[Dixielandjazz] front line / back line - Lu Watters & YBJB

[Dave Bilgray]

Folks,

A question about front line / back line.

I recently noticed a drawing of the Yerba Buena Jazz Band, led by Lu 
Watters, which started the trad jazz revival in San Francisco.

The physical placement of the musicians caught my attention.  Front line 
was banjo, drums and piano.  Back line was everything else.  Almost exactly 
the opposite of nearly every trad band I've seen/heard.   Seems like a 
sensible arrangement, since it allows all the players and instruments to be 
both seen and heard more clearly.

But when I search with google, the Lu Watters front line is always 
described as clarinet, cornet, trombone.

Does anyone know about this?  Was this just artistic license?  Or did 
Watters have different configs?  Did other bands do it this way?  If so, 
were they following a pattern of bands of the 20s, or earlier?

Dave