In light of a recent report/study that showed that jazz is the least popular music in America, clocking in at only 1.4% of the population, you have to ask yourself, “What is missing in today’s music that was in this 8 disc set by lead by banjoist/raconteur Eddie Condon and warm toned tenor and mustachioed Bud Freeman? When these songs were recorded from 1938-1950, traditional or “classic” jazz was in a major revival from which it still retains popularity in America, Europe and Asia. Do you think the present sounds will ever be remembered 50 plus years from now? Will ANY music be remembered?
That is the main reason to absorb the sounds on this scrumptious set. And truth be told, I’m more of a bebopper and hard bopper by heart. But, you just can’t ignore the infectious joy and incessant swing that is here. Not only that, but because jazz became more complex with bebop, etc, it lost the audience that drew to it because it was danceable. This music is just begging you to grab a partner and hit the floor!
Truth be told, while the labels and leadership changes back and forth, what you’re dealing with is a regular team that simply rotates around. The core of Freeman and Condon along with Bobby Hackett/cor, Jess Stacey-Joe Sullivan-Joe Bushkin/p, Artie Shapiro-Clyde Newcombe/b, Pee Wee Russell/cl, George Wettling-Dave Tough/dr, and Max Kaminsky/tp are augmented by various guests ranging from Fats Waller to Jack Teagarden to Lionel Hampton, but for the most part these are the stock in trade for wonderful mixes and matches.
The band is in full force on a wonderful “Love Is Just Around the Corner” which features Russell’s gloriously syrupy clarinet here while Bud Freeman does some wonderfully fervent trio work with Stacey and Wettling on “My Honey’s Lovin’ Arms” and “You Took Advantage of Me” while a duet with Stacey on “She’s Funny That Way” is sublime serenity. Jack Teagarden joins the crowd for some vintage vocals on “Serenade to a Shylock” and a cooking solo on “Diane.” A 1940 jam session has Joe Marsala/cl-as and Miff Mole/tb joining in during a rich “A Good Man Is Hard To Find” and the ante gets upped when Fats Waller hits the ivories for some raucous tunes that include “Georgia Grind” and “Oh Sister, That Ain’t Hot.” The walls must have been shaking on that one.
The band still sounds fresh in 1943 and gets an extra kick when Big Sid Catlett handles the drums and gets the rhythm to a V8 status on “Mandy Make Up Your Mind” and the band is sublime as Kaminsky revisits the classic “Singing The Blues” with aplomb and style. Legendary vocalist Lee Wiley joins the party with her unique and charming Midwestern lilt in a 1944 session as both she and Teagarden take turns on “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
The sound and style changes a bit by 1945 when lithe clarinetist Edmond Hall and trumpeter Yank Lawson team up with Condon for swinging reads of “Oh, Lady Be Good” and “Swanee,” and Wild Bill Davison sounds chipper during “Farewell Blues.” Bing Crosby reunites with his buddies for some wonderful old time and good time swing on “After You’ve Gone” and “Personality.” Even by 1950, both Hall and Peanuts Hucko sound wonderfully fresh on the licorice sticks, Davison and Yawson are as crisp as a new suit and not a hint of nostalgia is in the air. They are still playing for keeps.
You can argue until you’re blue in the face as to whether jazz “should” move into more modern sounds away from dancing and just having a good time. As Condon famously said, “We didn’t flatten our fifths; we drank them.” The fact is that this style should be considered the same way as Mozart’s music. It didn’t advance any particular trend, it just took it to its logical conclusion and enjoyed the daylights out of it. You will too.
The 40 page book with an excellent essay by Dan Morgenstern includes some wonderful vintage photos of the gents, making this limited edition a real joy.
Mosaic Records