''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' is an American

old-time radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the early ...

program featuring

Dixieland Dixieland jazz, also referred to as traditional jazz, hot jazz, or simply Dixieland, is a style of jazz based on the music that developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by the Original Dixieland Jass Band ( ...

and jazz music. It was broadcast on the

Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the N ...

from May 20, 1944, to April 7, 1945.

Format

In 1942, musician

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of J ...

began staging concerts in New York City, with

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

and

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

as venues. By 1944, the performances were sold out. In 1944, the Blue Network began broadcasting the concerts, which ''The Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service Series'' described as "Jazz music of a high standard". The broadcasts began "about eight performances into the series". The program typically began with a jazz song, after which Condon commented on the song and introduced the band's members. The network described the programs as "the only unrehearsed, free-wheeling, completely barefoot music on the air."

Personnel

Condon was the program's host, with broadcasts featuring what the ''Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings'' called "many of the era's greatest musicians". Among them was singer

Lee Wiley Lee Wiley (October 9, 1908 – December 11, 1975) was an American jazz singer during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. Biography Wiley was born in Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. At fifteen, she left home to pursue a singing career, singing on New York ...

, described in the encyclopedia as "a near-regular" on the show. The broadcasts found Condon "surrounded by the greatest names in jazz—Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Willie “The Lion” Smith and Bob Haggart." Jack Bland and Addison Amore were the directors, and Ernest Anderson was the producer.

Recordings

The broadcasts of ''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' have been made available commercially by

Jazzology Jazzology Records is an American jazz record company and label. It is part of the Jazzology group of labels owned and operated by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. Jazzology Records was founded in 1949 by George H. Buck, Jr. That year he ...

, creating "jazz's time capsule

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

lives on through the Golden Age of Radio".

References

External links

Logs

Log of episodes of ''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' from The Digital Deli TooLog of episodes of ''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' from Old Time Radio Researchers GroupLog of episodes of ''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' from radioGOLDINdex

Streaming

Episodes of ''Eddie Condon's Jazz Concerts'' from Old Time Radio Researchers Group Library
American jazz radio programs 1944 radio programme debuts 1945 radio programme endings 1940s American radio programs NBC Blue Network radio programs American music radio programs {{US-radio-show-stub