[Dixielandjazz] [australian-dance-bands] How Jazz Came To Australia

[Denis King]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Denis King" <dcking01 at optusnet.com.au>
To: "Australian Dance Bands" <australian-dance-bands at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2004 11:43 PM
Subject: [australian-dance-bands] How Jazz Came To Australia


> Dear All,
>
> With Jack Mitchell's kind permission, iam able to post this excellent
> article!!
>
> Best Wishes
> Denis
>
>
> > Here's an article I wrote that's just been published in the QUARTERLY
RAG
> of
> > the Sydney Jazz Club.
> >
> > It's got a bit of information in it that might interest you.
> >
> > Best wishes
> >
> > Jack
> >
> > HOW JAZZ CAME TO AUSTRALIA
> > By Jack Mitchell
> > We all know now, regardless of what might have occurred before, that the
> > jazz age began in 1917, with the success of the Original Dixieland Band
in
> > Chicago and New York, and in particular the issue in America of the
first
> > jazz recording - DIXIE JASS BAND ONE STEP and LIVERY STABLE BLUES on
> Victor
> > 18255. These events were of no import to the rest of the world
> immediately -
> > Britain, France, Germany and Australia then were more concerned with the
> > senseless slaughter on the Western Front than with reports of some weird
> new
> > music across the Atlantic. Of course this indifference was not to last.
> >
> > Fifteen months after the release of that important recording, on June
15,
> > 1918, an advertisement in The Sun (Sydney) announced the appearance on
the
> > stage of Fuller's National Theatre of Belle Sylvia, an English "lady
> > baritone". Her accompaniment was not mentioned, but an ad a week later
on
> > June 22nd revealed that she was now, if not before, accompanied by her
> JAZZ
> > BAND. Whether the jazz band was present for the first week, I do not
know,
> > but it was obviously an immediate success as soon as it was featured.
The
> > following day JAZZ BAND was given the largest lettering in the
> > advertisement, and on the 26th first appeared the cartoon advertisement
> > reproduced herein. The ad on June 27th said in large letters that this
was
> > Australia's FIRST JAZZ BAND. On July 6th there was a change of
programme,
> > but the "enormously successful" Belle Sylvia and her Jazz Band were
still
> on
> > the bill. On July 9th it was advertised as the ORIGINAL JAZZ BAND and on
> > July 10th as FULLER'S ORIGINAL JAZZ BAND.
> >
> > This leads us to believe that already other groups began calling
> themselves
> > Jazz Bands in order to cash in on the success at the National Theatre,
but
> > no contemporary accounts of such have been uncovered.
> >
> > A writer in The Sun said "the gay quintette (sic), comprising drummer,
> > pianist, violinist, saxophonist and trombonist caused a riot with the
> > audience". The advertisement shows men playing the cornet and tuba
rather
> > than saxophone and trombone, but an article in the Australian Music
Maker
> > and Dance Band News for December, 1932 the personnel is given as Billy
> > Romaine (violin), Harry Mehden (trombone), Jock Thompson (clarinet and
> > saxophone), Wally Smith (piano) and Don Royal (drums).
> > Apparently the graphic artist in the advertising department knew little
> > about musical instruments!
> >
> > The selection of Romaine to organise and lead the band is not so
> surprising,
> > as we shall see.
> >
> > However the use of a saxophone is rather surprising - saxophones were
> rather
> > rare on the ground in Australia at the time. Earlier Romaine had sought
a
> > saxophonist for his dance band, but could only find one aspirant, Jim
> > Tougher, conductor of the State Military Band. Tougher had imported a
set
> of
> > saxophones from France for his Military Band. Although Tougher said he
> > couldn't play them very well, Romaine engaged him for his dance band.
And
> in
> > the early twenties, Romaine engaged Frank Kitson because he had a
> saxophone,
> > although Romaine had him play mainly clarinet, with the sax looking
grand
> > beside him!  No doubt few people in those early audiences knew how a
> > saxophone should sound.
> >
> > With eighty odd years of hindsight it is difficult to imagine a world
> > without jazz. At the beginning of the last century, there was no decent
> > sized hall open as a regular dancing venue. Such dances as were held
were
> > small special events, and the orchestra was dominated by one or more
> > violins, depending upon the size of the outfit. When a brass instrument
> was
> > involved it was usually in the background, more often than not muted.
> > However with the introduction of electric street and house lighting, and
> the
> > spread of the electric tramway system, night time excursions by the
public
> > became easy and safe.
> >
> > A lot of sentimental nonsense has been written about the birth of jazz.
