BS: What's a bass cano?

Subject: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 09:15 AM

After so many years reading sleeve notes & discographies I thought I'd seen all the instrumental abbreviations on tracklists. However, as part of a "Railway songs" compilation I got recently Yank Rachell's Hobo Blues contains someone playing "bass cano". Further research reveals one Alfred Elkins playing bass cano on several blues records, which is variously described as "false bass" (presumably a vocal imitation) or "one string bass" which would be washtub or teachest style, I guess. Can any early blues/ jugband experts enlighten me?

Rts
(vcl/wbd/kz/jug/train wh)

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:05 AM

http://www.sirenmusiccompany.com/images/SLRPhoto.jpg

May be a pic of one at that link.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Rapparee
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:09 AM

Gotta tell you, I thought you were asking about a "brass canoe."

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:12 AM

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight!

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:22 AM

Could be, 999,looks like a home made onestring bass alright.
RtS
(didn't mean to put this below the line, though!)

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:30 AM

Rhere are a lot of one-string bass instruments of various types, but why "cano"?
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:38 AM

RtS: One site suggested it might be CA enya O and another a corruption of CAN. Seems there are more than a few people searching for this, some of whom have been trying for about seven years. It's a puzzler for sure.

No offense, but the enya is a Spanish letter that looks like this: ñ. (We see it in words like cañón which in English is canyon, and other than the o, pronounced similarly.)

If you knew that, please excuse me.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 10:44 AM

Why "cano"? Well, ya can't just call it a "can", can ya? And it's too big to be called a "canjo", "cantar" or "candolin".

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: maeve
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 11:00 AM

Interesting. I thought the letter "ñ" was called "eñe" with first 'eh' syllable accented and 'ny' with final 'e' pronounced 'nyay'. Guess I've never heard "enya" used in this regard.

Homemade one string bass is all I can find for bass cano.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 11:17 AM

Well, Maeve, next time you do the post to your standards and you won't have to correct my sloppy work.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: maeve
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 12:19 PM

Heck, I said it was interesting and that's what I meant. I'm no expert on anything, and wasn't correct anyone's work, finding sufficient issues with my own. I shall desist from helping and freely apologize for the unintended offense.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: maeve
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 12:20 PM

+ing.

See?
Bye.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,Big Al Whittle
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 12:29 PM

1) Its another can o' worms.....
3) Its from the Latin for dog. Its the ablative - by with or from a dog. You get the bass sound by kicking a St Bernard up the arse.
cave canem!

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 03:25 PM

It is a long, slender, shallow boat from which you do bass fishing. You aren't allowed to catch any other kinds of fish from it...only bass.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 03:43 PM

And you propel it with a paddl

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 03:46 PM

Correct.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 04 Nov 12 - 04:53 PM

A cano is what politicians kick down the roado until after the electionos.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 05 Nov 12 - 12:09 PM

Oh it's LittleHawk the fisher, he'll fish for evermore

From the back of his slender bass cano

Haulin' ass, he's haulin' bass | and when he's back t' shore

Strings the painter to the paddl & plays bass . . .


hope you know the old oater Little Joe the Wrangler on which the above is a riff. I'm sure it was paddl that got me going--couldn't resist! You catters are a hoot! & the various bits of information about Basset hounds &c. has been edifying in a typical 'catter way.

keep on pickin'
dennis

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 05 Nov 12 - 03:26 PM

I had a Basset Hound with steel testicles. I named him Sparky.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 06 Nov 12 - 03:50 AM

BUT...still don't know what it means!

RtS

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: GUEST,mayomick
Date: 06 Nov 12 - 08:55 AM

cano has been discussed before somewhere , I'm sure –perhaps not on mudcat. Definitely African in origin accounting for some of the problems with transliteration .The "a" is silent, the "c" pronunciation closer to a hard "g " . !nu: (in which ! and : represent clicks). The last letter should I think be a double instead of a single "o"
More here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqgPyqyh4X4

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: Sandy Mc Lean
Date: 06 Nov 12 - 01:17 PM

I knew that this wasn't a new song but I think I knew that gnu knew it when it was new.

Subject: RE: BS: What's a bass cano?
From: MartinRyan
Date: 07 Nov 12 - 09:49 AM

The "arma virumque cano" was an earlier version used in military bands, IIRC.

Regards