Cabaret of 1920s – 30s Songs

An hour cabaret of 1920s – 1930s songs by Greg Poppleton (1920s-30s-style singer) and Grahame Conlon (banjo / guitar)

No microphone (the suspension mic is a prop) and no audio sweetening. The sound is Zoom via an inbuilt laptop mic. We’re sitting on a lounge so this could also be called Lounge Music.

Every year since 2006 we’ve played an annual concert in the historic Bondi Pavilion next to iconic Bondi Beach. This year the concert was online because of Covid and restoration work at the Pavilion.

Greg’s authenticity in 1920s – 30s singing comes from a lifetime of listening. He also trained in bel canto singing with Steve Ostrow of Continental Baths fame. Steve discovered Bette Midler and relaunched the career of Peter Allen. Cab Calloway, Margaret Whiting and Josephine Baker sang in his club.

Greg sings in an Australian accent, including when he sings in German, Spanish and Italian. He sometimes sings while eating a banana. The Jazz Police called during the show.

Songs in this spontaneous, energetic cabaret include The Charleston, Yes We Have No Bananas and Carolina in the Morning.

Bookings & Music Website: https://www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Greg has put out 8 albums. His new album, released in July 2020, is ‘Tin Pan Alley Vol. 2’.
Read Dave J Doyle’s review of ‘Tin Pan Alley Vol. 2’ in the online US magazine, ‘The Syncopated Times’: https://syncopatedtimes.com/greg-poppleton-%E2%80%A2-tin-pan-alley-vol-2/

Download songs
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/1fWRX8EF00yiI9xYgYRVnA
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/tin-pan-alley-vol-2/1515196327
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Greg-Poppleton/e/B001LI794A
WEBSITE: https://www.gregpoppletonmusic.com/20s-30s-tin-pan-alley-vol-2/

Enjoy!

Photos Greg Poppleton Band Show 27 July 2019

One of the Greg Poppleton band’s regular shows is at Penrith RSL.

Greg Poppleton sings in authentic 1920s – 1930s style.

Greg Poppleton booking enquiries tony@ozmanagement.com
Website: www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Enjoy these photos from the July show…

Greg Poppleton hitting the big final note on the 1930s classic, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’.

 

1920s-30s singer Greg Poppleton conducts the band: Grahame Conlon guitar and banjo, Dave Clayton double bass and Bob Gillespie drums.

 

Harmonising with Dave Clayton on the 1930s Cab Calloway swinger, ‘Jumpin Jive’.

 

Greg Poppleton singing ‘Tea for Two’.

Greg Poppleton booking enquiries tony@ozmanagement.com
Website: www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Back By Popular Demand Saturday 12 January

Illawarra Jazz Club presents:

The first Greg Poppleton show for 2019.

Come along for

1920s jazz and 1930s swing

by Australia’s only authentic 1920s – 1930s singer

and his band of swingers.

 

It’s fast. It’s free.

And wait till you get Greg’s jokes!

“Undoubtedly Greg’s best show so far this year.”

 

The Illawarra Jazz Club writes:

“Back by popular demand, this consummate entertainer will have you tapping your toes, kicking up your heals and just having a bloody great time. Greg is a well loved and respected musician, entertainer, actor and genuinely nice guy. You won’t regret seeing this amazing quintet. Appearing with Greg will be his talented young son, Damon, seen recently at the School Spectacular.”

 

Greg is backed by his swinging band of:

Geoff Power – ARIA nominee: trumpet & sousaphone

Damon Poppleton – 2018 School Spec jazz soloist: alto sax

Grahame Conlon – TV music maestro: banjo & guitar

Adam Barnard – Makes the refrains run on time: washboard & snare.

 

Saturday 12 January

Unanderra Hotel

27 Central Road, Unanderra

Next to the Princes Hwy.

5 minutes walk from Unanderra Station.

 

FREE

Visit the Facebook event page

Night and Day – Very Serious Live Concert Performance

Jazz is very serious and difficult. When it kicked off in the brothels of New Orleans, everyone had to listen carefully and critique, or else they’d be forcefully ejected from the bordello. Today, the Jazz Police continue a century old tradition of making jazz inaccessible. Fortunately, on the day this low-life jazz trio and singer were recording their ‘selfie-musicale’, the Jazz Police were patrolling a nearby empty concert hall where grant recipients and worthy jazz school graduates were carefully trudging through a stunning original in 11/16 and 22/8. The Jazz Society Improvised Collective Association Workshop Co-Op Newsletter write-up of their efforts was praiseworthy.

