[ Kenny Baker's Baker's Dozen ]
b. March 1, 1921, Withernsea, England, UK. d. Dec. 7, 1999 (Viral Infection)
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: the 1948 pix 'The Red Shoes'
Famed Trumpeter Ron Simmons, calling on his own memory and that of his many friends, has kindly provided information on the Line-ups of Kenny Bakers Bakers Dozen:
   Piano:             Bill McGuffie, Norman Stenfalt, Derek Smith,
   Bass:               Frank Clark, Jack Seymour,
   Drums:            Eric Delaney, Tony Kinsey, Johnny Flanagan, Phil Seamen,
   Trumpets:       Tommy McQuater, Freddy Clayton, Ron Simmonds, Albert Hall,
   Trombones:    George Chisholm, Keith Christie,
   Saxophones:  Harry Hayes, Keith Bird, Freddy Ballerini, Harry Klein, Don Rendell, Bruce Turner,
                              Edward Owen "Poggy" Pogson, and Harry Gold.

      [ Charlie Barlow Orch. ], 1950s-'70s
Currently no information available.
The wonderful trumpeter, Ron Simmonds, has recalled:
   "Charlie ran the resident band at the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool for 47 years.
   He had very many personnel changes, but here's the line-up of his 1962 band:"
PERSONNEL:
   Charlie Barlow   (alto/soprano/clarinet/leader)
   Terry Reany, Ron Waterson, Tot Simpson   (trumpets)
   Jack Bickerton, Vic Bagwell, Al Hilton, Douggie Drake   (saxes)
   Ray Barlow   (guitar)
   Brian Firth   (bass guitar)
   Eric Drake   (electric organ/piano)
   Kenny Duff   (drums)

In private correspondence, Mr Phillip Knagg, son of Drummer Jimmy Knagg who played with the Tommy Jones Orch. has advised that the Barlow orchestra played the Tower Ballroom during the Winter Months and switched to the Empress in the Summer.

      [ Billy Barton Orch. ], 1920s-'30s
b. ca. 1890, USA, d. ca. 1933 USA
Instruments: Leader/reeds, and vocals
Curiously, very little is known about Billy's career. It's curious because he traveled widely and was quite a popular European recording artist. Listening to some of his many recordings, one can occasionally hear him playing some fairly "hot" solos. As far as is known, his first engagements were in China (1920) and Australia. In 1925, he re-located to England, and found a position playing in Bert Ralton's Savoy Havana Band, During 1925-'26, he recorded with another very popular band, Bert Firman's Orchestra. In 1926, He toured South Africa with Ralton and subsequently led the band after Ralton's death in 1927. Returning to England, he again recorded with Bert Firman's orchestra. In 1928, he moved to Germany where he both played as a sideman, and made recordings as a leader (including Trumbology, 1929, Orchestrola Records 2250). Here's the Billy Barton Orchestra playing "Kicking A Hole In The Sky", here digitally re-engineered by Mr. Verne Buland. During 1930-'31, he again led his own studio dance band, as well as working with the bands of Ben Berlin, Julian Fuhs, Harry Jackson, Marek Weber, and Theo Mackeben. During 1932-'33, he toured Germany and Switzerland and -it is thought that -- he probably returned to the USA.

      [ Carl Barriteau ]
b: February 7 1914, Trinidad, West Indies, d: August 24, 1998, Australia.
Carl was just age 12 when his father died, and he was placed in the Belmont Orphanage. There he learned to play the tenor sax and the e-flat clarinet. Adept at both instruments, he achieved his greatest fame as a clarinetist, greatly influenced by Artie Shaw's work. At age 18, Carl joined the Trinidad Police Band and was still in that band when, in 1937, he traveled to England and joined bandleader Ken Johnson and The West Indian Orchestra., remaining with Johnson for the next 4 years. (Listen to his clarinet on "Tuxedo Junction", and listen to his arrangement of "Exactly Like You.")

