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<DIV>My old mate Bill Haesler is coming down to Melbourne from Sydney next
week to check out The Victorian Jazz Archives. This wonderful facility has
existed for about 6 years now, is open 2 days a week & is staffed
by volunteers, fellow lovers of OKOM mainly, and is a repository of recordings
in all media, memorabilia, video, film and artefacts to do with the history
of Australian Jazz. It is an amazing facility, as Bill will no doubt
attest after his inspection. A library of books, recordings and visual
material of world jazz in general is also available to members and others doing
research or just wanting to know more about Jazz. As part of the
Australian Film & Sound Archive, the facility is closely monitored and is
very professionally managed to ensure that OKOM is preserved for
posterity. Another old mate, the late Ron Halstead was the sound engineer
who established the Archives' recording facilities with other like minded
friends, to save acetates tapes and deteriorating recordings onto more durable
formats. The results have been most gratifying and access to our rich
history of jazz is growing daily. Anyone coming to Melbourne would have to
include a visit to this outer suburban treasure trove to see what we have
done. The Victorian Jazz Club young people's jazz workshops are conducted
here, so the next generations of musos are put into direct contact with our
roots and history. As a volunteer, I marvel at the dedication of the
office bearers, movers and shakers who've made it happen. Regular
exhibitions of some of the collection, which includes a Louis A handkerchief
signed by members of his band on a visit downunder, instruments such as Ade
Monsbourgh's plastic sax, the smashed cornet being carried by Frank Johnson when
he was struck and killed by a car in Noosa and many other significant pieces of
memorabilia are a feature of the building. </DIV>
<DIV> Not only is OKOM alive & well in our part of the world, but we
are doing our best to preserve the past and make the next generation aware of
it.</DIV>
<DIV>Sorry to ramble on, but all this morbid chat about the imminent death of
OKOM makes me laugh. Seekers of quality music will always find their way
to OKOM & if a repository of its past is accessible, it'll never die.</DIV>
<DIV>Sam " it's not over 'til the fat lady sings" Meerkin.</DIV>
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