[Dixielandjazz] Jag playing
billsharp
sharp-b at clearwire.net
Sun Jul 9 11:30:39 PDT 2006
. .and "Nice try" to you too Mr Gunter, top jagboard player West of
the Rockies. Betja didn't know that "jags" are the little spaces
between the ridges of your chosen instrument, the washboard, and in
early days the best of players were lauded with large crowds shouting
,"Go, Jagger! Go, Jagger!" when certain accomplished washboard players
performed highly skilled licks, making special use of the "jag" spaces
which extended to the very edge of the ridges (hence also the phrase
"jagged edge", stemming from the way early washboards were pushed to
their limits, with players "going to the edge"). The phrase has
evolved to the point where now certain rock crowds shout out the same
phrases to applaud the sounds coming from the lips of a certain rock
singer whose words, as they cross his giant lips, sound just like the
gratings made across the ridges and jags of the washboard. How does
this rock star do it? No one apparently knows, but crowds still shout,
"Go, Jagger! Go, Jagger! Rock out, dude!" all the while paying homage
to washboard players, and not even realizing it. We must certainly
lament the loss of the early historical facts - - -once again evidence
that the schools are not doing their job . .. . .
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