On the night of March 8, 1941, Johnson's band was playing at London's famed Caf�de Paris, when the club was hit by a German bomb which had 'found' the airshaft to the underground club. Johnson, fellow musician David Williams, and about 30 others were instantly killed. Barriteau himself was seriously injured, but eventually recovered. After his recovery, he worked with other band leaders including Ambrose, Geraldo, Phil Green, Joe Loss, Percival Mackay, Jack Payne, and Lew Stone.

During '41, he often attended the Sunday Jam Sessions at the London's Feldman Club (100 Oxford St.), and then in late 1942, formed his first 16-piece orchestra, which recorded for Decca Records and toured the U.K. Here's a photograph of Barriteau, as he appeared at this time. During 1949 and 1950, the band was resident at The Eldorado Ballroom in Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1951, when the residency ended, he disbanded and joined Cyril Stapleton's Orchestra.

In 1953, he started a new 10 piece band which had such sidemen as:
Saxes: Lew Warburton (alto), Geoff Alderson (tenor), Al Cornish (baritone)
Trumpet: "Chick" Mayes
Bass: Bill Stark
Piano: Bert Annable
Drums: Les Dawson
Vocals: Mae Cooper
In 1954, the band came in fourth in both the 'Melody Maker' and 'New Musical Express' Swing Polls. Pete King (later the owner of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Frith Street, London) was one of the members of this band. During the '50s, Barriteau also helped the American vocal group, The Platters. In the late 1950s, Carl and his band vocalist wife, Mae Cooper, took up residence in Germany, continuing to play and tour Europe. Later he emigrated to Australia, played clubs and sea cruises until his demise. Barriteau's musical ability was such that, for seven years in a row, he had won the 'Melody Maker Clarinet Poll Award'.

      [ Reggie Barton & his Band ]
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: 1938 pix 'Swing'

      [ Ivy Benson and Her All Girls Orch. ]
b. 1913, Leeds, Yorkshire, England, d. May 6, 1993, Clacton-On-Sea, England, UK.
Reeds/Bandleader. Worked with Edna Croudson, Teddy Joyce, Hylda Baker. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: 1943 film 'The Dummy Talks'.

Here's a nice close-up photo of Ivy Benson, who was born just before the outbreak of World WarI in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Ivy was a keen musician from early days. She became a competent Pianist, to the extent that her father, also a very skilled musician, hoped she would become a classical concert pianist. However, Ivy's chance hearing of a record by Artie Shaw saw her take up and master the Clarinet. Her musical skill was soon in demand in the area, and at 9 years old was given a spot on BBC Radio's Children's Hour.

The family was always hard up, largely due to her fathers' indulgence with the Bottle, and when she was offered a place at the Leeds College of Music she only stayed for a short time, due to lack of money . To help out, she worked for Montague Burton, a major gentlemen's clothes manufacturer in the City, and out of those wages she carefully saved up and eventually bought her first Alto Sax. She was soon a competent player and wrote to Edna Croudson, who was running a girls band - The Rhythm Girls; her direct approach paid off and she was , at the age of 15 years, playing for Edna in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. It was here that she first met Reg Connelly, a successful Songwriter and Music Publisher. This meeting was to be the start of both a personal and professional association that lasted over 20 years. Within two years of this meeting, Reg had moved Ivy to the bright lights of London, where she played Alto and Clarinet in a club opposite the Windmill Theatre.

While playing there she met Teddy Joyce, who ran the all girls band Teddy Joyce and the Girlfriends; he was so impressed and asked Ivy to join him and his band as lead Alto touring with a show called "Radio Rodeo". During this tour she was introduced to Jack Hylton, and it was he who suggested to Ivy that she should establish her own all girls band. This encouragement from Jack pushed her on. After talking to some other members of Teddy's band, 12 of them decided to throw in with Ivy. Ivy was soon booked as Resident Band to play at a new dance Hall, the recently converted Covent Garden. The dances proved very popular and were regularly packed out with GI's during those wartime years; The attraction of Ivy's girls to the GI's was a situation which,in some ways would return to haunt her for many years!

