Eddie Condon's small jazz group concerts began at „Town Hall" (W.43rd St. in New York City) in February 1942. They were enough of a success to keep them going through the next three years. Lee Wiley - whose commercial work with small jazz groups started in 1938 with club appearances in NYC and Chicago - began to appear regularly at Eddie's concerts in the Fall 1942, singing at least two songs each time.
In 1944 Condon and his „Town Hall" group (including, among others, such jazz personae as Jess Stacy, Joe Bushkin, Bobby Hackett, Tommy Doresey, Pee Wee Russell, Sid Weiss, Bob Casey) started a weekly radio series on the Blue Network. Many of these programs -- including Lee Wiley's performances -- were transcribed by the Armed Forces Radio Service for rebroadcast overseas, from original 16 inch glass and metal electrical transcriptions. They were issued in 1979 by Totem label as two vinyl records 33 ½ rpm („Lee Wiley On The Air", vol. 1 & 2). (Excerpts from the LP cover note, by Gus Kuhlman, January 1979)
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Recording:
Lee Wiley and Eddie Condon "Town Hall" Jazz Group -- When Your Lover Has Gone, Blue Nerwork recording, NYC 30 Dec. 1944
Tags: America Jazz 1940s New York City radio
