Chicago jazz

[Roy]

I'm trying to collect enough Chicago jazz perfomers CD's to do an entire swing set. Many jazz men who performed in Chicago in the 20's were tranplanted New Orleans Jazz people I am not counting them as Chicago Jazz men. I would consider them from New Orleans not Chicago. I am looking for people associated speficly with Chicago.

Here is the list of artists that I have come up with so far. If anyone knows of someone I left off please let me know.

Earl Hines
Jimmy Noone
Budd Johnson
Billy Ecksteine
Albert Ammons
Gene Ammons
Ben Pollack Orchestra
Bix Beidebeck
Frankie Trumbauer
Franz Jackson
Lil Hardin Armstong
Johnny Hartman

[julius]

Gene Krupa started out in Chicago. I think.

[Roy]

Gene Krupa started out in Chicago. I think.

Ooh yeah he did. According to allmusic.com he played in the Chicago scene in the 1920's prior to going to New York in the 30's.

[Lawrence]

Benny Goodman grew up in the stockyards of Chicago. I learned how to swim at Hull House, where his first professional gig was based.

There was a high school collection from Oak Park or somewhere in the West suburbs that included Glenn Miller, Gene Kruypa and a few other superstars.

[Roy]

I looked at Goodman, he became known when he lived in New York, even though he was raised in Chicago. So hence I don't think he is known as a Chicago jazz person but rather a New York Jazz person.

[SpuzBal]

Don't forget about good ol Eddie Condon.

[CafeSavoy]

I think Goodman counts as Chicago roots, I think he played with the Austin High Gang. In case you haven't seen this Chicago jazz link, http://atj.8k.com/atjh3.html I think it has some additional names like Mezz Mezzrow.

[Platypus]

Per "Hear Me Talkin' To Ya" (Shapiro and Hentoff), Chapters 7-10, add Muggsy Spanier, George Wettling, Alberta Hunter, Buster Bailey, Tommy Ladnier, Jimmy McPartland.

Maybe Lucky Millinder or Mezz Mezzrow because they worked a lot for the Capone controlled clubs?

Many of the musicians came from somewhere else, but maybe got their start in Chicago. Why not include some of the N.O. crowd? Some of Louis Armstrong's first records were recorded in Chicago.

[Roy]

I think Goodman counts as Chicago roots, I think he played with the Austin High Gang. In case you haven't seen this Chicago jazz link, http://atj.8k.com/atjh3.html I think it has some additional names like Mezz Mezzrow.

Cool links, that gives me allot to go out and get.

[Roy]

Ok I went out and bought a bunch of these artists records, some of the artists I already have:


Mezz Mezzow-1947
Earl Hines-Another Monday Date
Earl Hines-1934-37
Muggsy Spainer-Muggshot
Eddie Condon-Chicago Style
Budd Johnson-Budd johnson and the 4 brass giants
Albert Ammons-1936-39
Bud Freeman 1945-46
Billy Eckstine 1944-45

[Lawrence]

I looked at Goodman, he became known when he lived in New York, even though he was raised in Chicago. So hence I don't think he is known as a Chicago jazz person but rather a New York Jazz person.

Goodman was trained in Chicago, played in several bands in Chicago, and led his first band in Chicago. Added with growing up in the stockyards, that's about as Chicago as you can get!!

If you are going to only count where musicians became legends, that opens Louis Armstrong, himself, to being a Chicago Jazzman.

You might even want to add Count Basie, because he was discovered by John Hammond while Hammond was in Chicago listening to a radio show from K.C. that he heard during a break in a Goodman concert... in... Chicago. Basie was brought to Chicago for his National debut as a bandleader and for a several month-long gig as a house band in Chicago before he went to New York, if I remember correctly.

Maybe that is stretching it, though. But if Goodman is not a Chicagoean because he became a legend in New York, then Armstrong and Basie are Chicagoeans. I'll take the trade-off.

[Lawrence]

I'm trying to collect enough Chicago jazz perfomers CD's to do an entire swing set. Many jazz men who performed in Chicago in the 20's were tranplanted New Orleans Jazz people I am not counting them as Chicago Jazz men. I would consider them from New Orleans not Chicago. I am looking for people associated speficly with Chicago.

I didn't want to respond to this point instantly, but instead wanted to think about it a bit more. But the Goodman discussion only confirmed my initial impressions.

As I understand it, the "Chicago style" of pre-swing jazz resulted almost entirely from the strong influence of New Orleans jazzmen. It was not just something that Chicagoeans played and the New Orleans transplants mimicked when they arrived. Divorcing transplanted New Orleans players from Chicago despite their controbution to "Chicago style" somewhat ignores the most influential figures in developing that style.

I also do not see a problem with considering certain musicians as being "from" many different places instead of necessarily associating them with only one location. Part of what helped spur the creation of Swing in the first place had to do with musicians travelling so much that several different styles from across the country became inextricably intertwined into a new jazz form.

[Roy]

I'm also looking for music from the swing era forward, even though Goodman and Krupa were in Chicago in the 20's they were clearly in New York as was Armstrong during the 30's when the swing era started. Clearly Goodman and Krupa were Chicago style artists in the 20's. But I guess I should make a distinction that I am looking at "Chicago Jazz men", Jazz people who spent their formative years in Chicago, not nessesarily "chicago style" artists. The reason why I am not looking for music from the 20's is most Lindy hoppers don't want to dance to Charleston music.

On another note is there any good recordings of Goodman prior to moving to NYC?

[CafeSavoy]

Another for your list, Floyd McDaniel, Let Your Hair Down. Which reminds me, have you checked out the Delmark Catalog?

[JesseMiner]

Floyd McDaniel, Let Your Hair Down

That's a sweet album with Floyd McDaniel being backed by Chicago's own Blues Swingers. Riley recommended it to me when our paths crossed in a Portland music store during their last exchange.

Jesse