Grab your best gal or finest fella and kick up your heels at The Lounge in Nundah with the sounds of the Art Deco Dance Orchestra and their jazzy tribute to ANZAC Day.
In 1942, the Cloudland venue in Bowen Hills was temporarily closed to house American Servicemen during World War II giving the city a vital link to the American swing music of the art-deco period.
In honour of ANZAC Day and our American connection, Art Deco Dance Orchestra will perform the 'GI Joe ANZAC Tribute Show' this April.
We chat to band leader Joe Howman about what's in-store for this special show.
What can audiences expect from the GI Joe ANZAC Tribute Show?
[Joe] Guests can expect a fun show, with an atmosphere reminiscent of a New York jazz club after the war and into the '50s. They can expect to be transported emotionally, taken on a musical journey.
As band leader, what do you hope to get out of the evening?
Applause; lots of people moving to the music and plenty of excited and smiling faces.
What were some of the big hit numbers from this era?
The [Armed] Forces bands were most popular: Glen Miller’s American Patrol 'In The Mood', Artie Shaw playing 'Begin The Beguine', the Andrew Sisters' 'Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy', Duke Ellington’s 'Don’t Get Around Much Anymore'. Many GIs carried radios and listened to this music night and day.
In terms of our musical heritage, what influence did the housing of American GIs at Cloudland have on Brisbane?
Cloudland was built in 1939 and was famous for its sprung floor, fantastic for dancing. After the war, I guess a number of GIs stayed, but they influenced dance, teaching the locals hand jiving and jitter bugging.
I imagine there were jazz musicians among them influencing our local musicians too.
After that, how important was Cloudland as a hub for people to meet, dance and socialise at the time?
Into the '50s Cloudland was the absolute hub of entertainment; it was before television remember. Lots of great bands played there; the Teddy Wallace Cloudland Orchestra had a huge following, as did Billy Romaine’s Brisbane Lunar Park Band.
Did you personally spend much time at Cloudland before it was demolished in the early '80s?
No, the clock was ticking for Cloudland when I hit Brisbane, but our fabulous drummer Jimmy Howard played many gigs there from the '50s until the knock down in 1982. He remembers the Billo Smith Orchestra, Lally Hedgey Big Band who were regulars there and American tenor man Frank Thornton.
Aside from playing hot jazz, how do you pay respect to the fallen on ANZAC Day?
I spent seven years with Brisbane's only navy band at H.M.A.S. Moreton in the '80s and these days I’m happy to play the 'Last Post' when asked.
The celebration has grown and it’s fantastic how popular ANZAC Day has become. It puts a lump in my throat to see the attendance by the younger generations. It’s wonderful to be hosting an ANZAC tribute show. These were the songs that meant something to our fallen heroes of that era; we have great respect for them and we have to put our hearts and souls into it.