> Just
> > before the first World War dancing was becoming a craze throughout the
> > western world. Brass band musicians had tired of merely playing marches
> for
> > parades, and in the later decades of the nineteenth century were playing
> > concerts of more diverse forms. These were hugely popular. Every suburb
> and
> > small town that existed then still has in its park a rotunda where
outdoor
> > concerts were performed each Sunday afternoon. In America brass bands
were
> > often called CORNET BANDS, emphasising the ascendancy of that instrument
> > since its development in the late 1830s.
> >
> > It didn't take much of a step for groups of musicians from these brass
> bands
> > to offer themselves to play at picnics and dances - it is this
> substitution
> > of brass instruments for fiddles that eventually led to jazz. That is
why
> > jazz was readily accepted not only in America's middle west (quite
> different
> > to New Orleans) but also in England, Europe and Australia. By the
younger
> > members of the community that is, not by the musical establishment.
> >
> > American Billy Romaine had come to Australia in October, 1912 to play at
> > Fuller's National Theatre in Castlereagh Street, Sydney. In partnership
> with
> > two gentlemen named Carew and Allison he opened the first public dance
> hall
> > in Sydney early in 1913. Almost opposite the later Trocadero in George
> > Street, it was called the Crystal Palace. Although this featured only
old
> > time dancing to a five piece orchestra led by Lock Walmsley (with
Romaine
> on
> > violin and Don Royal on drums), the rough element of Sydney (remember
the
> > SJC's trouble with hooligans at the Old Ironworkers?) forced the closure
> of
> > the venture by the police.
> >
> > Down in Melbourne later in 1913 a Mr. H. Phillips built the Palais de
> > Dance - as the Argus said at the time: "Dancing is a world craze of the
> > moment". Possibly news of the Crystal Palace problem prompted Mr.
Phillips
> > to announce "no unescorted ladies would be admitted, there would be no
> > ragtimes, no fancy dancing and the infamous tango and bunny hug would be
> > prohibited". The tango was indeed infamous - or was it too famous? In
> > England King George had banned it from all royal balls, Kaiser Bill of
> > Germany and King Ludwig of Bavaria had forbidden their military officers
> > from attending dances where it was performed and the Purity Congress of
> > Minnesota (undoubtedly a body to be reckoned with) had declared the
tango
> to
> > be dangerous to the morals of the community.
> >
> > Despite Mr. Phillip's pronouncement the wowsers had to have their say.
On
> > December 8th, a Reverend Ross "on behalf of a large number of Protestant
> > Churches" led a deputation to the St. Kilda Council, stating: "For the
> sake
> > of our young, for the sake of the decency of St. Kilda, we beg you to
> refuse
> > to license this place".
> >
> > A Mr. McNabb put in his two bob's worth after the applause that followed
> the
> > reverend's plea: "No more monstrous pitfall than the dancing saloon can
be
> > erected on the beach. The promiscuous mixing of young men and women with
> > immature and unrestrained appetites is very different from balls and
> > ordinary dances. Dancing inflames passion. With animal passions which
are
> > immature it is easy to know what will result". More applause.
> >
> > Despite these forebodings of disaster the Council issued the licence for
> the
> > Palais de Dance to open. The wowsers then called a protest meeting on
> > December 19, which was attended by some 700 people. With only two
> > dissenters, the meeting condemned the Council's decision.
> >
> > Regardless, the Palais de Dance opened on Saturday, December 20th 1913 -
> the
> > controversy had of course been priceless publicity - the hall was
packed,
> > and the Esplanade outside was impassable. Inside no animal passions were
> in
> > evidence even when a couple gave a demonstration of the infamous tango.
As
> > the Argus admitted: "They had an eccentric grace without the least trace
> of
> > anything suggestive or offensive". During the war years the Palais
> > converted to a picture theatre, and was re-erected next door to the
> picture
> > theatre in 1920.
> >
> > Back in Sydney, the Crystal Palace debacle had been only a temporary
> > setback. Jimmy Bendrodt, an important promoter for the following two
> > decades, joined with Romaine and a George Irving and went into the dance
> > hall business in a professional manner. The Imperial Skating Rink at the
> > corner of William and Yurong Streets was taken over, redecorated and
> opened
> > on May 1, 1914 as the Salon de Luxe. The ten piece orchestra, BILLY'S
> > AMERICAN RAGTIME MUSIC, consisted of two violins, flute, clarinet,
> trumpet,
> > trombone, piano, bass and drums with Romaine on one of the fiddles. By
the
> > end of June, 800 to 1000 patrons per night was the norm. However when
the
> > outbreak of war was announced on August 5th, (local time) the crowd left
> > immediately, and the Salon didn't reopen until the winter season of
1915.
