Abe Romain

Australian musician (saxophone & clarinet), bandleader & songwriter (b. Wellington, New Zealand 27 Aug., 1905 - d. Sydney 21 Aug., 1994) First heard live jazz in San Francisco after working his passage as a cabin boy on the "Tahiti". Came to Australia in 1920 and worked with Cec Morrison & Merv Lyons. Went to London in 1930 and worked with Herman Darewski & Jack Hylton (toured Europe with Hylton). Returned to Australia in 1933 and worked with various Sydney bands, but decided to go back to London and left 2 May, 1936 where he worked with Harry Roy (including a tour to South America) but returned again to Australia in 1940. After a short time he was appointed bandleader at the Trocadero where he stayed for over 5 years (1941-1946). After a holiday in the U.S. (1946/47) he worked as a disc jockey at 2GB until the beginning of 1948 when he was appointed musical director of the State Theatre Orchestras in Melbourne & Sydney (1948-1951). Led bands in Sydney until appointed musical director of the Jack Davey Show on Radio 2GB in 1954.