Night and Day – Cole Porter (1932) Singer – Greg Poppleton,
Guitar – Grahame Conlon, Double Bass – Dave Clayton, Drums – Bob Gillespie

Greg Poppleton makes 1920s-30s Pop.

Albums: https://gregpoppleton.bandcamp.com/
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/au/artist/greg-poppleton-and-the-bakelite-broadcasters/574671719
Band Website: https://www.gregpoppletonmusic.com

Santo Grasso Jazz Photos

Last Sunday, I took my 1920s – 1930s Jazz Deco band to Sydney Rowing Club, overlooking the Parramatta River to play an afternoon of music, fun and dancing.

And there was lots of dancing and lots of fun. It’s an inspiration to play to dancers. It’s a joy to play to such a warm and appreciative audience.

MOVIE

At Sydney Rowers the gig before, in April, someone took this film of the Jazz Deco band and I, then through a third party, generously sent it on to me to share with you…

SANTO GRASSO JAZZ PHOTOS
What a wonderful surprise then, just before downbeat on the first set, to see my favourite photographer, Santo Grasso. He’d come along to take photos of the band.

Now he’s generously sharing them with us here.

Please check out Santo’s wonderfully evocative photos of Sydney on his instagram page. Start following him! https://www.instagram.com/explore__sydney/

Swing dancing to Greg Poppleton

 

Greg Poppleton – authentic 1920s – 1930s singer

 

Greg Poppleton and his Jazz Deco Band – Damon Poppleton alto sax – Grahame Conlon guitar and banjo – Thomas Wade double bass – Adam Barnard drums and washboard

 

Damon Poppleton alto sax

 

Grahame Conlon guitar doubling banjo

 

Thomas Wade double bass

 

Greg Poppleton singing through the red 1920s megaphone

 

Adam Barnard washboard and percussion

 

Dancing to the Greg Poppleton 1920s – 30s band at Sydney Rowers – a photo I took from behind the microphone

Where can you see us next?

Contact Greg Poppleton now for real 1920s – 30s fun at your occasion

Saving A Big Band Show For A Client

Initially the client wanted a big band. They’d already advertised the show as ‘Swing Era’, ‘Glenn Miller’,  ‘Big Band’.

But a budget blow-out meant that the client needed a smaller band urgently – a band that could still create a big sound and a dynamic show through an energetic singer and front man.

The Solution:
Call Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer – the client went for the six-piece Greg Poppleton jazz deco band.

After that, no-one in the client group, or the audience, gave the ‘Swing Era’, ‘Glenn Miller’ Big Band a second thought.

Greg Poppleton is Australia’s only authentic 1920s-30s singer and band leader.

He delivered a mix of Jazz Deco swingers and ballads in English, Spanish, German and Italian, with the following band line-up:

Greg Poppleton – authentic 1920s-30s singer
Al Davey – trumpet and trombone
Paul Furniss – alto sax and clarinet
Grahame Conlon – swing guitar and banjo
Dave Clayton – double bass
Lawrie Thompson – swing drums
SwingKatz – swing dance lessons and demonstration

The Result:
The audience sang along and filmed and laughed and danced for a two hour show including lunch.

The client said they would definitely book the band again.

Greg Poppleton jazz deco band and SwingKatz swing dancers

Sound:

Because of the size of the room and the number of guests, 130, we provided our own digital sound system.

We created a pleasant sound for the audience mixed by our engineer with ipad via a wireless connection.

This is something we can do for audiences up to 5000 people.

We filled the big band’s shoes and more. Need an exciting band?

Band Enquiries: tony@ozmanagement.com
Band Website: gregpoppletonmusic.com

How’d It Look and Sound?

We Put On A ‘Helluva’ Show. And I Met Mrs Sparkle.

What do you do?

The venue you’re playing at has been undercut by not one, but two, nearby venues.

Audience numbers are down.

What do you do?

Well, if you’re Greg Poppleton at Mosman Bowling Club today, you put on a ‘helluva’ show for the club and the beautiful people who came to see and hear us.

Greg Poppleton Jazz Deco singer channeling the spirits of the 1920s and 1930s

You put on an intimate show – singing to each of the 40 guests individually -from the stage and table by table.

You bring people together and get the audience singing.

You tell personal stories, weave in an amazing anecdote about a song or two or three, and you sing a request or two that brings a tear to the eyes of the requesters.

