Eddie Condon

2 LPs ON 1 CD

A pair of dates from Eddie Condon & His All-Stars make up this Collectables two-fer. Both are quasi-concept albums, the first (1962's Midnight in Moscow) a swing-around-the-world session prompted by Kenny Ball's surprise hit with the title song one year earlier. The lineup includes trumpeter Bobby Hackett, pianist Dick Cary, Peanuts Hucko on clarinet, and Lou McGarity on trombone; Hucko, especially, does some great work during the opener, "Meadowland," and a stately version of "Londonderry Air." The second LP included on the program, 1957's The Roaring Twenties, salutes a host of jazz luminaries of the pre-swing era, from Lee Wiley and Turk Murphy to Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. Condon -- appearing with cornetist Wild Bill Davison, drummer George Wettling, clarinetist Bob Wilber, bassist Leonard Gaskin, and trombone player Vic Dickenson -- illustrates perfectly how much fun jazz was before it took itself seriously, jamming on "Minor Drag," "That's a Plenty," and ten other tunes.

PERSONNEL

[1- 10] MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW (Epic LA 16024):

BOBBY HACKETT, trumpet
LOU McGARITY, trombone
PEANUTS HUCKO, clarinet
DICK CARY, piano
EDDIE CONDON, guitar
JACK LESBERG, bass
BUZZY DROOTIN, drums

New York, January 27, 1962.

[11 - 22] THE ROANING TWENTIES: (Columbia CL 1089)

BILLY BUTTERFIERLD, trumpet
CUTTY CUTSHALL, trombone
BOB WILBER, clarinet
GENE SCHROEDER, piano
EDDIE CONDON, guitar
LEONARD GASKIN, bass
GEORGE WETTLING, drums

New York, June 28, 1957.

TRACKS:

01. Meadowlands
02. Dark Eyes
03. Theme From Swan Lake
04. Hindustan
05. The Japanese Sandman
06. Loch Lomond
07. Londonderry Air
08. La Vie En Rose
09. The Sheik of Araby
10. Midnight in Moscow
11. Wolverine Blues
12. Chimes Blues
13. Put ‘Em Down Blues
14. Davenport Blues
15. What-Cha-Call-'Em Blues
16. Minor Drag
17. China Boy
18. My Monday Date
19. Apex Blues
20. Heebie Jeebies
21. St. James Infirmary
22. That's a Plenty.

Total time: 77:17