The Australian Jazz Quartet
| Company type | Jazz ensemble |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Headquarters | Windsor , Canada |
Area served | United States, Australia, Canada |
| Products | Jazz albums, live performances |
The Australian Jazz Quartet (AJQ), sometimes referred to as the Australian Jazz Quintet, was a prominent jazz ensemble in the 1950s recognized for collaborations with artists such as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Carmen McRae.
Biography
Established in 1953 by a trio of Australians and one American, the group stood out due to its distinctive combination of bassoon, flute, and vibraphone alongside conventional jazz instruments including saxophone, piano, bass, and drums. Australians Errol Buddle (bassoon, tenor saxophone), Bryce Rohde (piano), and Jack Brokensha (vibraphone, percussion) arrived in Windsor, Canada between 1952 and 1953. Their planned US tour was postponed because of visa complications, leading them to perform locally while DJ Phil MacKellar facilitated radio sessions and live engagements. Brokensha’s appearances on Detroit television eventually secured work visas for the United States. They connected with American musician Richard J. “Dick” Healey (alto sax, clarinet, flute, bass), and the quartet began performing on Detroit TV and at Kleins Jazz Club.
In early 1954, their performances on Detroit's WXYZ-TV program "Soupy's On" caught the attention of comedian Soupy Sales, who recommended them to club owner Ed Sarkesian. This led to a two-week residency alongside jazz singer Chris Connor. Buddle’s background with the Windsor Symphony on bassoon influenced arrangements featuring flute, bassoon, and vibes, creating a unique sound that attracted both jazz aficionados and classical listeners. Sarkesian coined the name Australian Jazz Quartet/Quintet and secured a five-year contract with ABC and Bethlehem Records. He also took on their management and became an influential promoter within the jazz scene.
Under ABC’s representation, AJQ performed at Chicago's Blue Note and in Washington DC with groups such as the Dave Brubeck Quartet, Modern Jazz Quartet, and vocalist Carmen McRae. Their nationwide club appearances included renowned venues like Birdland, Basin Street, The Hickory House in New York; Blue Note and Robert's Show Room in Chicago; Storyville in Boston; Jazz City in Los Angeles; Macumba in San Francisco; Rouge Lounge in Detroit; Peps in Philadelphia; Midway Lounge in Pittsburgh; Colonial in Toronto; Ball & Chain in Miami. Throughout these engagements, they shared stages with leading performers including Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Ahmad Jamal, Woody Herman, and Billie Holiday.
By 1955, to compensate for the absence of bass when Healey switched to reeds, dedicated bass players Jimmy Gannon, Jack Lander, and later Ed Gaston joined the ensemble, expanding it into the Australian Jazz Quintet.
Between 1955 and 1957, AJQ participated in extensive national tours such as the "Modern Jazz Show" alongside Brubeck, Mulligan, and McRae (1955); "Music For Moderns" tours featuring Count Basie, Erroll Garner, Kai Winding Septet, Chico Hamilton Quintet, Gerry Mulligan Quartet (1956); and another "Music For Moderns" tour with George Shearing Quintet, Cannonball Adderley, Miles Davis (1957). These tours brought them to prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall.
The group made appearances on major national television programs like The Steve Allen Tonight Show, The Dave Garroway Today Show, The Arthur Godfrey Show, In Town Tonight Chicago, as well as ABC Detroit’s Ed Mackenzie and Soupy Sales Shows. Their radio presence included broadcasts on CBS's "Woolworth Hour," NBC's "Monitor," and ABC's "Parade of the Bands."
From 1955 through 1958 AJQ recorded seven albums under Bethlehem Records. Their initial 10" LP released in February 1955 contained eight standard pieces accompanied by a kangaroo-themed cover design. The subsequent expanded 12" edition (1956) added three additional standards plus an original composition by bassist Jimmy Gannon. Another album featured ten tracks including originals penned by Gannon and Healey.
In 1958 the group toured Australia under the auspices of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), performing TV and radio broadcasts as well as concerts alongside Sammy Davis Jr. in Melbourne and Sydney. After this Australian tour, members parted ways to focus on individual careers but later reunited for performances in Adelaide during 1986 and 1993; a recording from the latter reunion was released commercially.
LPs
- Australian Jazz Quartet (Bethlehem Records, catalog number BCP-1031, released 1955)
- The Australian Jazz Quartet (Bethlehem BCP-6003, 1955)
- Australian Jazz Quartet/Quintet (Bethlehem BCP-6002, 1956; UK release on London Jazz LTZ-N15065, 1957)
- The Australian Jazz Quintet: at the Varsity Drag (Bethlehem 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)
CDs
- The Australian Jazz Quintet Plus One: Reunion (AEM Record Group, AEM 25801-2, issued in 1994)
- The Australian Jazz Quintet: at the Varsity Drag (reissued Bethlehem BCP-6012, Avenue Jazz R2 75911, 2000)
- Australian Jazz Quartet (Bethlehem BCP-6003 reissue, TOCJ-62097, Japan, 2001)