[Tradjazz] Eddie Condon - pro & con

[Bill Barnes]

I just finished rereading "Eddie Condon's Scrapbook of Jazz" after many years and it brought to mind what I thought of him years ago.
               Undoubtedly he was a very popular, likeable fellow, and a great organizer. He had to be, to achieve the status of the most overrated jazz musician of all time, probably more well known than Django, Bucky, George Barnes etc.. His singing was awful by any standards, and he admitted it. As a guitar player he was mediocre at best - a good four-to the- bar comper, but very limited technique.Yet he played with the best jazz musicians there were. He did this because he hired them by organizing many many jazz concerts, co owning his own club,and
  hustling gigs,publicity, and record dates.Had he not done all these things, I doubt his musical associates would have called him for many gigs.
              I will give him credit for being perhaps the first to put together bands with with both black and white musicians, and inspiring others to do so.
         Now let's address the myth that Bix really only wanted to play with Condon and his pure, noncommercial cohorts and he drank himself to death over his frustration with having to play with Paul Whiteman instead. Toward the end of Bix's life, Bill Challis was trying to rehabilitate him, to keep him on the wagon, and to guide him on to his composing career. He said almost every time he got Bix dryed out, Condon and friends would come by, drag him out, and get him drunk again because they liked him, of course, but they also wanted to be seen in association with the great and famous Bix, while they, at that time, were very little known.It could be charged that Condon was instrumental in bringing about the death of Bix, though that might be somewhat of a small exaggeration. The truth of the matter, according to Bill Challis, is that Bix at that time was more interested in becoming a modern composer along the lines of Ferde Grofe and George Gerschwin than jamming in an after hours club, and according to the Beiderbecke family he was proud to be in Whiteman's band as the top band in the.country and a musical challenge.
          Condon always had a reputation for being a "pure non commercial musician" who would never stoop to playing in a mickey or funny hat band. Oh Yeah? Well check out the gig he had back in the 1930's at the Club 29 on 52 st. He played guitar and Josh Billings played wire brushes on a small suitcase. They would move up and down the bar, WEARING JOCKEY SUITS playing requests, joking around, and letting the patrons "sit in" on the brushes, to hustle tips and drinks.Times were tough of course, but still don't say Condon never stooped to perform worthless music.Incidentally, there is no mention of this gig in "Eddie Condon's Scrapbook".Years ago, there was a photo of this on the wall in the Club. It might still be there.
         I have nothing against Mr. Condon personally. I grew up loving the music he promoted and presented and it was what first inspired me to become a trumpet player.I only met him once, as he lived in the same apt building as Mimi when I was courting her. By that time though, Eddie's mind was pretty much gone - I looked into his eyes and nothing was there. .............But I do love history and I want the record to be straight.If this includes being iconoclastic then let it be so.
                                                        Bill Barnes
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