[Dixielandjazz] Condon

[Paul Edgerton]

On Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 1:13 PM, John Petters <jdpetters at btinternet.com> wrote:
> Although I didn't see Condon live, it is plain from the Town Hall Concerts,
> particularly when Krupa was on hand, that they have a lot more steam than
> the 50s studio dates.

That may be true, but then those Columbia dates were always intended
to be studio recordings, not live concerts. The Town Hall recordings
may be closer to their actual live sound while the more clinical
Columbia dates give us get a much more intimate perspective of each
musician's nuances. Fortunately we have both.

Listening to a recording -- even of a live concert -- isn't the same
as being there. And microphones nearly always make musicians more
self-conscious, which is probably a good thing given that their
recordings will be heard repeatedly and scrutinized closely. A purely
live performance is a fleeting thing. The listener retains some of the
concert's excitement, but usually keeps few of the details firmly in
memory.

-- Paul Edgerton