It was then that the opportunity for her all girl band became clear; with the War taking most of the male members of established bands, the BBC was only too pleased to sign up Ivy and her girls. However, there was still a strong feeling among male bandleaders that this was "the thin end of the wedge" and strong representation was made to the BBC not to proceed with her contract. Under threat of strike action by the male bands, the BBC withdrew it's offer to the band.

Everyone seemed to be against Ivy, the Stoll theatre group also threatened her that she would not play in their theatres if she signed with the BBC.This proved to be a turning point; with the war just finished, Ivy was invited to play for the Allied troops in Berlin, and the success of this first visit started regular tours to the US Bases in Germany which continued for several years and Ivy's problems with girl musicians and GI's started right there; the turnover of players created a lot of difficulties for her;

The late 1950's and early '60's saw the beginning of the Summer Seasons in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, where Ivy's girls entertained holidaymakers at the Villa Marina Gardens, often playing to audiences of up to 6000.

Famed trumpeter Ron Simmonds has recalled that the Ivy Benson All-Girls Band ca 1960 had:
Piano:            Lillian Jackson
Bass:             Claudia Colmer
Drums:           Paula Pyke
Trumpets:       Robey Buckley, Rene Ames, Elaine Harris
Trombones:    Barbara Ellener, Phylis Brown, Sheila Lug?
Vocals:          Gloria Russel and Hilary Martin
Saxes:           Sylvia Monks, Eve Williamson, Jean Naylor, June Pressley, and Jean Bloomfield

But around this time, great changes were happening in the popular music front, and the days of the big bands were numbered. "Pop" records and changing social habits made things more and more difficult and by the early '80's Ivy decided to call it a day with a final concert at the London Savoy hotel.

Ivy retired to Clacton on Sea, Essex, doing occasional entertaining for the elderly and retired members of the community and was also very active in charitable work for the "Help the Aged" organisation.

In May 1993, Ivy Benson passed away after a heart attack, aged 79 years, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. It was the end of an era.

The Big Bands Database Plus thanks Mr. Brian Ravenhill for his gracioussness in providing this bio on Ivy Benson, and for his permission to reproduce the close-up photo. Mr. Ravenhill is the webmaster of the official Ivy Benson Website: http://www.ivybenson-online.com

[ Bela Berkes & his Gypsy Players ]
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: the 1932 film 'It's A King', and in the 1936 film 'Keep Your Seats Please'

[ Don Marino Barretto and his Rhumba Music ]
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: the 1940 picture 'Under Your Hat'

[ Acker Bilk and The Paramount Jazz Orch. ]
also: [ Acker Bilk and His Orch. ]
b. Jan. 28, 1929, Pensford, Somerset, England, UK.
né: Bernard Stanley Bilk
Instruments : Clarinet
"Mr. Acker Bilk", as he was billed - learned to play Clarinet while serving in the British Army. In 1954, Bilk joined Ken Colyer's traditional type Jazz band, and in 1956, Bilk formed his own group. His 1960 record "Summer Set" (a pun on the name of his home county) made the British pop charts, and earned him some national fame. He and other members of his Paramount Jazz Band would appear dressed in the Edwardian clothing and bowler hats.

His single biggest hit release, 1962's "Stranger on the Shore" (written for his daughter Jenny) remained on the British charts for 55 weeks and hit the number one position on American charts. (Bilk refers to "Stranger" as "my old-age pension").

In America, some of his recordings came out on the Atco label. In 1964, with "Rock" music taking command, Bilk went into cabaret work performing both in Britain and on the continent, while continuing to score and lead studio orchestras. His 1976 hit "Aria" reached number five on the British charts. Bilk went into semi-retirement during the late 1990s, and like Miles Davis, pursued his hobby of painting.

      [ Teddy Brown Orch. ]
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: the 1930 film 'Elstree Calling' (Actress Anna May Wong co-starred.)

