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
Percussion
Instruments #1: The Barry ‘Collapsible’ Bass Drum, c.1919
I’m going to kick off this series of articles about drum equipment from the ‘twenties - and more specifically those few period instruments I’ve managed to find or make, and use day to day - with the one piece of kit which has had the biggest impact on my working life and which always causes … Continue reading Instruments #1: The Barry ‘Collapsible’ Bass Drum, c.1919
Heroes #6: William ‘Sonny’ Greer, 1895-1982
“We were a pretty wild bunch in those days, myself in particular” – Sonny Greer KEY RECORDINGS: With DUKE ELLINGTON AND HIS KENTUCKY CLUB ORCH. / WASHINGTONIANS, 1924-30 Some of the great drummers of the ‘twenties gained their reputations as journeymen, able to slot seamlessly into a wide variety of musical ensembles and consequently to … Continue reading Heroes #6: William ‘Sonny’ Greer, 1895-1982
Heroes #5: Victor Berton, 1896-1951
“A true pioneer, for the timekeeping methods he introduced and for his role in determining the very equipment [...] subsequent drummers would play.” – Richard M. Sudhalter KEY RECORDINGS: With THE WOLVERINE ORCHESTRA, 1924 With RED NICHOLS & MIFF MOLE, 1925-30 (aka. The Red Heads / Red Nichols & His Five Pennies / Red & … Continue reading Heroes #5: Victor Berton, 1896-1951
Drums In The Twenties 