Scotch College

... And all that jazz

The outlaws didn't rob from the rich, but they did give to the poor jazz starved Scotch Collegians in the '47/'48 era. Don Hobbs and David Pincus played flutes whilst David Corbet a flute player added authenticity to the jazz feel with a trumpet he borrowed from the school.

John Cathcart was a real trombone player and presented behind the voice of Charles Roseby's treasured C melody saxophone, and all were backed by an incredible pianist Graham Bennett (where is he now?). The percussion section was David Hopkins with borrowed bits of drum kit from here and there, not the least of which was from the original Pipe Band in which Don and the two Davids were foundation members.

Yes, they were outlaws, sneaking from practice room to Mackie Hall stage, and anywhere else we could find to emit this absolutely unthinkable music/noise. They found a mentor in the Biology Mistress, Violet Wilcox (it was allowed to use that terminology in those days without negative connotation) who played a brilliant violin. Violet paved the way for a more tolerant approach by the Musical Director - the late Claude Monteith - in the acquisition of the appropriate practice venues, which sometimes were in each others' homes.

One lunch time, with word of mouth advertising only, they very naughtily opened the doors to the Mackie Hall, allowing in nearly half the School with people standing in the aisles and warned to absolute silence with NO applause between the numbers played, lest Walter Kirby be disturbed in the library above. The repertoire included tunes like 'Dark Town Strutters' Ball', 'Whispering' and 'Tiger Rag', which I'm sure the ghosts of Mackie Hall (now the Music School) moved perceptibly from their cloisters.

Don talked his reluctant parents into buying him a saxophone in that last year at school and the original Scotch College jazz band were paid thirty five shillings (divided among the seven players) to play at their first dance in St Johns Church hall East Malvern, three days after Don owned that first saxophone. A remarkable transition from flute to sax in that three days! (I'm also sure the purity of tone was not all that it could have been.)

Don followed an Engineering and Management direction with Electronic Industries Ltd, Philips, and in the last three decades moving back towards music with his own business, Eltham Woodwind and Brass. E W and B are today among the largest importers of woodwind and brass instruments including Getzen, Edwards, Yanagisawa, his own brand The Sound, Emerson, Vito, MARCA and others. His business today includes an extensive rental budget priced instruments, and a repair service for which he has become internationally known.

Today, Don plays clarinet Benny Goodman style at many of the Jazz festivals, in a quintet named the 'Waterfront CafÈ Band' with piano, brass, drums and vibes. He also failed Leaving English (Year 11) so please forgive any grammatical errors in this autobiography. Don would very much like to meet with the parents who must have been his peers, and their children, and grand children, particularly if they wish to support this well established business for their musical needs.