Search - Red Balaban & Cats :: A Night At The New Eddie Condon's

When the third Eddie Condon's opened its doors on March 4, 1975, after an absence of nearly eight years, it was evident that changes had been made. The new room was as unlike the first two as they were unlike each other; the management, waiters, and bartenders were all new; and there were some noticeable absences on the bandstand, the most conspicuous being that of Eddie himself. Why "Eddie Condon's" then? Well, some familiar faces were on the scene, like those of Vic Dickenson and Herb Hall, who can be heard on this record. Then the music might be considered similar, at least to the extent that no two moments were ever the same. Anyone entering a club with the condon name on display should know not to expect to hear a facsimile of Lawrence Welk, or their favorite rock band, and it now becomes unnecessary to burden the music with labels, the worst of which refers to the southern part of the U.S. My last use of that word to describe music was the subject of a severe Condon tongue lashing. The nature of this type of business requires a band that is somewhat fluid in its personnel. No pun is intended here because at the time of this recording half of the band was totally free, the phuid variety, that is. However, the players here more or less make up the house band with the exception of Frank Tate and Wayne Wright, two visiting firemen whose presence it was felt would enhance the proceedings. The material needs no explanation, with the possible exception of the Whiffenpoof Song, which unfortunately had to be picked up in midstream because of a recording malfunction. But then how many chords are there with Vic Dickenson whistling? Also, this song may contain the last word in a battle between Eddie, who was probably never aware of it, and the Sons of Eli. The first shot was fired on a Rudy Vallee TV talk show in the '50s, during which the host subjected his guest to a series of barbs, dealing mainly with various habits with which jazz musicians were identified. Eddie held his fire until there were 15 seconds left and the mentioned that he never made personal appearances without plugging his saloon, and that if Rudy came by with his saxophone the club would be glad to check it. This exchange left Eddie a big winner until a night several years later when he, John Windhurst and I were enjoying a meal and conversation at Luchew's until what must have been the major part of the Yale Glee CLub sat down at the adjoining tables and proceeded to glee their way through an unsolicited rendition of their biggest hits. I would like the vocal on the Whiffenpoof Song to be considered a personal effort to strike a blow for Eddie. -Red Balaban