So far in this portion of the site we’ve looked at drums from the 1920s quite a lot, most recently in our two-part examination of the evolution of the most important part of the kit – the snare drum - during the decade. To redress the balance, this article will be the first of a … Continue reading Instruments #6: K. Zildjian heavy Turkish Cymbal, early 1920s
Jazz Age drums
Instruments #2: Jasper Taylor’s Wooden Washboard, c.1924
The tradition of washboard jazz is a deep and wide-ranging one, with numerous legendary players down the decades occasionally having reason to pop the thimbles on at one time or another in search of a bit of down-home gutsiness, a crowd-pleasing showpiece or simply a lightweight and space-saving alternative to the drumset. But the origin … Continue reading Instruments #2: Jasper Taylor’s Wooden Washboard, c.1924
Heroes #3: Tony Sbarbaro, 1897-1969
"The ‘trap drummer, who plays the big drum with his feet and a side drum, the cymbals, and heaven knows what besides, is the most important man of all” – London Daily News, 1919 KEY RECORDINGS: With THE ORIGINAL DIXIELAND JASS/JAZZ BAND (ODJB) 1917-24. When I first started making a list of ‘Twenties jazz drummers … Continue reading Heroes #3: Tony Sbarbaro, 1897-1969