Donald Vernon Burrows AO MBE (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020[1]) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute.
Don Burrows | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Donald Vernon Burrows |
| Born | 8 August 1928 Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 12 March 2020 (aged 91) Terrey Hills, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Clarinet, saxophone, flute |
| Years active | 1942–2005 |
Life and career
editDonald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl and attended Bondi Public School. In 1937 a visiting flutist and teacher (Victor McMahon) inspired him to start learning the flute. He began on a B-flat flute which he later played at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival. By 1940 he was captain of the Metropolitan Schools Flute Band and began entering talent quests.[2][3]
By 1942, aged 14, Burrows had begun playing clarinet and quit school.[4] He began appearing at Sydney jazz clubs, and appeared on The Youth Show, a Macquarie Radio show. In 1944 he was invited to play and record with George Trevare's Australians. He became well known in Sydney jazz circles and was performing in dance halls, nightclubs and radio bands.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Burrows had many engagements in Australia and the United States, including six years performing at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney.[5] In 1972, he was invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival[6] and later the Newport Jazz Festival.
The year 1973 was a watershed one for Burrows as he received the first gold record for an Australian jazz musician for his record Just the Beginning,[7] instigated the first jazz studies program in the southern hemisphere, at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music (under the direction of Rex Hobcroft) and was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).[8] In 1979 he was appointed Chair of Jazz Studies at the conservatorium.
Burrows performed to mostly classical music audiences through tours with Musica Viva and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation concert series. He led the nationally televised show The Don Burrows Collection for six years. He had an extensive recording career with his groups and performed on albums by others.
In the 1980s, Burrows mentored and was closely associated with James Morrison. He formed the Don Burrows Quartet with George Golla (guitar), Ed Gaston (double bass) and Alan Turnbull (drums). He also worked with Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Tony Bennett, Stéphane Grappelli, Cleo Laine, and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
In 1981, Burrows played woodwind on a Play School album, Hey Diddle Diddle: it was his only involvement with the show.[9]
In 2005, Burrows toured with a small band that included the Australian jazz pianist Kevin Hunt.[10] He used his photographic images with his music in a show called Stop, Look and Listen.
Burrows had arthritis from age 38. In a 2008 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Andrew Ford, celebrating his 80th birthday, he said that "arthritis is not the greatest for playing a musical instrument. But playing a musical instrument is very, very good for arthritis".[11] In later years he had Alzheimer's disease and lived in a nursing home in northern Sydney.[12] He died on 12 March 2020, aged 91.[1][13]
Awards and honours
edit- 1973: Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
- 1987: Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)[14]
- 1988: Life member of the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music
- 1989: Named one of the Australian Living Treasures
- 2000: Honorary Doctorate in Music, Sydney University
- 2001: Honorary Doctorate in Music, Edith Cowan University, Perth
APRA Awards
editThe APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004[15] | Don Burrows | Ted Albert Award for Outstanding Services to Australian Music | inducted |
ARIA Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. It commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Nice 'n' Easy (with Adelaide Connection) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [16] |
| 1991 | Don Burrows | ARIA Hall of Fame | inducted | |
| 2006 | Non Stop Flight - Great Music of the Swing Era (with The Mell-O-Tones & Phillip Sametz) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [16] |
| 2016 | In Good Company (with James Morrison) | Best Jazz Album | Nominated | [16] |
Australian Jazz Bell Awards
editThe Australian Jazz Bell Awards recognised the talent and achievements of Australian jazz artists locally and internationally
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008[17] | Don Burrows | Australian Jazz Bell Hall of Fame | inducted |
Bernard Heinze Memorial Award
editThe Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award is given to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to music in Australia.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Don Burrows | Sir Bernard Heinze Memorial Award | awarded | [18] |
Mo Awards
editThe Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Don Burrows won one award in that time.[19]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Don Burrows | John Campbell Fellowship Award | Won |
