Condon's Town Hall 11apr42 concert ad

Oh, those Eddie Condon's Town Hall concerts for less than a dollar, or a dollar and a few cents at most: James P., Hot Lips Page, Red Allen, Bud Freeman, Benny Morton, Sandy Williams, Zutty Singleton...

Published in the NYTimes (April 5, 1942)

What they said about Pee Wee Russell [4]

"His playing was a kind of sad and childish piping and a musical nonsense set forth in phlegmy, rasping, 'spit' and 'growl' tones."

[Rudi Blesh]

"He was merely an imitator of Jimmie Noone, a constant part of Eddie Condon's two-beat repertory company" (...) "a company always featuring the wry squeaks and sometimes amusing departures from pitch of Pee Wee Russell's clarinet."

[Barry Ulanov]

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"Su forma de tocar no es más que un soplido triste e infantil, además de un disparate musical basado en sonidos 'growl', llenos de flema, ásperos y similares a escupitajos de saliva."

[Rudi Blesh]

"No era más que un imitador de Jimmie Noone, un componente habitual de los 'grupos de repertorio' y ritmo binario de Eddie Condon" (...) "grupos en los que siempre destacan los irónicos chirridos y la forma de desafinar, a veces divertida, del clarinete de Pee Wee Russell."

[Barry Ulanov]

Jazz solidarity [1] - Hot Lips Page memorial (Nov. 1954)

Johnny Windhurst

Trumpeter Johnny Windhurst is one of those excellent second-line jazz musicians who never was in the spotlight and just deserved a few lines in the most complete jazz encyclopaedias –no mention of him in 90% of the jazz history books densely populating my shelves-. A self-taught musician, his golden tone was mainly influenced by Bix Beiderbecke white followers such as Bobby Hackett.

From left to right: Johnny Windhurst, Milt Gabler, Jack Crystal, Eddie Condon and Henry "Red" Allen

Born in Bronx, New York, in November 5, 1926, at age 15 he was sitting in at Nick’s and by 1945 he replaced Bunk Johnson in Sidney Bechet’s band playing at the Savoy Café in Boston. He played at the Jazz at Town Hall concert in September 1946 and at the World’s Greatest Jazz Concert #2 on April 26, 1947, worked in Chicago for a time and then moved to California, where he played with clarinettist Edmond Hall. Other employers around this time included Louis Armstrong and Nappy Lamare. He also led his own band in Ohio and Boston, and was a latter day associate of Eddie Condon, playing and recording with the guitarist in the early '50s and back again in 1967. He recorded with singers Lee Wiley (1952) and Barbara Lea (1955-1957) and with trombonist Jack Teagarden (1955).

His only leader recording session, for the Transition label, took place on April 22, 1956, backed by Jimmy Andrews on piano, Buell Neidlinger on bass and Walt Gifford on drums. Bud Blacklock replaced Andrews on “When You’re Smiling”, where Hamilton Carson joined on tenor sax. The disc was called Jazz At Columbus Avenue (Transition TRLP-2).

Here’s Johnny Windhurst in 1958, leading an ensemble during one of those Art Ford Jazz Parties and waving though “Pennies From Heaven”. Roland Hanna is on piano, Mary Osborne on guitar, Mark Goldberg on bass and Morey Feld on drums.

Jam sessions at Nick's - No holds barred!

This long article was published in the New York Times, December 5, 1943, and it describes in detail the jam sessions at Nick's. The atmosphere is so accurately reflected that in fact you can almost smell "it".

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Este largo artículo se publicó en el New York Times de 5 de diciembre de 1943 y describe detalladamente las jam sessions en Nick's. Refleja la atmósfera de esas jam sessions con tanta precisión que en realidad casi puedes "olerlo".

[click on the images to get full size scans]

Henry Red Allen - Obituary

As published in The New York Times, April 19, 1967.

What Pee Wee Russell said [1]

Ralph Berton, from WNYC radio, promoted Pee Wee Russell's appearance at the Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street program on January 6, 1941. The radio program featured Pee Wee playing two blues numbers accompanied by Joe Sullivan, Eddie Condon and Dave Tough. After the show, a 15-year-old clarinet student who had been in the audience approached his hero for some technical advice and, according to Ralph Berton, this was the conversation:

"Mr. Russell... I've always w-w-wanted to ask you - how do you manage to g-get that wonderful dirty tone on your instrument? I've tried everything. I tried soaking my reeds in water overnight". Pee Wee, hunching and twisting as he finally glanced at his tremulous admirer, advised: "Why don't you try soaking your head in whisky?"

