Eddie Condon

Historically, Eddie Condon remains one of the most influential figures in jazz as it was played in Chicago from the mid-20s onwards. After starting out on the ukulele and banjo, he forged an excellent reputation as a guitarist in the late '20s, during which time he played with Bix Beiderbecke, Jack Teagarden, Red McKenzie, Red Nichols and, of course, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. He took part in the first recorded jazz sessions and played in several swing bands in the early '30s, before settling down for a while with Joe Marsala. Both were among the elite of the New York scene in the 30s and 40s, in a city where Eddie Condon was also behind the creation of several jazz venues. In the mid-40s, he set up a jazz club, which he ran until the mid-60s, alongside his work as a musician. From the New Orleans tradition to the glory days of the great swing bands, via the strong years of the Chicagoan movement, Eddie Condon's guitar rhythm served the greatest of the early jazz soloists. Then, after a long international career, his public appearances became rarer in the late 60s, alongside Jim Hall, Roy Eldridge, Buck Clayton and Kai Winding.

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