      [ Rex Burrowes and his Orch. ]
Currently No Information Available. Known to have appeared in some British films, including: a 1938 film 'On Velvet'

      [ Claude Bampton's Orch. ], (late 30's)
This late 1930's all-blind band (but Claude was fully Sighted) had George Shearing on piano. When he was 16 years old, George Shearing graduated from Linden Lodge, a school for blind children. A year later, he joined the band which had been put together by the well known bandleader Jack Hylton. There were 15 men in the orchestra. The leader used an oversized baton that made a swishing sound telling the musicians what was needed. The music had been transcribed into Braille. The band carried 6 grand pianos for their finale number. The tour lasted a year during which time they played all the better theaters in England and Scotland.

      [ Bertini Orch ], (Early 30's)
Known to have appeared in some British films, including: a 1936 film 'Dodging the Dole'. In 1934 this band was playing the Tower Ballroom, Blackpool. The band consisted of George Ashwell; Billy Brakewell; Charlie Barlow; Charlie Farrell; Jimmy Heritage; Jack Knowles; Jack Llewelyn; Leighton Lucas; Frank Maddox; Dick Moir; Jack Pilney; Jack Overdon; Jack Pilney; and Norman Vickers. Lucas had done some arranging for the 1931 Jack Hylton band.

      [ Harry Bidgood's Broadcasters ]
b. 1898, London, U.K., d. 1957
Overview
Here's a photograph of a young Billy Reid , accordionist with Bidgood's band, and who later led his own Billy Reid Orch. Bidgood (and Reid too) recorded both under his own name, and a variety of other names such as Harry Bidgood's Broadcasters (ca. 1925-27), Bidgood's Symphonic Dance Band, Don Porto and His Novelty Accordions (ca.'33), Rossini's Accordions (ca. 1935), Primo Scala and His Banjo Band, and Primo Scala and His Accordion Band (both ca. 1939 up --perhaps his best known band). Listen now to Harry Bidgood's Broadcasters playing their version of "Clap Yo Hands", a 1927 recording. The tune was composed by George Gershwin, with lryic by his famous brother Ira Gershwin. (From the 1926 Broadway show: "Oh, Kay!" The show starred Gertrude Lawrence, Harlan Dixon, Marion Fairbanks, and Oscar Shaw). And, here's the Bidgood Broadcasters again playing "Deep River", (536 kb). also in 1927. Another of the band names under which Bidgood recorded was the "Riverside Dance Band". A visitor to the Big Bands Database Plus (http://nfo.net) has kindly sent this off-the-air recording of the "Riverside Dance Band", playing "Positively Absolutely", -1927, with the vocal by John Thorne (with Chorus). Among the famous vocalists who appeared with him are Vera Lynn, Cavan O'Malley, Sam Costa and Donald Peers. Even the famed American singer Sophie Tucker ("Last of the Red Hot Mamas") sang with Bidgood's band in 1930 in London. (She also recorded with 'Ted Shapiro and His Orchestra' and the 'Winter Garden Theatre Orchestra', directed by Sydney Baynes, with piano by Ted Shapiro.) Bidgood's career began when he became the pianist with the De Groot Orchestra then resident at London's famed Piccadilly Hotel. In time, he became the Musical Director for Vocalion Records, and in 1932, for Crystalate Records. Over his career, he recorded 100s of tunes with his conventional dance band and 100s more with his Banjo and Accordion bands. Curiously, he is probably best remembered by his pseudonym of "Primo Scala" than by his own English birthname. (He contrived the name from Italy's boxing champion 'Primo Carnera' and a then famous Irish Sweepstakes winner - Signor Emilio Scala.) He used this name when fronting his 'Accordion Orchestra'. When he died, he was probably better known as 'Primo Scala' than as 'Harry Bidgood'.

