OBITUARY: GRAEME EMERSON BELL 1914–2012 by Bill Haesler OAM*

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[ This obituary was written for the UK traditional jazz magazine Just Jazz in July, 2012]

adly, Graeme Bell, the acknowledged elder of Australian jazz, died peacefully aged 97 following a stroke on 13 June 2012. Internationally S known, he held a special place in the jazz hearts of musicians and enthusiasts in Australia, Britain and Europe.

Graeme Bell, the acknowledged elder of Australian jazz…

Bell was born in Richmond, an inner-suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 7 September 1914, studied classical piano as a child and came to jazz in 1934 through his younger brother Roger and friends. They started a dance band in 1935 playing for local functions until jazz took precedence and the Graeme Bell Jazz Gang was formed in 1940. WWII broke up the group and, medically unfit

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*Bill Haesler OAM, based in Sydney, is one of Australia’s foremost jazz writers, collectors, historians and documentationists.

1 for war service, Graeme worked for the American Red Cross entertainment unit in Queensland. On his return to Melbourne in November 1944 he reformed the group. The Graeme Bell Dixieland Band became a local leader in the emerging worldwide jazz revival and with Harry Stein and other enthusiasts organised the First Australian Jazz Convention in December 1946.

Although the band’s first commercial recordings were made in 1944 with limited release on the Ampersand label its Regal Zonophone recordings, made on 11 April 1947 for Columbia Gramophone (Aust), triggered a popular jazz revival in Australia. At this time the band was preparing for a European tour. They left their day jobs, barnstormed through the eastern Australian States playing fundraising performances and had combined the Regal recording session in Sydney with farewell appearances there, including two broadcasts and concerts at the Assembly Hall and Ultimo Technical College.

The Bell band, then called Graeme Bell’s Famous Dixielanders, at the first Australian Jazz Convention in Melbourne, 1946. Back row L-R, Ade Monsbourgh (trombone), Roger Bell (cornet), Pixie Roberts (clarinet), Lou Silbereisen (bass). Front L-R, Jack Varney (banjo), Russ Murphy (drums), Bell (piano)… PHOTO COURTESY BLACK ROOTS WHITE FLOWERS

The Bells, as they were affectionately known, left Melbourne on the SS Austurias via Freemantle and the Suez Canal on 3 July 1947 unaware of the immediate impact it would have on jazz music in Europe and, eventually the Australian jazz scene. The initial overseas engagement was for the World Youth Festival in Prague in August 1947. In addition to the Festival the band played concerts and through the Czech jazz clique secured a month's engagement at the Kavarha Fenix and recording dates in September and November for the Czech Ultraphon Gramophone Company.

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The Bell band recording in Prague in 1947. On the left in foreground is Pixie Roberts, behind him is Russ Murphy, then clockwise Lou Silbereisen (with his back to camera), Graeme Bell (obscured), Jack Varney, Ade Monsbourgh, & Roger Bell …

After several eventful months travelling through war-torn Europe the hard way the band arrived in London on 15 December 1947, only to find that their so-called agent had failed to negotiate any engagements. They had no jobs and no return fare but, thanks to their reputation and friends, made guest appearances at concerts and jazz clubs in England, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Melbourne the Bell band played jazz for dancing, the English penchant for sitting and listening in an academic atmosphere worried them so they opened the Leicester Square Jazz Club on Monday nights by advertising "Dancing to the Hottest Band in Town".

Leicester Square Jazz Club 1948: Front row Ade Monsbourgh, Humphrey Lyttelton, Pixie Roberts, Jack Varney; Back row Lou Silbereisen, Dave Carey, Graeme Bell…

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The jazz purists were appalled, but university and art school students, shop assistants, office workers and off-duty musicians began flocking to listen and dance to the sound of jazz. Unfortunately, adverse publicity resulted in the termination of the lease of the Leicester Square club premises and the London Jazz Club, located in Soho, was formed. With its "jazz for dancing" policy and the Humphrey Lyttleton Band as joint partners the new club became an overnight success.

