McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans
Encyclopedia
McKenzie and Condon's Chicagoans was a jazz
band from Chicago
, led by banjo
player Eddie Condon
and sponsored by singer and comb player Red McKenzie
. Their four recordings in December 1927 were important influences on early Chicago style jazz.
The group got together in 1962 for a reunion, to record the album Chicago and All That Jazz. Pee Wee Russell
replaced Frank Teschemacher
, who had died in 1932, on the clarinet, and Bob Haggart
filled in for the retired bassist Jim Lanigan
. Trombonist Jack Teagarden
joined the group for the sessions.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, led by banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player Eddie Condon
Eddie Condon
Albert Edwin Condon , better known as Eddie Condon, was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in the so-called "Chicago school" of early Dixieland, he also played piano and sang on occasion....
and sponsored by singer and comb player Red McKenzie
Red McKenzie
Red McKenzie was an American jazz musician. He was the best-known, and one of the only, comb players in jazz history....
. Their four recordings in December 1927 were important influences on early Chicago style jazz.
The group got together in 1962 for a reunion, to record the album Chicago and All That Jazz. Pee Wee Russell
Pee Wee Russell
Charles Ellsworth Russell, much better known by his nickname Pee Wee Russell, was a jazz musician. Early in his career he played clarinet and saxophones, but eventually focused solely on clarinet....
replaced Frank Teschemacher
Frank Teschemacher
Frank Teschemacher was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang...
, who had died in 1932, on the clarinet, and Bob Haggart
Bob Haggart
Robert Sherwood Haggart was a dixieland jazz double bass player, composer and arranger...
filled in for the retired bassist Jim Lanigan
Jim Lanigan
Jim Lanigan was an American jazz bassist and tubist.Lanigan learned piano and violin as a child, and played piano and drums in the Austin High School Blue Friars before specializing on bass and tuba...
. Trombonist Jack Teagarden
Jack Teagarden
Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden , known as "Big T" and "The Swingin' Gate", was an influential jazz trombonist, bandleader, composer, and vocalist, regarded as the "Father of Jazz Trombone".-Early life:...
joined the group for the sessions.
Recordings
| Date | Title | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1927-12-08 | "China Boy China Boy "China Boy" is a 1922 popular song written by Phil Boutelje and Dick Winfree. It was introduced in vaudeville by Henry E. Murtagh and popularized by Paul Whiteman's 1929 Columbia recording featuring Bix Beiderbecke... " |
Phil Boutelje Phil Boutelje Phil Boutelje was an American pianist, songwriter, composer, author and conductor.-Biography:... , Dick Winfree |
|
| 1927-12-08 | "Sugar" | Milton Ager Milton Ager Milton Ager was an American composer.Ager was born in Chicago, Illinois, the sixth of nine children. Leaving school with only three years of formal high-school education, he taught himself to play the piano and embarked on a career as a musician. After spending time as an accompanist to silent... , Frank Crum, Red Nichols Red Nichols Ernest Loring "Red" Nichols was an American jazz cornettist, composer, and jazz bandleader.Over his long career, Nichols recorded in a wide variety of musical styles, and critic Steve Leggett describes him as "an expert cornet player, a solid improviser, and apparently a workaholic, since he is... , Jack Yellen Jack Yellen Jack Selig Yellen was an American lyricist and screenwriter.-Life and career:Born in Poland, Yellen emigrated with his family to the United States when he was five years old. The oldest of seven children, he was raised in Buffalo, New York and began writing songs in high school... |
Not to be confused with Maceo Pinkard Maceo Pinkard Maceo Pinkard was an American composer, lyricist, and music publisher. Among his compositions is "Sweet Georgia Brown", a popular standard for decades after its composition and famous as the theme of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.Pinkard was inducted in the National Academy of... 's "Sugar Sugar (Maceo Pinkard song) "Sugar", also known as "That Sugar Baby o' Mine", is a popular song by Maceo Pinkard, his wife Edna Alexander and Sidney D. Mitchell.The song is not to be confused with another 1927 song titled "Sugar", written by Jack Yellen, Milton Ager, Frank Crum and Red Nichols.The song has been recorded by... " (1927) |
| 1927-12-16 | "Liza" | Eddie Condon Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon , better known as Eddie Condon, was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in the so-called "Chicago school" of early Dixieland, he also played piano and sang on occasion.... , Red McKenzie Red McKenzie Red McKenzie was an American jazz musician. He was the best-known, and one of the only, comb players in jazz history.... , Aaron Rubin |
Not to be confused with George Gershwin George Gershwin George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known... 's "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away) "Liza " is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus Kahn. It was introduced in 1929 by Ruby Keeler in Florenz Ziegfeld's musical Show Girl. The stage performances were accompanied by the Duke Ellington Orchestra... " |
| 1927-12-16 | "Nobody's Sweetheart" | Ernie Erdman, Gus Kahn Gus Kahn Gustav Gerson Kahn was a musician, songwriter and lyricist.-Biography:Kahn was born in Koblenz, Germany in 1886. The family emigrated from there to the United States and moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1890... , Billy Meyers, Elmer Schoebel Elmer Schoebel Elmer Schoebel was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.Schoebel played along to silent films in Champaign, Illinois early in his career. After moving on to vaudeville late in the 1910s, he played with the 20th Century Jazz Band in Chicago in 1920... |
Also known as "You're Nobody's Sweetheart Now" |
Personnel
- Eddie CondonEddie CondonAlbert Edwin Condon , better known as Eddie Condon, was a jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in the so-called "Chicago school" of early Dixieland, he also played piano and sang on occasion....
– banjoBanjoIn the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new... - Bud FreemanBud FreemanLawrence "Bud" Freeman was a U.S. jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He had a smooth and full tenor sax style with a heavy robust swing. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of...
– tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Gene KrupaGene KrupaGene Krupa was an American jazz and big band drummer and composer, known for his highly energetic and flamboyant style.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Jim LaniganJim LaniganJim Lanigan was an American jazz bassist and tubist.Lanigan learned piano and violin as a child, and played piano and drums in the Austin High School Blue Friars before specializing on bass and tuba...
– bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2... - Jimmy McPartlandJimmy McPartlandJames Dugald McPartland , better known as Jimmy McPartland, was an American cornetist and one of the originators of Chicago Jazz...
– cornetCornetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was... - Mezz MezzrowMezz MezzrowMilton Mesirow, better known as Mezz Mezzrow was an American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist from Chicago, Illinois. Mezzrow is well known for organizing and financing historic recording sessions with Tommy Ladnier and Sidney Bechet. Mezzrow also recorded a number of times with Bechet and...
– cymbalCymbalCymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s - Frank TeschemacherFrank TeschemacherFrank Teschemacher was an American jazz clarinetist and alto-saxophonist, associated with the "Austin High" gang...
– clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed... - Joe SullivanJoe SullivanMichael Joseph "Joe" O'Sullivan was an American jazz pianist.Sullivan was the ninth child of Irish immigrant parents. He studied classical piano for 12 years and at age 17, he began to play popular music in a club where he was exposed to jazz...
– pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...