[Dixielandjazz] Jim Cullum Banjo (Howard Elkins)

[Don Mopsick]

Jim Beebe writes:

"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."

Jim, I'm 180 degrees from you on this one.

I've only heard Hayes with the 9 Greats of Jazz (later the World's
Greatest). I never heard him get in their way. I can only speak to what I
hear on a nightly basis and on the road.

I for one (and Cullum is another) am a big fan of the "relentless
chunk-chunk" because, in the proper hands, it states the time so clearly and
purely. I disagree that this style "pervades most traditional groups." In
fact, the very few bands that use the chunk-chunk banjo style are the ones
that I want to listen to.

What I hear WAY too much of on the festival circuit is chunk-a-chunk-a,
which limits the swing feel, analogous to the way a bebop drummer limits the
possibilities with his spang, spang-a-lang ride cymbal (if that's all he
knows how to do).  In other words, the "junk jewelry" of the "light
syncopations" gets in the way and pre-packages the feel for the whole band,
instead of leaving it up to the front line or soloist to swing the way HE
wants to. When I was a horn player (trumpet), I much preferred a rhythm
section that left the time and the changes pretty much alone, setting up a
tabula rasa upon which I was then free to create MY jazz, MY dynamics, and
MY syncopations.

I hear a lot of the chunk-chunk (time, not soloing) banjo style in a lot of
great swinging and stomping bands of jazz history, like Jelly's Red Hot
Peppers, and especially Duke's in the 20s. The currently favored
"whappa-slappa-crappa" (and here I hope that *I* don't piss anyone off :-))
style would be totally out of place when we in the JCJB play "The Mooche,"
"St. Louis Toodle-Oo" or "Big House Blues." Howard also swings tremendously
when he picks up the tenor guitar, which he also plays in a chunk-chunk
style much like the great Freddie Green of the Basie Band.

I try to instill in my bass students an appreciation for the "unadorned
quarter note," which if played properly is a very powerful tool, and IMO the
secret of a swinging or stomping rhythm section. I am joined in this opinion
by Vince Giordano, who plays bass, banjo, and guitar in a style he describes
as "beautiful quarter notes."  Vince's tuba and bass sax playing are much
more heavily adorned in the style of Rollini and function sometimes almost
like another horn, or more accurately, like a second tailgate part.

Speaking of secrets, I feel that Howard Elkins and his beautiful, unadorned
quarter notes is one of the secrets of our success, however you want to
measure it. For the rest of my days, I hope to seek out and find kindred
spirits like him, and forever play bass with the chunk-chunks, wherever they
may be, and whatever axe they may choose for themselves... But for now, I am
happy to find myself  "stuck" (in the way Condon was "stuck" with
Beiderbecke) with the mighty Elkins, his incredibly crystal-clear
cutting-through Gibson tenor banjo, and his wondrous, relentless
chunk-chunk.

Don Mopsick