Top 50 Jazz Blog

Top 50 Jazz Blog

Friday, September 12, 2025

Interracial Jazz Recording (#45): Mound City Blue Blowers w. Hawkins and Foster

Red McKenzie and Eddie Condon were two of the great organizers of combinations for recording in the late 20-'s-early 30's. Often putting together interracial sessions.  

Pops Foster
Red Mackenzie

This Victor session features great playing by several players. McKenzie is always convincingly hot playing his comb-and-paper, a comb with a piece of paper, often newspaper, placed over it. Russell and Hawkins are great as usual and even Glenn Miller takes a convincing turn. Apart from Hawkins, the other black performer was New Orleans stalwart Pops Foster on bass.

Mound City Blue Blowers: Glenn Miller (tb) Pee Wee Russell (cl) Coleman Hawkins (ts) Eddie Condon (bj) Jack Bland (g) Pops Foster (b) Gene Krupa (d) Red McKenzie (comb,vcl) New York, November 14, 1929.

  • Hello, Lola- Vic V38100, RCA (F)FXM1-73245, 741103;
  • If I could be with you one hour tonight- Vic V38100, LPV501, (G)LPM501, RCA (F)FXM1-7325, 741103


All entries are from my book “As Long as They Can Blow. Interracial Jazz Recording and Other Jive Before 1935.”

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