Greg Poppleton and an over the shoulder shot of some of the audience at Sunday Jazz in Mosman Bowling Club

And you have a swinging band:

Greg Poppleton – 1920s-30s vocals
Grahame Conlon – banjo and guitar
Dave Clayton – double bass
Adam Barnard – drums and washboard

The Greg Poppleton swing rhythm section. Adam Barnard drums and washboard, Dave Clayton double bass, and Grahame Conlon guitar and banjo

In short, you create a ‘helluva’ show with great musicians that makes everyone happy. In fact, everybody left today with a smile and a desire to come back for more. Many left clutching a Greg Poppleton CD sold to them by Bev Evans. A CHILDHOOD HERO.

Having a special occasion? GREG POPPLETON MAKES JAZZ DECO POP!

The Copasetic 1920s – 1930s Jazz Singer and Band are absolutely the Bee’s Knees. 1.17 Million Total YouTube views. We’ll make your special occasion sparkle, too.  Enquire now.

Mosman Bowling Club presents a different top notch jazz band for your enjoyment on the first Sunday of every month, 2 – 4:30pm. And they welcome new players and members, too. Get in touch.

A guest photo. Greg Poppleton and Dave Clayton . double bass singing, ‘Yes, We Have No Bananas’.

MRS SPARKLE
Bev Evans was Mrs Sparkle in the Mr Sheen ads. Her talent made the ads hugely successful. As a result, she became Australia’s leading hand and placement model.

I used to watch Mrs Sparkle on TV as a very little kid and marvel at how natural she was while being incredibly precise in her movements. I’ve been in 60 TV commercials myself and looking natural while being ‘big’ as a TVC requires is a rare skill.

And I loved the music. Little did I know then that the song was ‘Mr Gallagher and Mr Sheen’, written in 1922. No, I’m not a ‘make-a-quick-buck-off-the-Great-Gatsby-movie’ blow-in. I’ve loved the music of the 1920s and 1930s eversince I first saw Louis Armstrong on TV when I was three years old.

Here’s  Mrs Sparkle selling Mr Sheen on 1960s TV

Greg Poppleton Builders Club Show Wollongong 4 February

It was a very full house for Greg Poppleton, authentic 1920s – 30s singer, at The Basement, Builders’ Club Wollongong for their weekly Sunday Jazz.

Grahame Conlon guitar and banjo, Dave Clayton double bass and myself singing return to The Basement, 61 Church St Wollongong, 2:30-5:30pm Sunday 6 May. FREE.

In the third set we enjoyed two sit-ins on Ice Bucket and Jazz Vocals.

Firstly, Bob Gillespie, former musical director for Lovelace Watkins and drummer for the Maynard Ferguson English Orchestra, came up to play the ice bucket.

Then I invited jazz singer, Marie Wilson, who was having a great time in the audience, to come up and sing a few songs.

She’s such a wonderful jazz singer she was booked on the spot to appear at The Basement Wollongong later this year.

Book Australia’s only authentic 1920s – 1930s singer, Greg Poppleton, now for your events, weddings, parties, corporate functions

I hope you enjoy the photos. Thanks Grahame for the use of your iPhone…

Greg Poppleton at The Builders Club, Wollongong, Sunday 4 Feb 2018. Greg sings again at The Builders Club, 2:30pm, Sunday 6 May.

 

Dave Clayton, double bass with Greg Poppleton

 

Bob Gillespie playing the Ice Bucket, accompanied by Grahame Conlon on banjo with Greg Poppleton’s band.

 

Marie Wilson singing with Grahame Conlon guitar and Dave Clayton double bass in the Greg Poppleton band.

Book Australia’s only authentic 1920s – 1930s singer, Greg Poppleton, now for your events, weddings, parties, corporate functions. Over 1.17 Million total YouTube plays…

 

January Newsletter

Happy New Year Bakeliters,

Thursday, 8:30pm, 19 January, Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters debut at Sydney’s premier jazz club – Foundry 616.

Cosy room, great food, friendly bar and great sound. We’d love you to join us!

Options: Dinner and show – Dinner sittings 7pm and 8pm. Show only starts 8:30pm. Concessions available, too. More info and TICKETS
(PS: If you had planned to catch us at our annual Great Art Deco Ball, Carrington Katoomba 4 Feb, it’s SOLD OUT)

In Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters at Foundry 616 you’ll see and hear your favourite Sydney classic jazz musicians…
PAUL FURNISS – saxes and clarinet,
GEOFF POWER – sousaphone and trumpet,
GRAHAME CONLON – Spanish guitar and banjo,
ADAM BARNARD – drums and washboard,
GREG POPPLETON – 1920s vocals

Tickets available:
Concession, General admission, 7pm Dinner sitting and show, 8pm Dinner sitting and show, Drinks package and show.

