Condon & Freeman: 1938-1950

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

On the Arts in Review page of today's Wall Street Journal, I review Eddie Condon & Bud Freeman: Complete Commodore & Decca Sessions, a new 8-CD box from Mosaic Records (go here). I must say, I was floored by the recordings. As most readers know, I've long been a strict, self-proclaimed fan of post-1945 jazz with a focus on individualists who struggled to stand out with distinctive artistic voices. Conversely, I've really had much patience for the frantic sound and tempo of pre-war jazz. This boxed set turned my head completely around.

First, the sound. engineer and sonic magician Andreas Meyer (above) has done a miraculous job detailing the music and freshly mastering the material. Every single track sounds as though it was recorded last week in the world's finest studio. Second, the music. As I note in today's WSJ, this hot style served different purposes, depending on the decade. In the late 1920s, it was speakeasy music. In the 1930s, it was meant to raise Depression-era spirits. In the 1940s, it was a respite from bop's new modernism. In the 1950s, '60s and early '70s, Chicago jazz was a roots music that let older jazz fans return to an era with which they were most familiar. And third, the liner notes. They are by Dan Morgenstern and are a masterpiece of writing—integrating history, personal experience and storytelling. If you don't know much about Chicago jazz, Dan's notes bring the style to life.  

What's particularly special about this box is the narrative. In the late 1920s, a number of the young musicians associated with Chicago's Austin High Gang moved to New York to take advantage of the expanding opportunity in recording, radio work and performing. Condon and Freeman made the move in 1928, and between 1938 and 1950 (the years covered by the box), they spearheaded a movement to keep Chicago jazz alive and well. [Photo above: Austin High School in Chicago]

What about the music? Oh man, all of the 199 tracks cook. Condon's guitar chugs along and Freeman's tenor sax gets more and more slippery and smokey as the years go on. My foot was going the entire time. If you're a post-war nut, the music is going to be a different than you're used to. You have multiple instruments playing at once with different ones exploding in solo at random moments. And solos are always sizzling. Most fascinating of all is how so many musicians were able to move so fluidly in unison and contrapuntally without tripping over each other. [Photo above of Bud Freeman]

This is a must box without an ounce of fat or filler. But rather than go on and on, I've included three tracks below that knocked me out. The stuff is like bouncing around on a trampoline. [Photo above of Eddie Condon]

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Eddie Condon & Bud Freeman: Complete Commodore & Decca Sessions(Mosaic) here.

JazzWax clips: Here's Love Is Just Around the Corner...

Love Is Just Around the Corner

Here's It's Tulip Time in Holland, with Jack Teagarden on vocal...

It's Tulip Time in Holland

And here's The Way You Look Tonight...

The Way You Look Tonight 

Used with permission by Marc Myers