[Dixielandjazz] banjos & Clancy Hayes

[JimDBB at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/21/03 3:49:55 AM Central Standard Time, kash at ran.es 
writes:


> Goggin, Brian (Dublin), wrote:
> > Guys, What's with all ye Steve Voce disciples?! What's your major
> avertion to
> >banjos?! Same as any other instrument the banjo has it's place in jazz.
> 
> Brian, you just came along at the wrong time!  A few years back on DJML,
> we were dominated by the two beat banjo/tuba crowd from the West Coast
> (that's U.S.A., not the west coast of Ireland!), and you would have had
> threads going on for weeks discussing the best thimbles to use.
> Anything swinging & light was put upon immediately.
> 
> Now days, it's the boys from Chicago led by our friend Jim Beebe & your
> fellow celt, Don Ingle who are more vocal on DJML.  
> 
> All good fellows, all good music, all good jazz!
> 
> Jim (we don't have a banjo) Kash
> 
> p.s.  The only thing I really don't like about banjo players is their
> insistence that it "ain't jazz without a banjo".  THAT is the opposite
> from your defensive statement above, Brian, but is usually the stance of
> the banjo crowd.  My line is that it is ALL jazz, just seen from
> different angles.

   
   Lest I be cast as an anti-banjoist, let me say a few choice words.  he 
banjo certainly has a rightful place in Dixieland jazz.  A lot of this 
depends on the band and the basic repertoire of the group.

   My favorite banjoist was Clancy Hayes.  Clancy had a six string banjo and 
tuned it like a guitar.  What he did that was so special was that he played a 
light syncopation with a lot of variety and little runs and things and the 
way he did it gave the Bob Scobey band a wonderful swing.  Scobey's bands 
always swung with different lineups. Why...Scobey's swinging horn and Clancy 
Hayes.  Good jazz depends a lot on good syncopation and both Scobey and Hayes 
spilled over with great syncopation.  IMHO

     Contrast this with what goes on in most trad bands.  I"ve been 
listenting recently to some of Jim Cullum's shows.  I've known JIm since he  
was a teenager and would come to Chicago with his father.  I love the way he 
plays and everything that he has done. He has a fine band but, his banjo 
player plays that relentless chunk-chunk-chunk-chunk that pervades most 
traditional groups.  His band is trying to swing through this and not always 
succeeding.  If only he would get off of this, listen to some Clancy Hayes 
and get some nice light syncopation going.  You would hear a whole new Jim 
Cullum band.

Well, maybe I spoke out of turn...I don't want to piss anybody off.  I"ve 
played with a lot of good banjoists such as  Buddy Lee, Bano Ikey Robinson, 
Jack Meilahn, Manny Sayles, Marty Grosz, Bob Sundstrom, Jack Kuncl, MIke 
McKendrick and others.  They all added to the rhythm rather than detracting 
from it.

Jim Beebe
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