The 1st Annual Australian International Jazz Festival was a national

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

festival held in Australia during October 1960. It was presented by American promoter Lee Gordon as one of his Big Show tours, and featured international artists including

Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...

, Jonah Jones Quartet,

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...

Al Hibbler Albert George Hibbler (August 16, 1915 – April 24, 2001) was an American baritone vocalist, who sang with Duke Ellington's orchestra before having several pop hits as a solo artist. Some of Hibbler's singing is classified as rhythm and blue ...

Dakota Staton Dakota Staton (June 3, 1930 – April 10, 2007) was an American jazz vocalist who found international acclaim with the 1957 No. 4 hit "The Late, Late Show". She was also known by the Muslim name Aliyah Rabia for a period due to her conversion to ...

, Gene Mcdaniels, Coleman Hawkins, and Teddy Wilson Trio, with Australian's Three Out Trio, and

The Port Jackson Jazz Band The Port Jackson Jazz Band were an Australian Dixieland jazz group formed in 1944 and based in Sydney. They were the longest running traditional jazz band in Australia and performed into the 1990s, though they had multiple breakups. History Trom ...

History

Ahead of the festival, American music magazine ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote about Australian newspapers being filled with stories about the announced jazz artist's upcoming appearances. Dates for the Melbourne shows were announced in ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' on September 8, with the international artists also said to be planning TV appearances during their short stay. They began to arrive in the last week of October, with ticket sales reported at the time to be "the heaviest ever". Each show also had local bands, with Ray Price & The Port Jackson Jazz Band playing Sydney, The Swinging Graduates in Adelaide, and The Varsity Five for Brisbane. Dave Brubeck and Jimmy Rushing were both announced as playing Melbourne on October 27, but aren't mentioned in any reviews. Buddy Greco and The Dave Brubeck Trio were announced, but don't appear on the final lineup. Australia's The Three Out Trio, made up of pianist

Mike Nock Michael Anthony Nock (born 27 September 1940) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. Biography He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955.' ...

, bassist

Freddy Logan Frederick "Freddy" Logan (1930–2003) was a Jazz musician (Double bass). Career After learning bass during his teens, Freddy Logan became a professional musician in 1948, playing in local bands until he joined the Pia Beck Trio in 1949. The ...

, and percussionist Chris Karan, had been playing at Lee Gordon's strip club Primitive when they were asked to join the festival. Nock later recalled the shows at

Sydney Stadium The Sydney Stadium was a sporting and entertainment venue in Sydney, New South Wales, which formerly stood on the corner of New South Head Road and Neild Avenue, Rushcutters Bay. Built in 1908, it was demolished in 1970 to make way for the ...

had a revolving stage, and Coleman Hawkins needing to be helped off after becoming disoriented. When Sarah Vaughan arrived in Sydney ahead of the festival, ''The Age'' reported she had come with a wardrobe worth £7500. After arriving, she rehearsed with pianist Roland Hannah at Sydney Stadium on Tuesday 25th, ahead of their first show the following night.

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

radio broadcaster Eric Child hosted talks on the history of jazz before each set, and a scholarship was to be awarded to an Australian jazz musician to go overseas and gain experience. Sir Kenneth Street was a patron of the festival, though he told reporters he didn't really understand jazz, but was happy Gordon was attempting to bring real jazz artists to Australia. ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' praised Ferguson's performance in Sydney. In their review they also highlighted The Bryce Rohde Quartet (made up of The Australian Jazz Quintet) who they said almost stole the show with their swinging improvisations. Following their own performance The Quartet joined Dizzy Gillespie, and were followed by Al Hibbler, Jonah Jones Quartet, and The Port Jackson Jazz Band. In their review of the second Sydney performance they highlighted Coleman Hawkins as the shows best. The festival was recorded by ABC producer Joe Cramey, and were broadcast on the radio in 1961 as twelve 30 minute programs. Lee Gordon lost heavily on the festival, and it was later revealed advance sales and door sales were both low, with the festival leaving Gordon £200,000 in debt. Although the festival was intended as an annual event, it didn't return.

Lineup

Two lineups played alternate shows across Australia between Wednesday 26 October and Saturday 29. A Company: Sarah Vaughan, Jonah Jones Quartet, Dizzy Gillespie, Al Hibbler, and The Bryce Rohde Quartet * 26 Oct 1960 - Brisbane, Festival Hall * 27 Oct 1960 - Adelaide, Memorial Drive * 28 Oct 1960 - Sydney Stadium * 29 Oct 1960 - Melbourne, Festival Hall B Company: Dakota Staton, Gene Mcdaniels, Coleman Hawkins, Teddy Wilson Trio, and The Three-out Trio * 26 Oct 1960 - Adelaide, Memorial Drive * 27 Oct 1960 - Melbourne, Festival Hall * 28 Oct 1960 - Brisbane, Festival Hall * 29 Oct 1960 - Sydney Stadium

References

External links

Dakota Staton at the Festival on Flickr

Jonah Jones at the Festival on Flickr

Jonah Jones at the Festival 2 on Flickr

Sarah Vaughan at the Festival on Flickr

Cover of Program
(Archived)
Concert program details at Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences

Concert program and poster at State Library of NSW
{{DEFAULTSORT:1st Annual Australian International Jazz Festival Jazz festivals in Australia Music festivals established in 1960 Concert tours 1960 establishments in Australia 1960 disestablishments in Australia