Postwar America saw the decline of the Big Bands. Audiences dwindled – younger fans wanted something faster and racier. Enter Louis Jordan. His Tympany Five was a group of jazzers who played Rhythm & Blues as if their lives depended on it. Jordan was the ideal leader - he could play, sing and project better than anybody. After a successful career as a big band singer and reedman, Jordan had formed his first group in 1938. Decca signed them to their 'race' series - music aimed at black audiences. In 1941, they moved to a 'sepia' label. Decca felt they had 'crossover' appeal. Decca was justified. In 1943 Ration Blues featured on the national charts. Further hits followed. By the end of the war, Jordan was a national figure. The hits continued through the 1940s and into the 1950s.Then Milt Gabler, who had worked with Jordan, drew on that experience to mould Bill Haley into an international hitmaker. Although Jordan felt betrayed (he was dropped by Decca in 1954 - the year they signed Bill Haley), his star was on the wane. He had no national hits after 1951. His harbouring of bitterness is understandable but a pity. As this album shows, he had a lot more magnificent music to play. Here, he's on blazing form, backed by superb jazzmen and using his hits to launch some fine improvisation. From the available information, this seems to be the last recording Jordan made. Eugene Conners was born in 1930 in Alabama. Through talent and grit he emerged as a versatile, inventive trombonist. He claimed his earliest paid performance was a church gig in 1939. He then had stints with New Orleans marching bands, Lionel Hampton (who dubbed him 'Mighty Flea'), a spell as a US Navy bandsman, and a West Coast sojourn playing with the likes of Count Basie and Ray Charles. He was 'discovered' in 1970 when, with the Johnny Otis Band, he played the Monterey Jazz Festival. He toured Europe with Otis and decided to stay on - becoming a European Jazz fixture.
