Alex Hutchinson

Renowned and popular jazz clarinet player of Melbourne, Victoria.

Alex Hutchinson (born 24 December 1934) is a jazz musician who plays clarinet and saxophone.

Alex Hutchinson is an Australian jazz musician, whose career has spanned over fifty years of Australian Jazz since he played his first paying gig at age fifteen. Alex was born in Melbourne and since touring South Australia with The Graeme Bell All Stars in 1955 and 1956 has been an integral part of the city's jazz scene, playing at numerous jazz conventions, countless jazz festivals and thousands of gigs. He was active and for many years president of his local Musicians Union.

Alex Hutchinson plays clarinet and saxophone, but in recent years he has concentrated on solely his clarinet, a 1961 Selmer 9 star Clarinet. His clarinet style has been greatly influenced by Benny Goodman, Buddy DeFranco, Artie Shaw and to a lesser degree Tony Scott. Alex's fourth album Clarinet Love Affair was released in late 2007.[1]

Early Formative Years

‘’Jazzbeat Magazine’’ of August 2011[2] published an in-depth feature on Alex Hutchinson as a talented performer who, with others, enriched the music scene of Melbourne over many decades.

Born on Christmas Eve, 1934, the young Alex Hutchinson became inspired, at the age of 13, by the music of Benny Goodman. As a young teenager, Alexander Hutchinson, found that he had,as a natural instinctive talent, an ear for music. His music teacher at Moreland Central School organised his best music students for a performance at the Coburg Town Hall (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia).

It was the beginning of a lifetime career in musical performance. Later the young Alex took lessons from Reg "Pappy “Lloyd, a renowned and established clarinet player at the Tivoli Theatre in Melbourne. By the age of 15 Alex had formed a duo with pianist/greengrocer Max Sheridan. They provided the music for the Saturday Night Scout Dances in the Buffalo Hall in Victoria Street, Coburg.

Graeme Bell's All Stars

The duo soon became a trio and received invitations to perform all over Victoria. Engaged at the Pacific Hotel in Lorne, Alex came to the attention of the renowned Graeme Bell, the famous Australian Dixieland and classical jazz pianist, composer and band leader. Bell’s band happened to be performing nearby at the Wild Colonial Club.

Graeme Bell recognised Hutchinson's talents and welcomed him into his band for tours in 1955 and 1956 – mainly in south Australia. These tours were highly successful. Quotes Alex - ‘’we were treated like rock stars wherever we went. It was a high point in my career.‘’

Hutchinson, a natural musician, mainly played the clarinet. He also developed a high level of expertise with the alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone. In 1958 Alex Hutchinson became part of the Ted Preston Trio with the vocalist Margaret Becker. They played six nights a week at Scotts Hotel in Collins Street in Melbourne city.

The 1960s

In the 1960s top-level musicians were employed for visiting celebrity performers. These included Julie London, Jimmy Rogers, Billy Eckstine, Oscar Peterson, Mickey Rooney and Brook Benton. Alex Hutchinson was always selected for these backing bands. These top level performances were commonly held at the Federal Hotel, the Menzies, and the Savoy Plaza.

The 1970s, 1980s, 1990s

During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s Alex Hutchinson sustained an eminent position in the active jazz and music life of Melbourne. He was for a time a member of Frank Traynor’s Jazz Preachers (Jazz Unlimited) and was an honoured performance guest at twenty consecutive Merimbula Jazz Festivals. His own trio and quartet entertained at many venues and events including a thirteen year stint at the Savoy Park Plaza in Little Collins Street.

Recordings - CDs

Alex was a feature in quite a number of recordings created in the 50s, 60s and 70s. These included the first recording of the VFL footy songs and an LP with Georgia Lee, considered the first indigenous Australian jazz and blues singer (1962). He also recorded a CD with Gaynor Bunning.

Hutchinson has recorded four CDs of his own[3] – ‘’The Goodman Touch’’, ‘’A Clarinet Love Affair’’, ‘’Stompin’ at the Savoy’’ (with his close friend, pianist Mickey Tucker), and ‘’The Tassie Connection’’ (with Jack Duffy).

He retains relationships with some of the world's great musicians (some of whom he “hosted” during their Australian visits) including Buddy De Franco, Oscar Peterson, Eddie Daniels and Clark Terry.

2000s

In September 2012 Alex Hutchinson was ranked as number eight in the popular jazz clarinetists of the world rankings. His acclaimed recording of the Road to Gundagai scored ca.30,000 hits on YouTube - considered a great achievement for a Melbourne musician without international promotion.

Discography

  • The Goodman Touch
  • The Tassie Connection
  • Stompin' at the Savoy
  • Clarinet Love Affair

References

  1. ^ "Ideal Christmas Gift" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-04-09. Retrieved 2010-11-17.
  2. ^ The Music Makers (series), ‘’Jazzbeat Magazine’’, Melbourne, August 11, 2011
  3. ^ All available on Apple iTunes

External links


This page was last updated at 2019-11-08 22:05 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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