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<p>A new show, produced by Douglas Hunter, will premiere at the
Riverside Theatre, Sydney on 10 January, playing until 20 January
as part of the Sydney Festival.</p>
<p>Hunter was inspired to create this show after hearing, in 2007,
an EMI CD of a music style called <i>Shidaiqu, </i>which is a
blend of jazz and Chinese folk music. <br>
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<p>This CD presented a programme of <i>Shidaiqu </i>tracks from<i>
</i>the discovery in a warehouse in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) of
800 metal stampers of 78rpm sides recorded in Shanghai mainly in
the thirties.</p>
<p>Given a large population of European and American businessmen and
service personnel in the twenties and thirties, Shanghai was a
swinging city, particularly for the expat population. Pianist
Teddy Weatherford moved to Shanghai in 1926. and was responsible
for bringing much jazz talent to that city. A band led by American
clarinet/ sax player Joe Aronson led a band, which included four
Australians, for six months at the Canidrome in 1934. Aronson's
band was followed by Buck Clayton's group. Weatherford moved to
then Bombay and recorded there during the war years.</p>
<p>Apparently the Sydney show will be entertaining but of little
interest as OKOM. I mention all this because I wonder what was on
other stampers from that collection. Surely some real jazz or
even hot dance music was recorded in Shanghai and would be of
historic, if nothing else, interest. Even during the Japanese
occupation we know dance band music was being recorded in
Shanghai, and the cabarets remained in operation, even if American
and English musicians were interned.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any information on those stampers? Anyone have
an in with EMI to discover the titles recorded, even if not the
artists involved?</p>
<p>Best wishes</p>
<p>Jack Mitchell</p>
<p>PS: We shouldn't rubbish the thought of that style of music.
particularly without hearing it. Today many western jazz
musicians, admittedly of more modern inclinations than I, are
merging with Indian traditional music.<br>
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