> In
> > the meantime Romaine had been bandleader at the ornate White City
Ballroom
> > at Rushcutters Bay which opened about November, 1914.
> >
> > In 1916 Romaine went into business with a T. Eslick, securing the lease
of
> > the Salon De Luxe. They renamed it the Palladium and operated it as a
> dance
> > venue most successfully through 1916 and 1917.
> >
> > Obviously Romaine was the most experienced bandleader in Sydney, so his
> > selection by Ben Fuller to lead the Jazz Band at the National was only
to
> be
> > expected. Australian Mehden had played in bands in California, returning
> > home in 1912. This of course was before the jazz explosion of 1917, but
no
> > doubt his American experience contributed to the authenticity of
> Australia's
> > first jazz band.
> >
> > Certainly the Jazz Band was a great hit in Sydney - The Sun spoke of the
> > "enormously successful Belle Sylvia and her Jazz Band".
> >
> > The final performance at the National was on Thursday, July 18, 1918,
> after
> > which the act went down to Melbourne, where it opened at the BIJOU
> THEATRE.
> > The Argus said "These crazy musicians are away out on their own".
Maybelle
> > Norman sang appropriate numbers with that quaint musical organization,
the
> > Jazz Band, and also gave a fresh selection of other items". The Age of
> July
> > 29th said: "The jazz band scored immediate success when it opened at
this
> > theatre the previous week . It is an eccentric combination of
instruments
> > and the players did their work in comedy style".
> >
> > The Bulletin had ignored the Sydney performances, probably because the
> > National Theatre did not advertise therein. However the Bijou did, and
The
> > Bulletin said in its issue of July 25th: "Beside the weird aggregation
of
> > sounds called a jazz band a man filing a saw is an evening with Chopin.
> One
> > of these combinations has broken out at the Bijou (Melbourne) and it is
> > metaphorically correct to say of the performers that their instruments
are
> > dripping with the gore of butchered American rags. The most rational
> person
> > in the party is the "lady baritone" Belle Sylvia, but her restful
warbling
> > of balderdash songs seems only to accentuate the frenzy of the others".
> >
> > Obviously The Bulletin didn't share the enthusiasm of the audiences.
> >
> > After the first week in Melbourne Belle Sylvia was replaced by Maybelle
> > Norman or Morgan, an Australian who had "American stage experience". Her
> > surname is reported variously in different journals.
> >
> > On August 3rd The Bulletin said: "Maybelle Morgan is now conspicuous in
> the
> > foreground of the Jazz Band party at the Bijou. Her expressive tootle
> rarely
> > blends with the rest of her conspirators , but she has a substantial
> > presence which leads to a certain amount of embarrassment to a
ridiculous
> > entertainment".  Not all who heard this band were as deprecating as The
> > Bulletin. Billy Deane, who was a senior member of a musical retail
> company,
> > wrote: "The boys who put it over are to be congratulated on their
splendid
> > efforts to make it a success at the National...Belle Sylvia and her
"jazz"
> > band is good enough to play before any audience in the world."
> >
> > On the weeks beginning August 1st and 8th there was a change of
programme,
> > but the Jazz Band remained on the programme at the Bijou, the last week
as
> > part of a minstrel show. This received poor reviews (to say nothing of
> poor
> > audiences) and the Jazz Band's Melbourne season came to a close.
> >
> > After the Melbourne season finished on August 15th, the JAZZ BAND went
to
> > the Adelaide MAJESTIC THEATRE from August 17th to September 13th and the
> > Brisbane EMPIRE THEATRE from September 21st to October 2nd. In the
> > advertisements in the newspapers of those two cities there is no mention
> of
> > a female vocalist, so it seems the Jazz Band was an act in its own
right.
> I
> > have not found any editorial comments concerning those two engagements.
> >
> > The photograph of Australia's "first" jazz band is not that which played
> > Fuller's Circuit, but the five piecer that opened Bendrodt's Palais
Royal
> at
> > the Showground on October 6th, 1920. It is almost that pioneering
outfit,
> > with Harold Barlow on cornet replacing the saxophonist. Substitute the
> > violin with a clarinet (of a similar tonal range) and you have the
> > instrumentation on the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and many other
Famous
> > Fives.
> >
> > Just how the band sounded we shall of course never know. It is tempting,
> > eighty five years on, to dismiss it as worthless, a travesty of real
jazz.
