[Dixielandjazz] Imitation bass

[Anton Crouch]

Hello all

And the winner is - Tom Wiggins, by a country mile. The device is sometimes
called a "tub bass" and the thought of seeing it working together with a
washboard player is enough to bring a smile to the face of even the most
jaded jazz muso.

I suspect that Tom is also very close to the mark with his hypothesis on
the "bass cano". In Oz, "bush bands" often use a tin-can bass - the same
set-up as the tub bass but with a 4 gallon oil drum instead of the tub.
Given that a wash tub is rather large, Elkins may have used a smaller (oil
can) version for recording purposes and attracted the attention of the
recording engineer who engaged in a bit of levity with the recording sheets.

Now, who said discography wasn't fun !

Many thanks to Bill Haesler for settling the "vocal bass" matter. Bill,
what took you so long?  :-)

All the best
Anton