[Dixielandjazz] Lute guitar

[Bill Haesler]

Marvin Ipswich wrote [in part]:
> Thank you for bringing that clip to my attention - one I had forgotten
> about.

Dear Marvin,
Further to that video clip, in my haste to send my reply out before tacking some home duties, I neglected to say that the full Vitaphone film, "Nine O'clock Folks" was posted two years on listmate Michael Steinman's fine 'Jazz Lives' blog site.
Refer to:
    https://jazzlives.wordpress.com/tag/lute/
And did you notice the toothless Josh Billings' smile?
I recall that Eddie Condon, in his book 'We Called It Music', tells about Billings arriving in New York from Chicago one time minus teeth.
The film may pinpoint the date but, more likely, the lack of some front teeth may have given the jovial Billings a extra 'party-prop' for the Blue Blower's act.
Also the Wikipedia link you provided (and partly quoted from) included the following interesting definition:
"The tenor guitar is a slightly smaller, four-string relative of the steel-string acoustic guitar or electric guitar. The instrument (in its acoustic form) was developed so that players of the four-string tenor banjo could double on the guitar."
I also noted that numerous references to Condon's instrument refer to it as a 'Vega lute'.
Which could lead us into a discussion regarding the ubiquitous National steel guitar from this late 1920s-early 1930s period, often misidentified and listed as a banjo by earlier discographers.
Very kind regards,
Bill.