      [ Stanley Black and his Orchestra ]
b: June 14, 1913, London, England, UK. d: Nov. 26, 2002, London, England.
Piano/arranger/leader.
At age 11, began piano lessons, and later attended the Mathay School of Music. At only age 12, the BBC Symphony Orchestra performed some of his music on Radio broadcasts. By age 18, he had already won a'Melody Maker' Jazz arranging contest, and was working professionally. His fellow musicians accorded him the title "the man with the photographic mind" for his remarkable gift of transcribing existing arrangements by simply listening to recordings.

In the 1920s, he played piano accompaniments for silent films, and in the 1930s, worked with various British dance and Jazz bands, including Maurice Burman, Howard Jacobs, Joe Orlando, Lew Stone, Maurice Winnick, Teddy Joyce, Harry Roy and the Ambrose orchestras.

Stanley had played in the 1935 Lew Stone touring orchestra, supplying many of their orchestrations. He was, in Dec. 1939, a member of the Ambrose orchestra that went into the Mayfair Hotel. Then, Stanley Black and Norman White replaced Ivor Moreton and Dave Kaye, the twin pianists, in the 1936 Harry Roy orchestra, when they went into their own variety show act. Also notable is the fact that Stanley Black, Norman White, Joe Daniels on drums, a bassist, and Harry Roy on clarinet often recorded under the name of 'Roy's Tiger Ragamuffins'. (Black toured South America with the Roy group in 1937.)

In 1940, he served briefly in Britain's RAF, before being discharged on health grounds. From 1944 - 1953, he was conductor of the BBC Dance Orchestra. In 1944, he first began began making records under his own name for the Decca Records label.

Black's early 1950s band had such sidemen as:
Saxes: Manny Winters, Jock Faulds, Bill Povey, Harry Hunter, Billy Amstell
Trumpets: Frank Thornton, Bert Bullimore, George White
Trombones: Jack Irving, Frank Dixon. Nick Nicholls
Drums: Derek Price
Bass: Frank Clarke
Piano: Ken Jones
Vocals: Diana Coupland, Monty Norman, Martin Moreno

Black wrote much incidental music for radio and films (and later TV). From 1958 to 1963, he served as music director for the Associated British Pictures Corporation at Elstree Studios. Among his many film scores are 'It Always Rains On Sunday (1948)', 'Laughter In Paradise (1951)', 'The Naked Truth (1957)', 'Too Many Crooks (1958)', 'The Long and The Short and The Tall (1961)' and Cliff Richard's films 'The Young Ones (1961)' and 'Summer Holiday (1962)'.

While film themes and popular Latin hits were a large part of his discography, he also recorded classical repertoire, and won the 1965 Gramophone Award for his version of Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol". In 1968-9, he was engaged as principal conductor of the BBC Northern Ireland Orchestra. Although gradually suffering a loss of hearing, he continued to conduct broadcasts and concerts well into the 1990s. He was often featured as a guest conductor with Britain's major orchestras. In the course of a long and highly successful career, Black received a number of prestigious awards, culminating in an OBE in 1985. He was awarded a Life Fellowship of the International Institute of Arts and Letters, and was Life President of the Celebrities Guild of Great Britain.

      [ The Blue Rockets ], (40's)
One of the Military Bands formed during WW2. Lasted for the "duration".

      [ The Boston Orchestra ] This 5 piece band consisted of Joe Brannelly, Banjo; Alec Ure, drums; Howard Jacobs, Sax; Carroll Gibbons, piano; and Reg Pursglove on Violin.

      [ The BBC Show Band ]
The first band, conducted by Cyril Stapleton in the early 1950s, consisted mainly of London's top session men, including (1953):
Saxes: Teddy Thorne, Dave Stephenson, Jack Goddard, Bill Griffiths, Tommy Whittle
Trumpets: Tommy McQuater, Bill Metcalfe, Stan Roderick. Bert Ezzard
Trombones; Harry Roche, Ken Goldie, Jackie Armstrong. George Chisholm,
Piano: Bill McGuffie.
Guitar: Ike Isaacs.
Bass: Tim Bell.
Drums: Jock Cummings.
Hammond Organ: Harold Smart.
Vocals: Julie Dawn, Stargazers, Show Band Singers.

