He’s a hell of a washboard player, first of all. He’s also able to grow a lush forest of facial hair. In addition, he can sing. Finally, he has a six-shooter mounted to the side of his board which he actually works into his solo.
These guys are the Slick Skillet Serenaders, out of New Orleans. I can’t find the name of the washboardiste. Any help along those lines would be appreciated.
These guys rock.
Here’s another taste of Rob Cook, the Washboard Tie Guy, who was previously featured here. What is there to say? This guy is abso-friggin’-lutely amazing.
Wow!
Eric Campbell is playing the absolute hell out of “Got My Mojo Workin'” with J.R. Willis on Banjo and Sheldon Ziro on harp. He’s playing the board à l’américaine, thimbles on his right hand and a stick in his left. He also has what looks like a floor tom rigged up as a bass drum. Oh yes—we can’t forget the cigarette dangling in a Gallic fashion from his lips.
Campbell plays this board like a guy who also knows how to play drums, which is a welcome departure from a lot of the washboardistes we see online.
If you want to see more of Eric Campbell, get a load of this video, where he is playing a rig that looks much like that played by the Washboard Tie Guy.
So here’s Washboard Chaz, sounding like three guys playing washboard all at the same time. This is the tune “Tell Me Mama,” from John Hammond’s 1998 album Long As I Have You.
If you’re a washboard player and you want to be as authentic as humanly possible when you play jazz of the 1920s and 1930s, then Dixieland Drumming Instruction is where you want to begin your studies.
Bauduc was the real deal. He had a long career as a jazz drummer starting in the 1920s, and he was an important figure of the Dixieland revival of the 1930s and 1940s, when he played with the Bobcats.
In this book, published in 1937, he starts at the beginning, writing out rhythms for hot jazz drumming that can be taken directly from the page to the board—just replace the buzz rolls with drags and you’re on your way.
Download it here.
Here’s the ever-enjoyable Patrick Skiffington playing with the Crescent Katz at the 2017 Fresno Jazz Fest. I really like the way he changes up what he’s doing to fit with each different featured player. This is how you do it!
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