same reason.
Moving to New York and New Sounds
In 1928, Eddie Condon moved to New York City. He often helped set up jazz recording sessions for record companies. Sometimes, he even played with the musicians he brought to the studios. These musicians included famous names like Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller.
Eddie was known for organizing recording sessions that included both Black and white musicians. This was quite rare at the time. He worked with artists like Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Henry 'Red' Allen. For a while, he also played with Red Nichols' band. From 1938, he had a long partnership with Milt Gabler's Commodore Records.
Eddie Condon's Own Recordings
Eddie Condon released a few records under his own name in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In 1928, he recorded two songs for OKeh. Another OKeh record was released as "Eddie Condon and his Footwarmers," featuring Jack Teagarden.
In 1929, a record came out under the name "Eddie Hot Shots" on Victor. He also recorded several times with the Rhythmakers in New York City in 1932. From 1938 onwards, Condon mostly recorded for Commodore Records.
"Nicksieland" and Radio Shows
From the late 1930s, Eddie Condon was a regular at a jazz club in Manhattan called Nick's. The special kind of Dixieland music that Eddie and his friends played there became known as "Nicksieland." However, Eddie Condon didn't like his music being called "Dixieland." He showed this by naming his first autobiography We Called it Music.
His regular group of musicians included Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, George Brunies, Edmond Hall, and Pee Wee Russell. In 1939, he appeared in a short film called On the Air with "Bobby Hacket and Band."
Eddie Condon also hosted a series of jazz radio shows. These were called Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts. They were broadcast nationally from New York's Town Hall during 1944–45. These recordings still exist today!
Eddie Condon's Jazz Club
From 1945 to 1967, Eddie Condon ran his very own jazz club in New York. It was called Eddie Condon's. The club moved to a few different locations over the years.
In the 1950s, Condon recorded many classic albums for Columbia Records. The musicians who played on these albums and at his club were some of the best. They included:
- Cornet/Trumpet: Wild Bill Davison, Bobby Hackett, Billy Butterfield
- Clarinet: Edmond Hall, Peanuts Hucko, Pee Wee Russell, Bob Wilber
- Trombone: Cutty Cutshall, Lou McGarity, George Brunies
- Tenor Sax: Bud Freeman
- Piano: Gene Schroeder, Dick Cary, Ralph Sutton
- Bass: Bob Casey, Walter Page, Jack Lesberg, Al Hall
- Drums: George Wettling, Buzzy Drootin, Cliff Leeman
Tours and Later Years
Eddie Condon toured Britain in 1957 with his band. His last tour was in 1964, when he took a band to Australia and Japan. On that tour, his band included famous musicians like Buck Clayton (trumpet) and Jimmy Rushing (vocals).
In 1948, Eddie Condon's autobiography, We Called It Music, was published. He also co-edited a collection of articles called Eddie Condon's Treasury of Jazz in 1956.
A musician named Kenny Davern once described playing with Condon as "always a thrill." He remembered the great feeling of the music.
Eddie Condon continued to tour and appear at jazz festivals until 1971. His last public performance was in April 1973 in New York. He played with several of his regular musicians at this concert.
Throughout most of his career, Condon played a four-string guitar. However, he never recorded a solo with this instrument.
Personal Life
Eddie Condon married Phyllis Smith, a fashion copywriter, in 1942. They had two daughters together, named Maggie and Liza.
Death
Eddie Condon passed away on August 4, 1973. He was 67 years old. He died from a bone disease at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. His funeral was held in Manhattan. He was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Discography
- Ringside at Condon's (Savoy, 1956)
- At Newport with Louis Armstrong (Columbia, 1956)
- Confidentially...It's Condon (Design, 1958)
- Dixieland Dance Party (Dot, 1958)
- Eddie Condon is Uptown Now! (MGM, 1958)
- Tiger Rag and All That Jazz (World Pacific, 1960)
- A Legend (Mainstream, 1965)
- The Eddie Condon Concerts (Chiaroscure, 1972)
- Jazz at the New School (Chiaroscure, 1972)
- The Spirit of Condon (Fat Cat's Jazz, 1973)
- The Immortal Eddie Condon (Olympic, 1974)
- Eddie Condon in Japan (Chiaroscure, 1977)
- Eddie Condon Wild Bill Davison Jam Session (Jazzology, 1980)
- Eddie Condon and His Jazz Concert Orchestra (Jazz Bird, 1981)
- That Toddlin' Town (Atlantic, 1985)
- The Town Hall Concerts (Jazzology, 1988–1996)
- Dixieland Jam (Columbia, 1989)
- The Definitive Eddie Condon and His Jazz Concert All-Stars Vol. 1 (Stash, 1990)
- A Night With Eddie Condon Kenny Davern with Eddie Condon (Arbors, 2001)
- Eddie Condon & Bud Freeman: Complete Commodore and Decca Sessions (Mosaic, 2015)
See also
In Spanish: Eddie Condon para niños