Bring your friends. Make it a date. Get your tickets now
TICKETS

Where is Foundry 616?
616 Harris Street near Broadway. See the red pointer on the map…

Greg says,
“This is our first show at Foundry 616 and we’ll be doing our Charleston, 1920s jazz cabaret and classic New Orleans show people just love. These are the shows we do in our regular Gin Mill Social cabaret appearances, at the Sydney Festival many years ago, and most recently at the Waiheke International Jazz Festival in New Zealand and five years headlining the sell-out annual Great Art Deco Ball.  We’re very excited to be invited to play at Foundry616 with its cosy atmosphere, bar and excellent food. Come along for dinner, bring some friends and we promise you an evening you’ll totally enjoy.” TICKETS

“Damn, I wish I had known you when we had a theatre. We would have called you over to perform with us in a minute! Your great voice, your ability to sell a song and your particular energy came across as completely American while sounding Australian! And that trio is an absolute knockout.”
Lance Belville, Writer / Theater Director, San Francisco
And the band’s latest CD, Back In Your Own Backyard, will be available, too, at the low gig price.
Free CD when you buy 100 tickets.

 

2017 SHOW DATES

Thurs 5 January – Private Concert

Sun 15 January – The Basement, Master Builders Club
61 Church St Wollongong
2:30-5:30pm Free

Thurs 19 January – Foundry 616 Jazz Club
616 Harris St Ultimo
8:30-11pm
TICKETS

Fri 20 January – Gin Mill Social, Slide Cabaret, Surry Hills

Tickets available here

Sun 22 January – Connections Amphitheatre
30 Shoreline Drive Rhodes
12pm Free

Sat 4 Feb – 2017 Great Art Deco Ball
Carrington Hotel, Katoomba
SOLD OUT

Fri 17 February – Gin Mill Social, Slide Cabaret, Surry Hills

Tickets available here

Sun 19 February 2017 – Jazz At The Pines, Dural

Tickets available here

Fri 24 March – Gin Mill Social, Slide Cabaret, Surry Hills

Tickets available here

Sat 25 March – Wedding

Sun 16 April – The Basement, Master Builders Club
61 Church St Wollongong
2:30-5:30pm Free

Fri 21 April – Gin Mill Social, Slide Cabaret, Surry Hills

Tickets available here

YOUR MONTHLY VIDEO CLIP
Filmed in South Kiama, NSW
‘They Didn’t Believe Me’ from the album Back In Your Own Backyard
by Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters

Wedding, corporate event, party?

Why not book Greg Poppleton and the Bakelite Broadcasters for your occasion?

Call the always helpful and friendly Tony Jex…

02 9567 7171 | 0407 941 263 | tony@ozmanagement.com

Cronulla RSL 5 April – Greg Poppleton

STOP PRESS – We look forward to playing for you again at Cronulla RSL, Level 2, 12:30pm Sunday 6 September.

Thank you to everyone who came to Cronulla RSL today to dance and enjoy an afternoon of 1920s and 1930s songs by Greg Poppleton. It was great to see so many old friends who have seen the band at Penrith, Glen Street, the Sydney Jazz Club and other places, (Gary and Deborah, Margaret  M and Margaret Y, Rob, Neville, Kitty von Tastique and more), and meet lots of new friends at Cronulla, too. Here are a few happy snaps…And a reminder, if you’d like Greg Poppleton to play for you, please email Tony, or ring him, 02 9567 7171, 0407 941 263.

What a beautiful Sunday in Cronulla today!

The view of Cronulla Beach from the club window where Greg Poppleton  played for Sunday Jazz.

In all the excitement I neglected to take a picture of Geoff Power (trumpet and trombone) and myself singer. So here’s a blurry pic taken of Geoff and I at the Intercontinental Hotel in 2011.

But I didn’t forget to snap Darcy Wright (double bass) and Grahame Conlon (guitar) mid-instrumental on Alice Blue Gown, Greg Poppleton, Cronulla RSL Sunday Jazz.

Remember, if you’d like Greg Poppleton to play for you at your work function, wedding or party, in your house or at a venue, please email Tony, or ring him, 02 9567 7171.