[Dixielandjazz] banjo or guitar

[John Gill]

A very interestin thread. I don't think there are rules in traditional jazz. If you like the guitar then by all means use it. Same with the banjo. Traditional jazz is a style of playing any kind of tune, it's not about a tunelist and specific instruments. You can take a pop tune from the 1890's and up to the present day and play it with any combination of rhythm instruments and horns. All this about the banjo being brought in to balance the tuba, etc is too limiting a concept. Remember that the banjo was not even seen in bands until around 1916,and if a bass instrument was used it was almost always a string bass until the early 1920's. By the time the banjo was added the music we now call "dixieland" or "Trad jazz" had been around for almost 30 years. The earlist bands used a guitar and no piano and bass (bowed) and a violin, the first jazz band to make a record had no banjo, or guitar or bass instrument, but it's still  traditional jazz. Kid
 Ory's Band, Wilbur Sweatman's Band, 2 of the earliest black jazz bands to record had no banjo or guitar and usually no bass. Sweatman did use a tuba on some of his early recordings. Just because the Basie band used guitar and bass does not mean you can't have fun with "One O'clock Jump" using a tuba and a banjo. If the instruments are in the hands of talented players, there is no end to what you can do. There was a band in the 1960's and 70's from France called The Anachronic Jazz Band and they played "BeBop" and modern jazz tunes in the style of 1920's Fletcher Henderson records. Even though "Im Putting All My Eggs In One Basket" is from the 1930's it still sounds good with a banjo, and it sounds good with a guitar and you could say that about 1000's of songs. If you dislike the banjo then by all means don't use one. But remember that in the hands of the right player they are powerful rhythm instruments in many ways more effective than the acoustic
 guitar when not played in that "runga scrunga, runga scrunga" style. Check out Fred Guy with Ellington for some GREAT tenor banjo rhythm.
In the end it comes down to what makes you happy.
John Gill