An Early History of Jazz in Victoria

Home , Bob Sedergreen, Graeme Bell, John Sangster, Trad jazz

An Early History of Jazz in Victoria A seven-part series of Jazz Programs from the studios of Alpine Radio in north-east Victoria, distributed across Australia via the Community Radio Network -

Program 1 Where it all began, the early years of jazz in the 1920s and 1930s, trad jazz and swing. Features two of the earliest recordings of jazz in Victoria, recorded in 1925. The program then moves on to the 1940s, when you can hear some of the jazz legends, Frank Coughlan and his Orchestra, Benny Featherstone, the influence of the visiting US troops during World War 2, and the fabulous Graeme Bell Jazz Band at the Uptown Club in North Melbourne. Those early years of the Bell Band are seen through the writings of John Sangster as a teenager catching the train to see his idols, and suddenly we have a band visiting from Adelaide – it’s the first Australian Jazz Convention.

Program 2 More from John Sangster’s autobiography, as he heads overseas with the Bell Band as their drummer, and some of Sangster’s later music, then a listen to Graeme Bell playing ragtime piano, and introducing Tony Newstead and Ade Monsbourgh (Lazy Ade), both fantastic influences for many years on Victorian Jazz.

Program 3 Program 3 introduces two brothers from Mentone who became legends of Australian, not just Victorian jazz, the Barnard Brothers, and some songs with a typical Australian jazz sound, titles like Russell Street Rag, and Billabong. Bud Freeman, a wonderful tenor sax player from the USA, is featured at the 30th Australian Jazz Convention playing a couple of songs from his set with the Bob Barnard Jazz Band in 1976. This program also previews Frank Johnson’s Dixielanders.

Program 4 From Frank Johnson’s Dixielanders in the 1950s (including a Greek folk song inspired by jazz clarinet player Nick Polites) to the swinging 1960s and Melbourne New Orleans Jazz Band, Frank Traynor’s Jazz Preachers and the Indigo Five.

Program 5 Program 5 in the series features some more from the Jazz Preachers including an old Bessie Smith gospel song with Judy Durham on vocals, and then a 1960s jazz crawl through the suburbs of Melbourne from Malvern to Prahran to Beaumaris and then back to Little Collins Street and St Kilda with Bob Sedergreen, stopping off to hear several bands and introducing some modern jazz, with improvisers Keith Hounslow and Brian Brown. Program 5 takes a brief look at the career of a much- loved entertainer, Smacka Fitzgibbon, and then rounds out the 1960s with the Yarra Yarra Jazz Band and a preview of the Red Onions Jazz Band.

Program 6 Program 6 traces the early history of the Red Onions Jazz Band who thrilled Melbourne jazz fans for over 30 years, and then looks at modern jazz exponents Keith Hounslow and Brian Brown in more detail as the series moves into the 1970s.

Program 7 In the final program of this series of an Early History of Jazz in Victoria, listen to some 1970s trad jazz including a song written about the Eucla nymph hoax sightings on the Nullarbor Plain. The program looks at the influence of visiting overseas artists including Cleo Laine & John Dankworth, and wonderful jazz violin legend from the Hot Club of France, Stephane Grappelli, whose concert at Dallas Brooks Hall in 1975 was recorded for the Phonogram label by recording engineer Bill Armstrong. We then follow the career of drummer Allan Browne of Red Onions fame, still going strong across all styles of jazz, before summarising the series and playing a few old favourites from the Bells and Lazy Ade.