- Graeme Bell
Graeme Bell AO MBE (born
September 7 , 1914) is anAustralian dixieland andclassical jazz pianist and composer.Early life
Bell attended
Scotch College, Melbourne in 1929 and 1930. He left school at age 16 during theGreat Depression and joined the workforce as an insurance clerk and a stint as a farm hand. He became a professional musician in 1943 and moved toSydney in 1957.Career
He formed "Graeme Bell and his All-Stars" and toured
Czechoslovakia for 4.5 months in1947 .This was the first ever Australian jazz band to tour Europe. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/09/02/1093939050514.html?from=storyrhs]Honours
The Australian jazz awards, which commenced in 2001, are named the Bell Awards in his honour. [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/music/mshow/s947036.htm]
Bell is the first Australian jazz band leader to be playing at 90 years old. and the first Westerner to lead a jazz band to China. http://www.scotch.vic.edu.au/gscot/06aprgs/37bell.htm]
Miscellanea
In 1973 Bell played the part of The Narrator in the Australian production of the
rock opera "Tommy".References
External links
* [http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=yes;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F30260-1%22%20Online%3Atrue;querytype=Online;resCount=10 Graeme Bell at the National Film and Sound Archive]
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