[Dixielandjazz] "Good Old days"

[Bill Gunter]

Thank you, Joe, for the nice report on the Boondockers performance for the 
Lindy Hoppers in Phoenix last month.

We had a terrific time! I think the average amount of time spent by the band 
between numbers was about 7 or 8 seconds.

I love playing for dancers. When the floor is crowded you know you're doing 
something right.  I think it may have been Lu Watters who made the comment 
that our music was made for dancing. Whoever it was . . . I believe him (or 
her)!

Speaking of dancing to the rhythms of a washboard - what's the surprise?  
The washboard is simply a percussion instrument like a snare drum or any 
other device you hit to produce a sound.  I add a splash cymbal and a wood 
block for variety.  The splash cymbal is great for off beat chops behind a 
cornet or trombone solo. The wood block sounds good occasionally behind a 
clarinet solo.

Anyway, a good drummer can produce wonderful rhythms on the bottoms of pots, 
pans, boxes or whatever is at hand. It's not the ax . . . it's the skill of 
the guy with the stick. Check with Ralf Reynolds or listen to the things Bob 
Raggio (South Frisco J.B.) or Stephen Joseph (Uptown Lowdown J.B.) did with 
a washboard. Bob and Stephen are gone now, but their music is still hangin' 
around!

Which brings up another point. People respect a percussionist because he's 
the one with the hammer!

Respectfully submitted,

Bill "knock, bang, beep, flick, boom, chucky-yucky yuck, boing, tick-tick" 
Gunter
jazzboard at hotmail.com





>From: acjspres at aol.com
>To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] "Good Old days"
>Date: Mon, 23 Oct 2006 13:21:52 EDT
>
>I could not disagree more with Steve....our Lindy Hoppers here in the
>Phoenix area long for the good old days at the Savoy Ballroom with Chick 
>Webb  and
>his guys along with all the bands of that era. They are less interested in
>"Cherry Poppin Daddys" and the like. They bring Frankie Manning to Phoenix  
>for a
>workshop every year and the place is packed when they schedule  Frankie to
>simply sit on stage and reminisce about the 20's and 30's at the  Savoy 
>ballroom
>in New York.
>
>By the way, we brought the Boondockers with Edgerton, Ringwald, Gunter  and
>the gang to  play for the AZ Classic Jazz Society on a Sunday afternoon  in
>September.....on Sat night we had them play for the Lindy Hoppers....the 
>kids
>loved it! They could not believe they were dancing to rhythms provided by a
>washboard.....way to go Bill Gunter!
>
>Joe Hopkins
>52nd Street Jazz Band
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