[Dixielandjazz] All Star put downs????

[Gary Lawrence Murphy]

Very interesting indeed.  Thanks for the clarification and a whole new
world of discs to lookup! and yes, please, do get that book done!

On Sun, Feb 24, 2013 at 12:25 AM, Jack Mitchell <fjmitch at westnet.com.au>wrote:

> **
> Gary Murphy asked
>
> "1919?!  The ODJB had only just hit London by this point; was there really
> a jazz scene happening in Australia so soon? Not to sound patronizing or
> anything, I'm just a bit surprised that the world was so small in 1919
> (although I'm sure WW1 helped to shrink it considerably) -- I have a copy
> of an early Combo Ork book published in Australia, which suggests a
> very healthy band scene there, but I think it dates from the mid to late
> twenties."
>
> The first outfit to call itself a jazz band in Australia (locals led by
> American fiddler Billy Romaine ) did a season on Vaudeville stages in
> Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane from June to October 1918.
> Numerous jazz bands (in name anyway) sprang up in 1919. An American amateur
> jazz band toured all the mainland states from Perth toTownsville from
> September 1919 to March 1920.
>
> In April 1920 The Syncopas Jazz Band (composed of airmen who had been
> influenced by the ODJB in London) opened the Wentworth Ballroom in Sydney
> for a six month season, after which they opened their own ballroom or
> cabaret which they called DIXIELAND. There's a lot more to be told -
> hopefully one day I'll finish my book on the twenties in Australia. How hot
> these groups were we'll never know, as disc recording didn't  start in
> Australia until 1925 (Melbourne) and 1926 (Sydney). The 1926 discs
> certainly show that local musicians were more than competent jazz musicians
> by then.
>
> Best wishes
> Jack Mitchell
>



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