[Dixielandjazz] sounds of the twenties

[Larry Walton Entertainment]

>Some of those guys were even known to pick up discarded reeds that other
>players left in the dressing room as no good

That's because those players were using La Voz reeds.  I throw all of them
on the floor.

Larry Walton
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <TCASHWIGG at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 2:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] sounds of the twenties


> In a message dated 9/22/05 10:38:45 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
> larrys.bands at charter.net writes:
>
> <<
>  Saxophones were definitely darker in sound than today's horns.   Other
than
>  that I would imagine that the rest of the instruments sounded pretty much
as
>  they do today.
>   >>
> Yep in the hands of good players they sounded great, in the hands of the
> others they sounded like the records.  :))
>
> I have heard africans beating on logs and elephant bones make better music
> than some of the finest made modern drums.  :))
>
> It ain't always the instrument it is the player, and some of our OKOM
heros
> played cheap junk instruments becasue that's all they could afford, just
think
> if they had had all the modern day stuff how much better even those
scratchy
> old records might sound.  :))
>
> Now compare a 1920's pawn shop horn sound to that of a fine French Besson,
> does anybody think  Louis Armstrong had a fine Besson or better horn at
the
> waif's school where he started.   ANd how the heck did guys like Bechet
and
> Goodman get by with only a hand full of reeds a year. ?  :))
>
> Some of those guys were even known to pick up discarded reeds that other
> players left in the dressing room as no good.
>
> Now I can relate to the drums being different:
>
> My first set I made when I worked in an Auto Wrecking yard.
>
> I made the Bass drum out of a 55 Gallon oil Barrel cut in half
> Floor tom was made from a washtub turned upside down and with four radio
> antennas welded on the side for legs.
> two toms made from Lard tins were affixed on top of the Bass drum.
>
> I had a 1948 Studebaker Hubcap for a ride cymbal with a toilet chain
hangin
> across it for a sizzle.
>
> I mounted two brake drums for percussion sounds, on the side of the bass
drum,
>
> I smashed two baby moon hubcaps for a hi hat, and made the hi hat stand
with
> a worn out timing chain off of an oldsmobile.
>
> Made a small splash cymbal out of a piece of Model A floorboard cover.
>
> Fashioned a hollowed out Dusenberg Piston into a cow bell
> and used specially elongated vale rods wrapped in duct tape for drum
sticks.
>
> Made my own brushes too, from accelerator cables frayed at the ends and
duct
> taped to two radio antennas.   Proving once again that you can fix
anything
> with Duct tape.
>
> I made a second cow bell out of a Stutz bearcat headlight housing.
>
> And invented the first washboard by playing a 1932 Ford Radiator with two
> radiator caps.
>
> Too bad nobody ever recorded me whan I was great, and at the top of my
game
> with that set.   Bet I coudda played with Louis if he had only discovered
me.
>
> I am a legend in my own mind.
>
> Cheers mates
>
> Tom Clinka de clank Wiggins
>
> Too bad me and Bill Gunter never hooked up back then  we coudda been
sumthin
> else, well we are anyway so what difference does it make its all OKOM to
> somebody.
>
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