Evening star., 1945-10-09

is responsible, we are afraid, for
certain misconceptions that had
better be corrected as soon as pos
sible, which might as well be today.
1t Is phrase with patronizing air,
a sort of condescending sneer. 1t
carries with it the implication that
a bass fiddle is just any old wooden
box, constructed to resemble gross
and overgrown caricature Of a violin,
fit only for slapping about. 1t is
high time you learned some of the
things Ye Spectator has just
learned; high time you learned that
bass fiddle is a musical instru-
ment with some dignity of bearing
and respectable background.
You, being as untutored In such
things as we were until a couple of
nights ago, probably think all bass
fiddles look alike. You probably
even think one of them couldn't
possibly be worth 5000. Well, that's
what you think. "Juggy" Batten-
field, bass player with Johnny
Robb's orchestra at the Madrillon,
has bass fiddle worth 5000. Seems
the best bass viols, like the best
violins, come from Germany and
Italy (or rather they did when the
people in those countries were in
terested in contributing to the mu-
sic of the world and. also like
violins, they improve with age. Mr..
Battenf1eld's newest pride is a Ty-
rolean affair, 125 years old.
An elderly and dignif1ed stringed
instrument of this sort really is
labor-saving device as much as it is
anything, its owner admits. 'I can
play more notes without moving my
left hand so far or so fast" "Juggy"
says. TITS just like playing a from
bone. Some guys knock themselves
out sliding those pipes back and
forth, but you look at Marty Emer-
son there. He doesn't break his
arm; he does 1t easy" We failed
to get the connection between play
ing bass fiddle and playing a
trombone, but we did look at Marty
Emerson. He did not break his arm
sliding the pipes back and forth,
but wondrous music came out.
X X X X
Another thing you never knew
till now about bass fiddles is that
bass players prefer not to buy new
Instruments: they would rather
wait until the owner of a mellow
old one retires or just dies. There
is, right now. a fellow waiting with
a gleam in his eye for one of these
fateS to overtake a member of one
of the well-known symphonies.
Then there is the story of another
symphony orchestra bass player,
who was hauled off to a hospital for
an emergency operation, accom-
panied by the buddy who sat next
to him. Listen" he admonished
clutching his friends arm as he
was about to be given over to the
ether, "if I don't come through this
you take my fiddle and give my wife
$500"
Now, don't let us catch you calling
a bass fiddle "doghouse" again.
+ y n
There is an opening here in town
for an act of good will, which we
should like to commend to Mr..
George Preston Marshall, even
though we do have a sneaking sus-
picion that Mr.. Marshall will not
lend more than an ear il he lends
that. 1t is this case of Duke ia
cobs, who is trying to divide his
time this fall between press agentry
for Joe Moss 400 Restaurant and
half-backery for the Chicago Bears.
The problem Is this, Mr. Marshall.
Such a division of his efforts leaves
Mr.. Jacobs with little time, If any,
to work out with the Bears. OF
course, he can get up early in the
and run around the block
to keep in shape, but he can't get
in much blocking and tackling drill
in a cocktail lounge like the 400
His Chicago Bears bosses might ap-
prove, but his weekday boss, MIR
Moss, understandingly, does not
want the 400 turned into a gridiron
What Mr.. Jacobs needs, Mr.. Mar
shall, is football team to work out
with, and we've been wondering If
you won't let him come out and join
the Redskin practice sessions.
Would you If he promised not to
reveal the Redskin signals to a
single other member of the Bears
squad?
That was I'd 1t. Bob Crosby, the
band leader now in the Marine
Corps. who joined 1t. Comdr. Eddy