GRAEME EMERSON BELL 1914–2012 by Bill Haesler OAM*
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OBITUARY: GRAEME EMERSON BELL 1914–2012 by Bill Haesler OAM* ______________________________________________________ [ 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 _______________________________________________________ *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. 2 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… 3 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. 4 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. 6 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.