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Ralph Berton, de la radio WNYC, promovió la actuación de Pee Wee Russell en el programa Chamber Music Society of Lower Basin Street el 6 de enero de 1941, donde Pee Wee, acompañado por Joe Sullivan, Eddie Condon y Dave Tough, tocó dos blues. Después del show, un estudiante de clarinete de quince años que había estado entre el público, se aproximó a su héroe buscando algún consejo ténico y, de acuerdo con Ralph Berton, ésta fue la conversación:

"Señor Russell... Siempre he querido preguntarle... ¿cómo consigue sacar ese maravilloso tono sucio de su instrumento? Lo he intentado todo, incluso poner las cañas a remojar en agua durante toda una noche". Cuando por fin Pee Wee le echó una mirada a su tímido admirador, se retorció y encorvó para aconsejarle: "¿Por qué no pruebas a poner tu cabeza a remojar en whisky?"

Man, this is the end of an era

a.k.a. "Last Blues For Milton".

No additional words needed.

Bud Freeman - LIFE archives

As a follow-up to my previous post, here's a selection of Bud Freeman photographs from the LIFE magazine archives.

First six were taken at Eddie Condon's nightclub by photographer Gjon Mili on December 20, 1945. Apart from Bud Freeman and Eddie Condon, you have Joe Marsala on clarinet, Brad Gowans on trombone, Wild Bill Davison on cornet, Gene Schroeder on piano, Bob Casey on bass and Dave Tough on bass.

Last two were also taken by Gjon Mili, this time in 1946 at Eddie Condon's apartment. One shows Singer Bing Crosby holding a pipe in his mouth & sheet music in his hand, rehearsing with Bud Freeman and the other one also includes Condon, who is holding his toddler daughter.

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

Bud Freeman - Eeling his way into the 70s

I would say Bud Freeman is a case where the inverse of the “you can’t see the wood for the trees” saying would be applicable. His incredibly lengthy and extraordinarily consistent recording career, covering sixty years from his first session with McKenzie and Condon’s Chicagoans in 1927 to his final recording as a guest in Mat Matthews And Friends (Audiophile AP-219, from 1986) overshadows the raw quality of each of his discs, his performances and his solos.

The above mentioned consistency stayed up until he was in his 80s, and what follows is a very personal selection of six discs from his last twenty years, with the only common links of being easily available on CD and having relatively unknown or, at least, not star-like rhythm sections and colleague hornmen (one exception to both characteristics is the Bucky Pizzarelli disc). Oh, yes, I know Alex Welsh was an outstanding trumpetist and a well respected institution in the British trad jazz scene, and Howard Alden is a must everywhere there’s a mainstream jazz session, but you know what I mean.

By listening to these discs you’ll discover that his commitment to his own style is present even in his 70s. He developed it in the early-to-mid 30s, as an alternative approach on the tenor to the harder-toned style of Coleman Hawkins and we cannot forget he was a strong influence in Lester Young, though Freeman’s tone has more of an edge than Young’s and though rhythmically there are similarities with the earlier style of Coleman Hawkins. His instantly recognizable convoluted phrasing, his old frantic drive and his trademark licks in the uptempo numbers are still present on these discs, as is his highly personal way of treating ballads, tender but with no sentimentality, and his moderate and intelligent use of vibrato.

Detractors say he had been playing the very same solo since he recorded “The Eel” with Eddie Condon and his Orchestra in 1933. So much the worse for them!

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Podría decirse que a Bud Freeman le sería aplicable el inverso del refrán “los árboles no dejan ver el bosque”. La increíble duración y la extraordinaria consistencia de su carrera en los estudios de grabación durante sesenta años, desde su primera sesión con los Chicagoans de Red McKenzie y Eddie Condon en 1927 hasta su última grabación como invitado en el disco Mat Matthews And Friends (Audiophile AP-219, de 1986) eclipsa la calidad en estado puro de sus discos y sus solos.

Esta consistencia se mantuvo hasta incluso después de cumplidos los ochenta. Aquí se presenta una selección muy personal de seis discos grabados en los veinte últimos años de su carrera, con los únicos vínculos comunes de estar disponibles en CD y de contar con el acompañamiento de músicos no demasiado conocidos (con la excepción, en ambos casos, del disco con Bucky Pizzarelli). Todo ello con el máximo respeto a Alex Welsh, destacado trompetista y toda una institución altamente respetada en la escena del jazz tradicional británico y a Howard Alden, un fichaje obligado en cualquier sesión de jazz mainstream.

