John Sangster

Born On The 17th November 1928 John Sangster Was A Central And Charismatic Figure In Australian Jazz. An Accomplished And Highly Innovative Performer He Started Out Playing Traditional Jazz With Graeme Bell And His Australian Jazz Band On Trombone Later Taking Up The Cornet And Then Drums. He Toured Several Times With Bell Between 1950 And 1955 Playing In Australia The United Kingdom Germany Japan And Korea. In The 1960s Sangster Played At The El Rocco A Famous Sydney Venue For Modern And Experimental Jazz At That Time. He Formed His Own Quartet And With Them Experimented With Group Improvisatory Jazz After He Became Interested In The Music Of Such American Jazz Musicians As Sun Ra And Archie Shep. He Rejoined The Don Burrows Group Briefly In 1967 When They Represented Australia At Expo 1967 In Montreal Canada. Sangster Always Encouraged Australian Musicians To Compose And Perform Their Own Music And Although He Did Not Begin To Compose In Earnest Until In His Late Thirties He Was One Of The Most Prolific Jazz Composers In Australia. His Compositions Include Several Inspired By The Works Of J.R.R. Tolkein Including The Hobbit Suite 1973 Lord Of The Rings In Three Volumes - 1974 1976 And 1977 Bilbo Nods Off 1977 And Landscapes Of Middle Earth 1978 . Another Productive Area Of Sangster's Career Was The Composition Of Music For Television Documentaries Radio And Feature Films. John Sangster Died In Brisbane On 26th October 1995 At The Age Of 66. read less