Pem – Alto Sax/Clarinet, Ian Pike – Piano Accordion, Len Matz – Piano, Garry Haines – Drums, Al Moore – Trombone
This was the first band I put together (aged 17) and consisted of some tertiary students as in Ian Pike studying Dentistry, Len Matz studying Medicine and moi studying Architecture. Gary Haines was a bricklayer and Al Moore was a photographic technician. Gary was the only one to go on to become a full time muso.
We got lots of gigs and even put down some studio recordings at station 5DN. The Blue Aces played over 40 gigs or more at Adelaide colleges, University parties and dances, social clubs, private functions and other occasions during its reign.
It is hard to imagine now when Pem with his friends put together The Blue Aces and then practised regularly in the Hazelwood Gardens Scout hall that such a rich variety of musical engagements would open up to them.
Such imagination now requires the understanding that every venue they played at, and no matter where, had an upright piano available. The electric piano was but a dream away, even the acclaimed Rhodes had not yet been invented. Now all that is gone, completely gone, the guitar once a respected rhythm instrument took over the whole world and it is now assumed to be the key and central instrument to all – shall we say – popular music. As well there was no amplification then, we just took our instruments out of their cases, removed the detachable panels off the piano and started playing. Amazing, totally amazing.
Anyhow, we had at our fingertips, gigs in abundance at the University, at the school colleges and at private parties and, on rare occasions, such gigs as the Woodside Military Camp and various firms social club events. It has been a century of massive change and this but one reflection on that change.