John Joseph "Jack" Brokensha (5 January 1926 – 28 October 2010) was an Australian-born American

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 ...

vibraphonist The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

, known for his work with the Australian Jazz Quartet and

Motown Records Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmant ...

Biography

Brokensha was born in

Nailsworth, South Australia Nailsworth is a suburb four km north of Adelaide, South Australia. The suburb borders Sefton Park, Prospect, Broadview, Medindie Gardens and Collinswood Collinswood is a suburb of Adelaide spanning the boundary of the Prospect and t ...

. He studied percussion under his father, and played

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in the ...

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

shows and on radio. He played with the Australian Symphony Orchestra during 1942–44, and played in a band in the

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

in 1944–46. Forming his own group, he played 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 1947–48,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1949–50,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

later in 1950, and Adelaide in 1951. In 1953 he moved to

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

with Australian pianist

Bryce Rohde Bryce Benno Rohde (12 September 192326 January 2016) was an Australian jazz pianist and composer. He was strongly influenced by George Russell's musical conceptions. Early life Rohde was born in Hobart, Tasmania. He played jazz in Adelaid ...

; they formed the Australian Jazz Quartet the following year with Australian bassoonist/saxophonist Errol Buddle and American saxophonist/flutist/bassist Dick Healey. This ensemble (sometimes recording as a quintet or sextet) toured together until 1958 after a tour of Australia. Brokensha moved to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, where he was hired by

Berry Gordy Berry Gordy III (born November 28, 1929), known professionally as Berry Gordy Jr., is a retired American record executive, record producer, songwriter, film producer and television producer. He is best known as the founder of the Motown record la ...

as a percussionist, becoming one of the few white members of Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio's house band,

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

. He was given the nickname "White Jack", to distinguish him from

Jack Ashford Jack Ashford (born May 18, 1934), known to his friends as Jashford, is an American musician widely known as the percussionist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the 1960s and early 1970s. Ashford is most famous for playing th ...

, an African American percussionist nicknamed "Black Jack". Brokensha played percussion (mainly vibraphone) on hundreds of records, though Motown routinely did not credit their session musicians until 1971, with the highly acclaimed

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

album '' What's Going On'' (on which Brokensha played). In the 1970s he ran a steakhouse from a converted house on Lothrop Street adjacent to the Fisher Building and very close to Berry Gordy’s Hitsville USA. The club was called "Brokensha's", It was a relatively small club with good food and music. He was occasionally accompanied by his friend and fellow Detroit resident, pianist Bess Bonnier. Teenage jazz guitarist

Earl Klugh Earl Klugh ( ; born September 16, 1953) is an American acoustic guitarist and composer. He has won one Grammy award and thirteen nominations. Klugh was awarded the “1977” Best Recording Award For Performance and Sound” for his album “Fi ...

made his first club appearance at Brokensha's in 1970, playing solo as well as with Jack Brokensha’s Quintet. Following further tours in Australia with Sammy Davis, Jr. and

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, radio personality, puppeteer and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

, Brokensha founded his own music production company. He did a session with Art Mardigan in 1963, and after this became more active in

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

ing and writing music for television. He recorded as a leader again in 1980 and continued to lead his own group well into the 1990s.

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

and

Ira Gitler Ira Gitler (December 18, 1928 – February 23, 2019) was an American jazz historian and journalist. The co-author of ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz'' with Leonard Feather—the most recent edition appeared in 1999—he wrote hundreds of ...

, ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. Oxford, 1999, p. 80. Brokensha died in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sout ...

, of complications from congestive heart failure, aged 84."Vibraphonist Jack Brokensha dead at 84" (''Detroit Free Press'').
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Discography

;As leader *''And Then I Said'' (

Savoy Records Savoy Records is an American record company and label established by Herman Lubinsky in 1942 in Newark, New Jersey. Savoy specialized in jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel music. In September 2017, Savoy was acquired by Concord Bicycle Music. ...

, 1963) *''Holiday Innovations'' (US Steel, 1968) *''Boutique'' (AEM Record Group AEM 25681-2, 1993) *''XMazz'' (AEM Record Group, AEM 25711-2, 1993) ;With the Australian Jazz Quartet *''Australian Jazz Quartet'' (Bethlehem BCP-1031, 1955) *''The Australian Jazz Quartet'' (Bethlehem BCP-6003, 1955) *''Australian Jazz Quartet/Quintet'' (Bethlehem BCP-6002, 1956) *''The Australian Jazz Quintet at the Varsity Drag'' (

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

BCP-6012, 1956) *''Australian Jazz Quintet Plus One: Jazz in D Minor'' (Bethlehem BCP-6015, 1957) *''Rodgers & Hammerstein'' (Bethlehem BCP-6022, 1957) *''Free Style'' (Bethlehem BCP-6029, 1958) *''Three Penny Opera'' (Bethlehem BCP-6030, 1958) *''Reunion! Recorded Live - Adelaide Town Hall'' (AEM, AEM 25801-2, 1994) ;Other appearances *''Music For The Big Scene'', Various Artists, (Contrast CRS-1999, 1966) *'' What's Going On'',

(Tamla Motown, 1971)

References

* Jack Brokenshaat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brokensha, Jack 1926 births 2010 deaths The Funk Brothers members American jazz vibraphonists Australian jazz vibraphonists Australian expatriates in the United States Musicians from Adelaide Savoy Records artists 20th-century Australian musicians 20th-century American musicians The Australian Jazz Quartet members