During this period the band adopted the Australian Jazz Band tag and, as a result of the efforts by jazz authority Charles Delaunay, secured a recording contract with French Pacific for sessions in February and May. A week prior to the May Pacific session the band recorded for English Tempo and two weeks after the Pacific date cut sides for English Esquire. All sold well and the Tempo and Esquire recordings were reissued on American, French and Swedish record labels.

Jazz authority Charles Delaunay: he secured a recording contract with French Pacific…

The Bell band’s final Esquire recordings made in early July, prior to their departure from Tilbury Docks on 9 July 1948, differed from others made during the tour in that they featured English musicians: Dave Carey on drums and washboard replacing Russ Murphy who had returned home early and trombonist Eddie Harvey.

An article regarding the Bell band published by the US music magazine Downbeat at the time stated in part, "Individually the men are better than most… As a group, they have done a much better job than many playing in the same idiom" and "The finest band of its type today, including Spanier, Watters, Condon, Hodes, Parenti and Wilber". High praise indeed, for a group of homesick Australians saving for the fare home.

By sheer hard work the Graeme Bell Australian Jazz Band established its jazz credentials and during the 14 months overseas appeared at the Waldstein Palace and Smetana Salle in Prague, the Bordeaux Opera House, the Marigny Theatre Paris, the Chaudfontain Casino in Belgium, the Hammersmith Palais, the BBC in London and countless jazz club appearances and radio broadcasts.

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The band arrived home in Melbourne on 9 August 1948 to enthusiastic publicity, an ABC concert tour and recordings for Australian Parlophone. Its members had matured musically yet, to those of us who had waited, appeared to have lost none of their original enthusiasm for our music.

In 1949 Rex Stewart, best known for his long association with the Duke Ellington orchestra (1934-1943) and in Europe, expressed a wish to visit Australia before returning to the US. Graeme Bell was contacted, overcame entrenched opposition from the Australian Musicians' Union and on 10 August 1949 Rex joined Graeme Bell's Australian Jazz Band for a jazz concert at Melbourne’s historic Exhibition building attended by 4,000 delighted jazz fans.

American trumpeter Rex Stewart arrives in Melbourne in 1949: among those welcoming him are Roger Bell (trumpet) and Splinter Reeves (tenor sax)… PHOTO COURTESY BLACK ROOTS WHITE FLOWERS

During August-October 1949 Rex Stewart and the band played a hectic series of concerts and dances in capital cities and towns in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales before on-selling the remaining weeks of his contract to the Sydney nightclub circuit. In November he appeared at Sydney Town Hall and Assembly Hall concerts with Jack Allan's Katzenjammers and recorded with his Sydney Six for Wilco. Rex went back to Melbourne in December for pre-recordings of the Graeme Bell Jazz Concert 3AW radio broadcast series, a record session for Jazzart and the final concert of 4th Australian Jazz Convention. He played another Sydney Town Hall concert and

5 left for Canada (with a stopover in New Zealand) on 26 January 1950. Unfortunately, the Bell band made no studio recordings with Stewart and the performances on Swaggie were taken from the 3AW radio series transcriptions.

Personnel of the Bell band on its second overseas tour, 1950-52, L-R, Pixie Roberts, Deryck ‘Kanga’ Bentley, Lou Silbereisen, Graeme Bell, Ade Monsbourgh, Johnny Sangster, Roger Bell, Bud Baker…PHOTO COURTESY NIGEL BUESST COLLECTION

The Bell band left Australia for its second tour of Britain and Europe on the Orient Steam Ship "Orion" on 26 October 1950 and arrived in London a month later. Conditions had improved since the earlier visit although post-war Britain was still suffering shortages. Within a week they were back into the one-night stand regime with performances at the London Jazz Club, a broadcast for the BBC Jazz Club and concerts in Birmingham, Sheffield and London.