Al escuchar estos discos se hace patente que el compromiso de Bud Freeman con su propia forma de tocar el saxo tenor persiste en su vejez. Freeman desarrolló su estilo definitivo en los primeros años 30, como una alternativa al de Coleman Hawkins (de tono más poderoso) y fue una clara influencia en el de Lester Young, aunque el tono de Freeman tiene más aristas y rítmicamente existen ciertas similitudes con el estilo temprano de Hawkins. Su fraseo enrevesado y reconocible al instante, su frenético empuje y sus licks marca de la casa en los tiempos rápidos siguen presentes en estas grabaciones, al igual que su manera muy personal de afrontar las baladas, delicada pero sin caer en sentimentalismos, y su uso moderado e inteligente del vibrato.

Sus detractores le achacan que estuvo tocando el mismo solo desde que grabó “The Eel” con la orquesta de Eddie Condon en 1933. ¡Peor para ellos!

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Bud Freeman With Alex Welsh & His Band (Lake Records, LACD 183)
Recorded at Manchester Sports Guild, June 19, 1966
Bud Freeman (ts); Alex Welsh (t, voc); Roy Williams (tb); John Barnes (cl, bs); Jim Douglas (g); Fred Hunt (p); Ron Matthewson (b); Lennie Hastings (d)

Bud Freeman And The Keith Ingham Trio – Superbud (originally on 77 Records, catalog number S55, reissued on CD on Jazzology JCD-185)
Recorded in London, August 13, 1974
Bud Freeman (ts); Keith Ingham (p); Pete Chapman (b); Johnny Armitage (d)

Bucky Pizzarelli With Bud Freeman – Bucky And Bud (Flying Dutchman BDL1-1378)
Recorded in New York, 1976
Bud Freeman (ts); Bucky Pizzarelli (g); Hank Jones (p); Bob Haggart (b); Ron Traxler (d)

Bud Freeman – The Man. Live In Dublin 1976 (Nagel Heyer 105)
Recorded in Dublin, 1976.
Bud Freeman (ts); Noel Kelehan (p); Jimmy McKay (b); Jack Daly or John Wadham (d)

Bud Freeman – The Dolphin Has A Message (JSP CD882)
Recorded in London, May 1980
Bud Freeman (ts); Brian Lemon (p); Len Skeat (b); John Richardson (d)

Bud Freeman – California Session (Jazzology JCD-277)
Recorded at the Skytrails Restaurant, Van Nuys, California, January 9, 1982
Bud Freeman (ts); Dick Cathcart (t); Betty O’Hara (tb); Bob Reitmeier (cl); Ray Sherman (p); Howard Alden (g); Phil Stephens (b); Nick Fatool (d)

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A bit of Jazz Trivia and a taste of Bud Freeman’s sense of humour:
After trombonist Betty O’Hara soaring solo on “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” (from California Session), Bud Freeman kissed her on the cheek. Then you can hear him say, “Oh, that’s the first time I’ve ever kissed a trombone player.”

James P. Johnson - LIFE archives

La revista Life empezó a publicarse en 1936, primero como un semanario, de forma irregular hasta los años setenta del pasado siglo, y como un suplemento semanal de nuevo en 2004, tras un cierre temporal en el año 2000. En 2007 dejó de editarse en papel. Sin embargo, Time Inc., la editora, ha puesto a disposición de los internautas una colección de más de 10 millones de fotos. Entre ellas, algunas magníficas instantáneas de músicos de jazz.

Aquí está una selección de fotos de James P. Johnson, procedentes todas de una jam session en el estudio del fotógrafo de LIFE Gjon Mili (NY, 1943).

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10 million photos from the legendary archives of LIFE magazine are now available in the internet, among them excellent shots of jazz musicians caught in action.

Here's a selection of James P. Johnson photographs, taken during a jam session in the studio of LIFE photographer Gjon Mili (New York,1943).

James P. Johnson

© Gjon Mili / LIFE

Franz Jackson on saxophone accompanied by James P. Johnson at the piano, Wilbur De Paris on trombone, Irving Fazola on clarinet, Al Mott on bass & Cozy Cole on drums
© Gjon Mili / LIFE

James P. Johnson at the piano, Irving Fazola on clarinet, Wilbur De Paris on trombone, Franz Jackson (behind De Paris) on saxophone, Al Mott on bass, Eddie Condon (foreground) on guitar
© Gjon Mili / LIFE

James P. Johnson on piano, Franz Jackson on saxophone, Josh White on guitar (obscured) & Al Mott on bass
© Gjon Mili / LIFE


Closeup of Billie Holiday singing "Fine & Mellow" accompanied by James P. Johnson at the piano
© Gjon Mili / LIFE


James P. Johnson at the piano as Wilbur De Paris plays trombone. Franz Jackson in the background
© Gjon Mili / LIFE