The Australian Jazz Convention is the longest running annual jazz event in the world. The idea for the event originated when Abe Monsbourgh was serving in the RAAF in 1944 and wrote to a friend with an idea to run a “jazz convention” once the war had ended. The first Australian Jazz Convention was then held in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in December 1946, and was attended by musicians across Australia. It was preceded by a one-off Sydney Jazz Week in 1919 as one of the earliest jazz events in the world. The jazz convention has since been held in different cities and states across Australia each year, with the 76th edition held in Newcastle in 2022. The archives of the Australian Jazz Convention are held by the

Australian Jazz Museum The Australian Jazz Museum (AJM), incorporating the Victorian Jazz Archive (VJA), is located in Wantirna, Victoria. It is an incorporated association arising out of a meeting held in Sydney on 23 June 1996 to address the growing concern among ...

in Victoria. Volunteers at the museum have been digitising audio and video recordings of past events. The

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

have also released recordings, including of 1949's convention, and have a video recording of the 1970 convention featuring Graeme Bell.

References

{{Reflist Jazz festivals in Australia 1946 establishments in Australia Music festivals established in 1946