The second BBC Show Band was conducted by Malcolm Lockyer.

      [ The Black Diamond Band ]
(aka: The Black Diamonds Band; The Royal Guards Band)
Currently No Information Available
The name is somewhat of a misnomer because it was a very early White group working as the Studio band for Zonophone Records. They recorded between 1907 and 1931. Apparently, Eli Hudson was the original musical director. And the band is known to have played at the Albert Hall in 1914 In 1917, George W. Byng took over and remained as the Leader until 1926, when he in turn was replaced by Max Darewski. Included in their very large output was a smattering of Ragtime (in 1907) and dance music, some of which is listed on pages 108 to 111 of 'British Dance Bands on Record, by Rust and Forbes'.Some of there recordings were issued on the Cinch label using the name 'Royal Guards Band'.
These notes on the Black Diamond Band were kindly contributed by Mr. Michael Leahy.

      [ Norman Burns Quintet ]
Currently No information available. In the early to mid 1950s, the sidemen were:
Drums: Norman Burns
Vibes: Johnny Scott
Guitar: Lennie Williams
Bass: Dave Willis
Piano; Harry Smith
Vocals: Ann Harding, and Johnny Green

[ "Tito" Burns Sextet ]
Currently no information available. His mid-1950s had such sidemen as:
Accordion: "Tito" Burns.
Alto: Don Savage (alto sax), Derek Butterworth (tenor sax)
Trumpet: Arny Tweed
Piano: Bobby Heath
Bass/Vocals: Coleridge Goode
Drums: Duggie Cooper
Vocals: Irene Miller, and Paul Vaughan

      [ Kenny Ball and His Jazzmen ]
b. May 22, 1930, Ilford, England.
Trumpet/vocals.
Kenny and his Band were at their very best playing Dixieland Jazz in the local jazz clubs. The tunes on his Lake Records (LACD 114, 1999) release give an excellent overview of the music for which he became famous. The tunes include "Black Bottom Stomp", "Baby Doll", "Hiawatha Rag", "Waltzing Matilda", "Nuages", "Chi,es Blues", "Livery Stable Blues", "American Patrol", "Black & Tan Fantasy", "I'm Satisfied With My Gal", "High Society", "Dark Eyes", "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby", "Tin Roof Blues", "Lumbered at the Lotus", "Beale St Blues", Louisiana", "Snag It", and "Margie".

Before forming his own outfit, Kenny had played in the Syd Philips band. It is safe to say that his band was the most successful of the Traditional Jazz groups that came to the fore in England during the early 1960s. His first chart success was 'Samantha', and his last top chart success was 'When I'm 64'. There was one short period, during which Kenny temporarily lost his 'lip' (inability to hit that first note when bringing the trumpet to the lips). He experienced some real difficulty playing his trumpet well, but fortunately his "lip" returned and the band continued to thrive thoughout the following decades.

A good index of an artist's talent is his durability. In this regard, it should be noted Kenny Ball has remained an extremely popular star for more than forty years. Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen are as popular today as they were back in 1960. Following their first big Hit "Samantha", the band would go on to score hit after hit, including fourteen top thirty records, - an achievement which has never been equalled by any other Jazz artist. (Interestingly, this eclipsed even Kenny's idol, the great Louis Armstrong's total.) Among the hits was his "Midnight in Moscow", which reached the number two slot in both the UK and USA.

In the mid '90s he and the Band, along with the Acker Bilk band, toured to New Zealand and Australia. In later years (1990s) the band adopted a more 'cabaret' style. In addition to two Royal Command performances, and a special appearance at Buckingham Palace for the Wedding Ball of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Kenny has performed innumerable national tours and radio series.

