Eddie Condon

Eddie Condon earned recognition less for his own instrumental contributions than for his knack at assembling all-star ensembles capable of delivering spontaneous yet tightly knit performances, establishing him as a leading advocate for unfettered Chicago-style jazz while also earning notice as a sharp-tongued humorist and an underappreciated rhythm guitarist.

He began at age 17 on banjo in Hollis Peavey's Jazz Bandits, collaborated during the 1920s with musicians from the celebrated Austin High School Gang, and in 1927 co-directed the McKenzie-Condon Chicagoans alongside Red McKenzie for a session that helped codify the Chicago jazz idiom and included Jimmy McPartland, Jimmy Teschemacher, Joe Sullivan, and Gene Krupa. Following additional recording dates he organized, Condon changed to guitar, relocated to New York in 1929, performed with both Red Nichols' Five Pennies and Red McKenzie's Blue Blowers, and appeared on discs in varied contexts such as with Louis Armstrong in 1929 and the Rhythm Makers in 1932. Between 1936 and 1937 he shared leadership of a group with Joe Marsala.

Although he had kept a relatively low profile after the onset of the Depression, Condon gained prominence in 1938 through opportunities to supervise sessions for the fledgling Commodore imprint. While appearing regularly at Nick's from 1937 to 1944, he assembled top-tier players for integrated ensembles, launched an extensive sequence of dynamic recordings that extended across multiple labels until his death, and presented weekly Town Hall concerts in 1944–1945 that were aired on radio; these broadcasts showcased his incisive verbal wit and have been issued in full chronological form by Jazzology. In 1945 he launched his own venue, cut material for Columbia during the 1950s (later compiled by Mosaic in a limited-edition boxed set), and authored three vivid volumes, among them the 1948 autobiography We Called It Music. Among the many distinguished artists who frequently performed and recorded with him were trumpeters and cornetists Wild Bill Davison, Max Kaminsky, Billy Butterfield, Bobby Hackett, Rex Stewart, and Hot Lips Page; trombonists Jack Teagarden, Lou McGarity, Cutty Cutshall, George Brunies, and Vic Dickenson; clarinetists Pee Wee Russell, Edmond Hall, Joe Marsala, Peanuts Hucko, and Bob Wilbur; Bud Freeman on tenor saxophone; baritonist Ernie Caceres; pianists Gene Schroeder, Joe Sullivan, Jess Stacy, and Ralph Sutton; drummers George Wettling, Dave Tough, and Gene Krupa; an array of bassists; and vocalist Lee Wiley. Numerous Eddie Condon albums remain in circulation today, and any serious jazz library requires at minimum a substantial selection of them.