On 19 December 1950 they recorded audition titles in EMI's St John's Wood London studio but to date no tests or information have surfaced. The company was obviously satisfied as four tunes recorded in February 1951 were released on English Parlophone and reissued by Australian Parlophone. Six further sessions were recorded for English EMI over the next ten months, some in association with Humphrey Lyttleton and His Band with quite a few original compositions from members of both bands. In late March 1951 the Bells embarked on a tight tour of England, Scotland, Wales and Eire playing 19 towns in as many days, then had a well- earned five-week break.

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Presented to HRH Princess Elizabeth by Lord Donegall at London’s Royal Festival Hall in July, 1951. L-R, Deryck Guyler (compere), Humphrey Lyttelton, Joe Daniels, Mick Mulligan, Graeme Bell, Alan Radcliffe.

1951 was the year of the Festival of Britain and a highlight for the band was a jazz concert at the Royal Festival Hall before Princess Elizabeth where they met and spoke with HRH. The frantic touring continued throughout 1951 with a return to Scotland then to West Germany including four concerts in Dusseldorf, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Hanover accompanying legendary blues singer Big Bill Broonzy and two performances in Belgium.

Bell (right) with blues singer Big Bill Broonzy in 1951… PHOTO COURTESY SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 7

Back in Britain they played North England and Scotland with a two-week engagement at the West End Cafe in Edinburgh. In early January 1952 they it was back to Germany using Dusseldorf as a base for a month before moving to Berlin, Kiel and Hamburg. This trip was a great success with standing ovations at all stops but proved to be a financial disaster, with band members once again having to borrow for the fare home on the "SS Orontes" from London on 24 March 1952.

The band arrived home to great acclaim and another ABC concert tour of NSW, Queensland and Victoria. But the years of travelling had taken its toll on family life and by mutual consent the band broke up in June 1952 and the musicians returned to their day jobs. Except Graeme, who continued to organise groups for jazz concerts, clubs and functions. In November 1954 he took a Combined Services Entertainment concert party to Korea and Japan for a 5-month tour entertaining Australian, New Zealand, British and Canadian troops.

Bell with singer Yolanda Wolf in Tokyo in 1955… PHOTO COURTESY GRAEME BELL AUSTRALIAN JAZZMAN

Immediately on the band’s return in March 1955 Graeme went into the Ice Frolics show in Adelaide South Australia then toured Queensland with it. After the ice show folded he and others from it formed the Royal Command Revue and continued touring until late October after which he settled into jazz cabaret work in Brisbane. When work dried up in early 1957 he moved to Sydney and two more non-jazz wilderness years backing talent-quest artists at the Beverley Hills Bennelong Hotel. He formed his popular Skiffle Gang which recorded two of his songs and toured with singer Johnny Ray, fronted The Graeme Bell Show on ABC TV in 1959, led the orchestra at the Sylvania Hotel, opened an art gallery, and taught piano. During 1960-61 he was musical director at Andre’s nightclub and took a band to New Zealand with the Frank Ifield Show.

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Graeme Bell’s Skiffle Gang in 1957 with the American singer Johnny Ray (holding washboard), L-R, Geoff Kitchen, Bill Townsend, Bell, John Sangster, Jeff Mack, George Assang (aka Vic Sabrino), George Thompson… PHOTO © RON FALSON ARCHIVE

Graeme formed his All Stars in June 1962 and rejoined a new Australian jazz boom with a TV series, a long residency at Sydney’s Chevron Hotel (1964-66), extensive touring and a burst of compositions. The All Stars began its long-term association with Festival Records, played jazz concerts and engagements in Australia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, worked for nine months in Surfers Paradise, Queensland then, with the jazz boom over, retired the band and returned to Sydney’s casual pub and club scene. During 1967-68 he revisited Europe and Britain came home and formed a theatrical agency.