      [ Billy Bartholomew Orch. ]
b: Oct. 1, 1901, London, d: Jan. 19, 1972, London, England, UK
Instrument: alto saxophone.
Bartholomew had played, as a sideman, in England, Scotland and France before coming to Germany in 1924. There he first joined the Eric Borchard band (playing in Hamburg, and Berlin), in 1925, he played in the Julian Fuhs orchestra (then resident at the Eden hotel, Berlin). In October 1927, he created his first band (the " Eden Five "). In 1928, "Billy Bartholomew and his Delphians " played at the opening of the Delphi Palast, and and frequently played there in later years. He also played at such restaurants as Moka Efti, and the Atlantis among others), besides also recording. Here's a photo of Billy Bartholomew Orchestra. In 1939, he returned to England. After WW II ended, Bartholomew music-Clown and Entertainer.

      [ 'Fred Bird The Salon Symphonie Jazzband' ]
Currently No Information Available.
While the orchestra was resident in Berlin, Germany, they recorded some sides that featured their vocalist Al Bowlly accompanying himself with the Ukulele, and with piano by Edger Adeler.

      [ Graeme Bell and his Australian Jazz Band ]
b. Sept. 7, 1914, Melbourne, Australia
Pianist Graeme Bell was a pioneering Australian Jazzman, who worked professionally from the late 1930s. He made an international impact in 1947 when his Australian Jazz Band toured Britain and Europe for a full year (1947-1948). Among the sidemen was "Lazy Ade" Monsbourgh (b. Feb. 17, 1917) on sax. Monsbourgh's association with Graeme Bell began in 1930, and he was on all Bell's tours of Europe between 1947 and 1952. (He also worked and recorded with Bell's brother, the trumpeter Roger, from 1943 to 1971.)

He formed "Graeme Bell and his All-Stars", and when they departed from Melbourne by ship on July 17 1947, they had been able to raise enough only for one way tickets to Prague. Czechoslovakia. On August 24, they arrived in Prague where some 50 nationalities were represented at the Jazz Festival. The two weeks they had planned to stay in Czechoslovakia turned into four months. They performed for open air concerts to audiences of over 5,000 at a time, their recorded music was piped through loudspeakers in Wenceslaus Square, and they were filmed by a UNO crew (as part of a larger project). When their Festival commitments were concluded they were booked for the whole of September into the Fenix Kavarna, Prague's biggest dance venue. The band toured the region, playing in 44 towns, and and made a number of recordings for the Czech record company Ultraphon and also for Radio Prague.

On December 9, 1947, The band departed for England and en route they played a concert for the Hot Club of France at L'Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris. On December 15, they arrived in London where they were based for the next eight months. During this time, they toured to Holland, Belgium and France, where they played at an international jazz festival. This was referred to as the Paris "Jazz Week" in Melody Maker.

The uninhibited, freewheeling Australians turned "traditional" Jazz around. They cleared away the chairs and brought in dancing to the music. Instead of reverentially recreating performances of 1920s Jazz themes, Monsbourgh and Bell wrote their own tunes and even used "pop" songs. Both "Lazy Ade" Monsbourgh and "Pixie" Roberts played saxophones, and in addition to his music, 'Lazy Ade' also impressed many folks with the white plastic alto saxophone that he played. (Monsbourgh also played on clarinet, trumpet, and trombone.) Among Bell's other sidemen were his talented brother, cornetist Roger Bell, and clarinetist Don Roberts. Bell had also recorded in Czechoslovakia, Paris, and London before returning to Australia, where, in 1949, he helped found the Swaggie label.

Bandleader/trumpeter Humphrey Lyttelton had caught the essence of both Monsbrough's and the orchestra's performance, during their first visit to England, and in 1951, when the Australians returned to Britain, they settled uninvited into Lyttelton's home. (Lyttelton often claimed to have Australians the way other people had mice). Monsbourgh and Lyttelton had a particular musical affinity and, 'Lazy Ade' soon joined Lyttelton's front line (trombonist Keith Christie had recently left).

The records they made together 55 years ago exhibit such spirit and energy that they are still selling well across the world today. Graeme Bell remained active on a part-time basis into the 1980s and '90s. The Australian jazz awards, which commenced in 2001, are named the Bell Awards in his honour.