> > Short paragraphs in THE SUN, no doubt based on press releases, tell us
"A
> > new idea in unique melodies - Sousa never dreamed of anything like this.
> The
> > height of musical eccentricity and vocal happiness". And later "Ben
Fuller
> > has led the way in Australia in the matter of the Jazz Band at the
> National.
> > First and foremost, in a Jazz Band each player must be an expert
musician,
> > but his talents cannot stop there. He must be able to dance a bit, sing
a
> > bit, imitate animals if necessary and have a keen sense of humour. Sousa
> in
> > a nightmare never saw anything as quite so eccentric as a Jazz Band in
its
> > least riotous moments."
> >
> > The four theatres where the Jazz Band appeared were of course vaudeville
> > houses (twice daily sessions) and the jazz band was required to
entertain
> by
> > actions and not just by strange music. "The finale of the 25 minute act
> was
> > called OH YOU DRUMMER in which the band apparently went mad, playing
with
> > heads, arms and bodies swaying to the music. The drummer concluded by
> > throwing all his instruments up in the air, the pianist stood on his
chair
> > playing the frenzied melody, while the trombone and saxophone players
fell
> > over, totally exhausted, gasping for breath". New Orleans hokum and
> > hilarity?
> >
> > Other items presented were THE REAL JAZZ/ RAGGING THE SCALE/ RAGGING THE
> > MISERE/ RAIZIN 'EL and FARMYARD JAZZ.
> >
> > For decades to follow jazz was misunderstood by many of the public and
> > misrepresented by journalists looking for a sensational story on an easy
> > target.
> >
> > The words of the advertising copywriters and the nationalistic The
> Bulletin
> > are no real guide - similar sentiments had been expressed in America
> > regarding the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, and merely show the
prejudices
> > of writers with no real knowledge of jazz. It seems likely that the
local
> > Jazz Band had heard some of the recordings by the ODJB, even though they
> > weren't officially distributed in Australia at that time. Discs could be
> > imported by the curious easily enough, and for years many new releases
> first
> > appeared in Australia via merchant seaman bringing them in. An ad which
> > appeared in The Sun and a comment in the Melbourne Herald that "perhaps
> the
> > best number was that in which the noises of a farmyard were cleverly
> > imitated" suggest that the ODJB's number LIVERY STABLE BLUES was part of
> > their repertoire.
> >
> > Of course even in America few real jazz records had been released by mid
> > 1918, so it would be stupid to expect Romaine's Jazz Band to sound as we
> > would expect a band to sound today. Yet many of the various five piece
> bands
> > that sprang up in America learnt their craft from the records by the
ODJB.
> > It's possible that Australians also learned to play a reasonable sort of
> > jazz. As indeed, Australians have learned much of their jazz from
> recordings
> > ever since.
> >
> > Whether the jazz produced was "righteous" or merely raucous is not
> > important. Jazz had been introduced to Australia, and warmly received by
> the
> > audiences - the way was open for the future. That it took time for the
> > public (and longer for journalists) to fully appreciate it is no
problem.
> > That was also the case in America, the land of its birth. JAZZ entered
the
> > language and was often misused. In June, 1918 New Zealand police raided
a
> > Maori gathering to arrest seven Maoris who had failed to report for
their
> > medical examinations prior to being conscripted. The police "were
greeted
> by
> > a bevy of girls a number of whom were equipped with brass instruments
from
> > which they produced music of a somewhat uncertain tune". The news report
> in
> > The Sun for June 30, 1918 was headlined MAORI MAIDS' JAZZ BAND!
> >
> > The members of that first jazz band didn't fade away but became absorbed
> > into the general dance band scene. Harry Mehden and Don Royal were
called
> to
> > Melbourne to join the band opening Carlyons Cabaret. Royal joined Cec
> > Morrison in 1925 and was with him until his death in 1935, taking over
the
> > band, by then the ABC Dance Band. No doubt he is on some of Morrison's
> > Parlophone recordings.
> >
> > Mehden played with Ralton at the Ambassador's in Sydney for nine or
twelve
> > months, then in Melbourne at Wattle Path. He recorded with Ralton for
the
> > Austral Duplex label in 1925. To the best of my knowledge, he is the
only
> > member of our first jazz band to record some jazz numbers, albeit seven
> > years later. Apparently he went to England with Ralton when that
gentleman
> > returned there, and toured England and the continent with him.
> >
> > As The Sun said: Ben Fuller has started a craze that will last a long
> time".
> >
> >
>
>
>
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