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| AUS [20] | ||
| On Camera (as Don Burrows Plus Six) |
— | |
| A Tribute to Freddy Gardner |
|
— |
| The Jazz Sound of the Don Burrows Quartet (as Don Burrows Plus Six) |
|
— |
| 2000 Weeks |
|
— |
| Just the Beginning (as The Don Burrows Quartet) |
|
- |
| Live! at Montreaux (as The Don Burrows Quartet) |
|
- |
| At The Sydney Opera House (as The Don Burrows Quartet) |
|
- |
| Duo (with George Golla and Luis Bonfa) |
|
98 |
| The New Don Burrows Quintet (as The New Don Burrows Quintet) |
|
- |
| The Tasman Connection |
|
- |
| St James (with Galapagos Duck) |
|
- |
| Steph 'n' Us (with George Golla and Stephane Grappelli) |
|
38 |
| Don Burrows and the Brazilian Connection (with The Brazilian Connection) |
|
92 |
| Cool Yule |
|
- |
| Back in Town (with Don Andrews, Andy Brown and Alan Turnbull) |
|
- |
| Other Places Other Times (with George Golla Duo) |
|
38 |
| Don Burrows with Neil Thurgate Orchestra (with Neil Thurgate Orchestra) |
|
- |
| Bonfa Burrows Brazil (with Luiz Bonfá and George Golla) |
|
- |
| Other Places Other Times (with Luiz Bonfá and George Golla) |
|
- |
| This Time Tassie (with George Golla Duo) |
|
- |
| Sara Dane |
|
86 |
| Fluteman (John Sangster with Don Borrows) |
|
- |
| A Retrospective (as Burrows' Jazz Brothers) |
|
- |
| Burrows at the Winery |
|
- |
| Makin' Whoopee! (with The Adelaide Connection) |
|
- |
| Jazz at The Opera House (as The Don Burrows Quintet with The Australian Vocal Ensemble & The Chris Hinze Combination) |
|
- |
| Flute Salad (with Chris Hinze) |
|
- |
| Nice 'n' Easy (as The Don Burrows Quintet with The Adelaide Connection) |
|
- |
| With Orchestra (as The Don Burrows Quintet) |
|
- |
| Quintet (as The Don Burrows Quintet) |
|
- |
| Duets (as The Don Burrows Quintet) |
|
- |
| Together at Last (with Julie Anthony) |
|
- |
| In Flight (Marilane with Don Burrows) |
|
- |
| Bob Barnard's Jazz Party 2004 (Bob Barnard) |
|
- |
| Eye to Eye Vol 1+2 (Kevin Hunt) |
|
- |
| In Good Company (with James Morrison) |
|
- |
Compilations
edit| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Babinda Trilogy |
|
| The First 50 Years: Volume One (1944 - 1965) |
|
| The First 50 Years: Volume Two (1967 - 1976) |
|
| The First 50 Years: Volume Three (1977 - 1979) |
|
| The First 50 Years: Volume Four (1980 - 1984) |
|
| The First 50 Years: Volume Five (1985 - 1992) |
|
| Non-Stop Flight: Great Music of the Swing Era (with The Mell-O-Tones) |
|
References
edit- ^ a b Brandle, Lars (1 April 2020). "Don Burrows, Australia Jazz Legend, Dies at 91". Billboard. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
- ^ Haesler, Bill. "Jazz in Australia". Archived from the original on 8 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.
- ^ Ford, Andrew (9 August 2008). "DON BURROWS AT 80 YEARS OF AGE - The Music Show on ABC Radio National" (PDF). Eric Myers Jazz. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "GOOD TIMES Fifty of Don Burrows' best". Canberra Times. 7 January 1993. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
- ^ Shand, John (17 October 2012). "Bassist's style was music to the ears". Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "Montreux Sounds official website". Archived from the original on 24 May 2006. Retrieved 16 October 2008.
- ^ "'Just the Beginning' on australianscreen online". Retrieved 3 March 2011.
- ^ It's an Honour – Member of the Order of the British Empire
- ^ Hey Diddle Diddle: Songs from Kindergarten / Songs from Play School, ABC Records, 1981.
- ^ Award-winning jazz performer Kevin Hunt Archived 15 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Don Burrows transcript". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) The Music Show. 9 August 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
- ^ Cheshire, Ben (31 July 2016). "Don Burrows: Jazz legend who mentored James Morrison plays on, despite dementia". ABC News. Australian Boroadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
- ^ Rasmussen, Henry (13 March 2020). "Remembering Don Burrows (1928–2020)". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ It's an Honour – Officer of the Order of Australia
- ^ "2004 Winners – APRA Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 8 March 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2010.
- ^ a b c ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Jazz Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 25 June 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Andra (3 May 2007). "For jazz Hall of Fame, it's plain and simple: is Don, is good". The Age. Melbourne.
- ^ Woodworks Gallery
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 50. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Foster, Michael (23 September 1985), "Extra enjoyable", Canberra Times
- ^ Sharpe, John (15 June 2007), "JAZZ. Eye to Eye The Don Burrows and Kevin Hunt Duo", The Canberra Times
External links
edit- Just the Beginning samples
- "Australian jazz – mainstream". australia.gov.au. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- "Artists Profiles". Jazz and Beyond. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.