[Dixielandjazz] OKOM in Australia, was Sidney Jazz Scene

[ulf.jagfors at telia.com]

Dear Bill, Harry and Jack

Many thanks for the information about any OKOM jazz venue during Thursday and 
Friday here in Sidney. My wife and I arrived in Sidney this Wednesday afternoon 
from Cairns in North-Eastern Australia were we had spent three tropical climate 
days, one on the Great Barrier Reef with snorkeling.  We are on a three weeks 
great tour to Australia. So far we have spent time in Hong Kong, Perth, 
Adelaide, Melbourne, Alice Springs, Ayres rock (Uluru rock), Cairns and finally 
Sidney. We will leave for Sweden on Saturday. I am not sure if we can attend 
the jazz event on Friday eve here in Sidney as this collide with our tour 
farewell party. However, we will try to sneak away as early as possible so we 
at least can attend the last part of the Friday venue.

As we have spent time to pay visits to Swedish friends and relatives in both 
Perth and Melbourne we have only been able to visit one OKOM  venue and that 
was in Adelaide. By search on Google we found out that the Southern Jazz Club 
had their weekly Tuesday, yes Bill Tuesday, concert at The Highway Hotel just 
outside Adelaide center and easily accessible by the streetcar. Upon arrival we 
were heartily welcomed by the club members when we told them that we were 
member of the Swedish equivalent trad jazz club in Stockholm.

On the program was a concert by the Phoenix Jazz and Swing Band lead by the 
Derek Dalton on trumpet, trombone and vocals. Derek is a great player and the 
band played the OKOM tunes in a typical Aussie US West Coast flavor style. The 
band included a second trumpet player, the only fourteen year old David 
Goodwin, who Derek let play a large part of the solos. David turned out to be a 
very talented jazz musician with a little bit Bix tone in his playing. It 
should be interesting to see how David will develop over the next years. His 
solos were considering his age already very developed and apart from his 
trumpet playing, he also played a piano solo tune of his own in a more modern 
style. We could not stay the whole evening as we had an early flight next 
morning but we heard following tunes played.

Get out of here, Days of wine and roses, Muscrat Ramble, Margie, Let?s do it, 
You must have been a beautiful Baby, Pearls of the Indians?, Smile, Happy Feet.

After the intermission a few of the regular band members, reed, drums and bass, 
were substituted by some very young  players with David Goodman on piano. They 
started with Doctor Jazz. I believe it is very insightful to let the young 
generation take the stage and try their wings. Unfortunately we then had to 
leave. Many thanks from me and my wife for the nice visit to the Southern Jazz 
Club in Adelaide, Au.

Ulf Jagfors