Rip Basset

A student of the historic banjoist Joe Ward, Rip Bassett is associated with classic recordings by Louis Armstrong and Ma Rainey, though listeners may not discern a whole lot about his instrumental abilities from the mild plunking, mostly of a timekeeping nature, that is audible on these sides from the '20s. Bassett came up on the raunchy Chicago scene of the Roaring Twenties, beginning his professional career as a member of Al Wynn's Paradise Night Owls at the St. Elizabeth's Hall venue in South Bend, Indiana. Wynn was the banjoist's main boss through 1926, but the following year he became one of Louis Armstrong's Stompers, a combo that was co-led by the brilliant pianist Earl Hines. Although considered more representative of what Satchmo was up to at this time than recordings that were being issued under his name, this band did not actually get to go into the studio more than once, and the results were not released until 1942. The banjoist is also part of several sessions released under the names of either Ma Rainey and her Georgia Jazz Band or Ma Rainey and her Georgia Band and considered gold nuggets in the classic blues genre. Bassett shows up on Paramount and Okeh recordings by pianist and bandleader Clarence Jones, issued under names such as Clarence Jones and his Orchestra, Clarence Jones and his Wonder Orchestra and Clarence Jones and his Sock Four. Banjo players with arms sore from excess frailing can take comfort in Bassett having recorded a tune entitled "The Arm Breaker" with one of these Jones outfits. At the close of the decade, Bassett played with Clarence Black at Chicago's Savoy Ballroom as well as with Boyd Atkins, who also took the banjoist on several road tours. In 1931, Bassett hounded Junie Cobb for a job, but by the end of the year was ready to...