The Graeme Bell All Stars, L-R, Ken Herron (trombone), Bob Barnard (trumpet), Graeme Bell (piano), Laurie Gooding (reeds), Alan Geddes (drums), Harry Harman (bass)…PHOTO COURTESY BILL HAESLER

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During another jazz surge in 1972 Graeme reformed the All Stars. The Bell name had not been forgotten and this new band recorded, made TV and concert appearances and toured, and he became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1973 New Year’s Honours Commonwealth list for "valuable service to jazz music". With an Australia Council grant in 1975 Graeme made a three-month study tour of the USA, recorded with the Canadian Climax Jazz Band and visited Britain and Europe.

The 1980s were equally memorable, with All Stars appearances at the annual Breda Jazz Festival and towns in Holland, followed by concerts in Germany and the UK. Private trips were made to China and Japan, the autobiography Graeme Bell: Australian Jazzman was published in 1988 and he mentored the young Tokyo-based Dixie Jive which involved trips to Japan, reciprocal Australian visits by Dixie Jive, two joint LPs, a CD and more compositions.

The autobiography “Graeme Bell, Australian Jazzman” was published in 1988…

Graeme was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) on 11 June 1990 for "service to music, particularly jazz", the year he took the All Stars to China, South East Asia and Japan. The band also worked the Australian concert, club and pub circuits until it became a part-time unit.

In 1938 Graeme had taken painting lessons from Max Meldrum, maintained a close connection with Australian art and became a competent painter. He was a founding member of the Doubly Gifted Art Exhibition of paintings, sculpture, drawings and other artworks by jazz musicians held annually (1992-2011) at Waverley Library in Bondi Junction NSW. From its inception the Exhibition

10 incorporated the Annual Bell Jazz Lecture named for Graeme’s outstanding contribution to jazz in Australia and abroad. He made a nostalgic visit to Czechoslovakia in 1993, returned to Britain in 1996 for a special playing performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, was inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame in 1997 and, in 1998, was a special guest at the late Humphrey Lyttelton’s fiftieth-year-in-jazz celebrations.

A shot of Graeme Bell & Humphrey Lyttelton together, in the Leicester Square Jazz Club in London in 1948…PHOTO CREDIT GEORGE KONIG

By 1999 Graeme decided to slow down musically, which he did, interrupted by special appearances at festivals and concerts. The Australian Jazz Bell Awards, informally known as 'The Bells', were inaugurated on 28 August 2003 to recognise and encourage excellence in performance, creativity, recording and presentation of Australian jazz and were named to honour Graeme. At the initial ceremony he inducted his friend and former band member Ade Monsbourgh into its Hall of Fame.

The Graeme Bell Reunion Band (an augmented All Stars) was formed in 2003 for jazz festivals, concerts and recorded the Australian Compositions CD for B&W Music in April 2004. During his 90th birthday celebrations later that year Graeme announced his retirement and organised a farewell tour with the band for concerts in Canberra, Wagga Wagga, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

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The Graeme Bell Reunion Band in December, 2012, L-R, Bell (piano), David Blenkhorn (guitar), Jack Wiard (reeds), Bob Henderson (trumpet), Lawrie Thompson (drums), Dieter Vogt (bass), Paul Furniss (reeds)…

An elderly Graeme Bell: he died peacefully aged 97 following a stroke on 13 June 2012…PHOTOGRAPHER UNKNOWN

But retirement did not suit Graeme Bell and inspired by the success of his Reunion Band’s Australian compositions CD became heavily involved with the production of a 2-CD set of his compositions, Graeme Bell: A Compilation of His Recorded Compositions 1947 – 2007 for Newmarket Music and co-produced by Bill Haesler. He compiled the selection, monitored the sessions, provided new arrangements, played piano on several of the 2007 Sydney and Melbourne recordings and contributed the descriptive notes for each tune.

Australia’s long-serving jazz pioneer has gone. He will be missed.

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