[Dixielandjazz] Imitation bass

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/10/04 3:54:31 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
mikedurham_jazz at hotmail.com writes:

> Hi everone: just for completeness on this subject, in the UK when the 
> "skiffle" craze started in the fifties, most of us used tea-chest basses - 
> same as the washtub as regards the broom-handle and single bass string, but 
> using the lovely still-aromatic plywood chest in which the tealeaves had 
> come from India. Never made the comparison, but I would guess the tea-chest 
> had better resonance than a galvanised tin washtub, but I suppose all the 
> American teachests had gone into Boston Harbour, forcing the natives to fall 
> 
> back on the washtub. And we Brits used the washtub to store the coal in, 

But then again it does not complete the subject at all Mike:

forcing the natives to fall back on the washtub. 
Oh no Mike us Natives were of Cherokee decent and were already highly ( can 
you spell payote) skilled at making and playing a variety of bass drums for our 
Pow Wows and had no way of inventing the galvenized washtub which became so 
prevelant, it must have therefore been brought to this country from England ( 
perhaps having dual usage on the sea cruise as inside toilets).

Just by the mere implications and factual statements above it is obvious that 
if we once again go way back in History to the Boston Tea Party which 
inadvertently caused American OKOM Bands to give up the usage of the Wooden Indian ( 
Black ) tea chests as bass instruments, then we have uncovered once again the 
high probability (especially if you smoke the Tea Leaves as was rumored about 
British Jazzers, that the earliest Jazz was Black, or at the very least 
heavily Black flavored.

What with Black Tea or even Earl Grey, and the original usage of the washtub 
to store coal it would lead one to the most probably conclusion that the 
earliest Jazz was indeed Black flavored.  So Sir Winton and Sir Burns should be 
knighted.  Please use your substantial influence and arrange for this to happen 
post haste good sir.  And I shall bring Saint Gabriel's Celestial Brass Band 
over the pond for the ceremonies.


Perhaps since these little known heretofore undiscoverd facts have not been 
known to the Jazz world it leads one to believe this could quite possibly be 
the origination of the usage of the title "IMITATION BASS"

Cheers,

Sir Thomas of Wiggins  exiled prince of Wails    :((