Graeme Bell

For the Canadian football player, see Graeme Bell (Canadian football). For other people, see Graham Bell (disambiguation).

Graeme Bell
Born(1914-09-07)7 September 1914
Richmond, Victoria, Australia
Died13 June 2012(2012-06-13) (aged 97)
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
GenresJazz, dixieland
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, band leader
Instrument(s)Piano
Years active1935–2008
Labels

Graeme Emerson Bell, AO, MBE (7 September 1914 – 13 June 2012) was an Australian Dixieland and classical jazz pianist, composer and band leader.[1][2][3][4] According to The Age, his "band's music was hailed for its distinctive Australian edge, which he describes as 'nice larrikinism' and 'a happy Aussie outdoor feel'".[4]

Bell was one of the leading promoters of jazz in Australia, bringing American performers such as Rex Stewart to Australia. He was the first Australian jazz band leader who was still playing at 90 years of age[4] and the first Westerner to lead a jazz band to China.[3] The American music journal DownBeat said: "Bell's is unquestionably the greatest jazz band outside America". The Australian Jazz Awards commenced in 2003. They are also known as The Bells in his honour.[4][5]

  1. ^ "Graeme Bell (1914–)". Music Australia. National Library of Australia. 26 November 1986. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Transcripts: Graeme Bell". Talking Heads with Peter Thompson. Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). 21 August 2006. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
  3. ^ a b Ferguson, John (April 2006). "Graeme Bell's farewell concert". Great Scot. Scotch College, Melbourne. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
  4. ^ a b c d Jackson, Andra (3 September 2004). "Trailblazer still hooked". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference MusicShow was invoked but never defined (see the help page).