This is a June 1923 ad and an ad for another Jazz Stick affect.

David

Here's the video evidence:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19quz_i-aint-got-nobody-red-mackenzie_music

1929, the year when Zutty Singleton started cutting sides with Louis Armstrong using brushes. Note, however, that the brush player - Josh Billings - is accomplished in his art. He's using traditional grip and playing a pattern typical of the day - one that Singleton popularised.

Ludwig were obviously cashing-in at the start of the 20s on a trend that was occurring amongst the jazz community - why else would they use the term 'jazz sticks? Also, white players tended to copy what had been going on for a lot longer in the black community: there are other vids showing accomplished, white brush players round about this time. It seems likely, then,that the sweeping style of playing brushes happened a lot earlier than 1929.

So why weren't brushes used more on recordings? I have a few theories, but need to do a lot more listening first before mooting them in pubic.

Keep the links coming chaps. All good stuff!

Incidentally, there's more footage of the outfit I linked to if you search around. They were a vaudeville act, so I wouldn't read too much into the fact that Billings was using 'brooms' - it was obviously done for comedic effect.

What year is the second, Stone advert from?

Both these ads prove that the 'swish' style was around in the early 20s, at least.

Also, I noticed in some of the catalogues you linked me to David, that some of the 'train' sound-effects featured wire brushes. One ad showed what looked like a couple of plasterer's "floats" and a rough surface. Presumably, the floats where scraped/swept across said rough surface to get the 'chuffing' sound of a steam train. All this suggests that the brushes were swept too. The ads date to the first decade of the 20th century, IIR.

Page 176 (second paragraph down):

Link

"Drummers began to use brushes (which were fly-swatters before being mass-produced by the drum companies) in Dixieland music, emulating the sound of sandpaper blocks rubbed together, a popular dance effect used by minstrel show and vaudeville show drummers. The legato effect of the brushes was created by moving the brush in a rotating motion on the drum head. Both hands could move in this fashion, creating a very smooth sound, or one hand could drag the brush in an oval, while the other hand played a rhythmic pattern. Drummers such as "Zutty" Singleton and later William "Chick" Webb (1909-1939) and Jo Jones made an art out of manipulating the brushes."

The whole chapter is worth reading, incidentally.

Gerry - Don’t be so quick to write the use of the “whisk brooms”, he was using in the video, off as comedy, or for that matter the kazoo. Back then there had already been a tradition of using “home style” (for lack of a better title) instruments to make real music. The kazoo parts had been played by comb players (light paper stretched over a hair comb and hummed on). Many folks made seriously fun, enjoyable music in Jug bands as another example. Many of the bands that used these “home style” instruments were poor people and so African Americans at that time often led the way with these instruments. I think all instruments were first “home style” innovations. Vaudeville was entertainment and not all of it was comedy.

Thanks so much Gerry & David, I’m learning a lot here.

I agree, many musicians used improvised instruments/techniques. I'm still not sure about the vid I linked to, though. From what I gather, Josh Billings was a 'proper' jazz drummer, the pattern he's using comes straight from the Chicago-Dixie style (from what I've been able to ascertain) and he's using trad grip - suggesting formal training/experience of playing 'traps'. Perhaps Billings was reviving/continuing what was once a tradition on the Vaudeville scene, but the act were estabished and weren't short of a bob-or-two (sorry, UK expression for being OK for cash). So, he could easily have played the pattern using a snare...and, as has been established, "jazz sticks" had been available commercially from drum manufacturers for the best part of a decade: there really was no need to use brooms.

IIR, the clip is part of a 15min short. I've watched the whole thing and the majority of artists were novelty acts. One, rather rotund, guy was tap-dancing in ridiculously long clown boots; standing on his toes, that sort of thing. It was absurd, purile, but bloody funny (I have a low humour threshold). There was also an act featuring a trained dog and its owner that was jaw dropping in its cruelty to the animal. How times have changed!

Gerry - The key word I think is "Tradition". This is a traditional style and sound.

Just to keep it interesting though (a figure of speech. I'm not implying this isn't interesting. It is to me, and you make very good points that I tend to agree with). I think it is reasonable to consider that the “fly swatter” was inspired by the use of a more common household item, the whisk broom. Brooms, like drums, probably go back to the cave.:2Cents:

510, I glanced through my copy of New Orleans Jazz and Second Line Drumming and Herlin Riley mentions the 'whisk brooms' theory (as well as the fly-swat one). The images on google all show brooms similar to what Billings is using in the linked-to vid, so there seems to be some substance to the claim. I doubt that they were used with snare drums, though. Even the small ones are a handful. Who knows, though?

As I'm sure you're aware, there are many instances of workers using their tools to create rhythm. Hair-dressers using their razors and scissors; shoeshine boys beating out rhythms, even:

"I was a bellhop in the Claridge Red said, ". . . and across the street was a place called Butler Brothers Soda Shop. Dick Slevin worked there and there was a little colored shoe-shine boy who used to beat it out on the shoes. Had a phonograph going. I passed with my comb, and played along"

Source here:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/mound.html

...so, I'm sure brooms were used to beat out rhythm whilst carrying out chores.

Basically, if you were poor you made use of whatever was to hand. I wish I'd saved the link, but I was watching a vid the other day that showed photos of an early jazz/jug band and the fiddle player was using a home-made instrument. Necessity is the mother of all invention...

Although there doesn't seem much to back up the claim, Riley hints at Baby Dodds being the first to use brushes when in New Orleans playing with King Oliver. I did manage to find some brush playing he did with Jelly Roll Morton in 1927, so earlier than either Singleton or Marshall (on a recording, that is). And the search goes on...

Here's some oral history that is based on an opinion from my father who was a jazz drummer with U.S. Army bands from 1918 to 1924, including The West Point Band and a life member of A.F.M. Locals 802 and 655 for a half century.......whenever I played brushes, I would hear him say: " brushes were originally used by guys who couldn't play well with sticks!"

With the excellent brush work of many of today's drummers, the opinion he expressed fifty years ago to me no longer rings true, however, the origin of the opinion may be correct.

Gerry - I have to tip my hat to you! You are really researching this well. Again you bring great stuff!

I have been visiting redhotjazz.com on and off for a few years and find it a great resource, as you have. I wish, as I'm sure you do that our recording technology was better back in the early days because it is especially hard for me to hear the subtleties of the drums on many of those first recordings. I was recently listening there to try and hear if any of the earliest recordings had the drummer using the old “Cymbal Striker” (the one that connected to the bass pedal and fell out of favor quickly). I was pulling my hair out trying to listen so close. If you ever run across a recording that may have it in use, I sure would appreciate you pointing me toward it.

Thanks for entertaining my points! I look forward to reading your posts!