Deirdre O'Connell at Castle Hill Library

Join author and historian, Deirdre O’Connell, as she tells the untold story of Australia’s Jazz Age. The 1920s were a time of wonder and flux, when Australians sensed a world growing smaller, turning faster-and, for some, skittering off balance.

American movies, music and dance brought together what racial lines kept apart. African American jazz represented the type of modernism that cosmopolitan Australians craved- and the champions of White Australia feared.

Enter the jazz band Sonny Clay’s Colored Idea. Snuck in under the wire by an astute promoter, the Harlem-style revue broke from the usual blackface minstrel fare, delivering sophisticated, liberating rhythms. The story of their Australian tour is a tale of conspiracy — a secret plan to kick out and keep out ‘undesirable’ expressions of modernism, music and race. In this talk, Deirdre will bring into focus a vibrant cast of characters from Australia’s Jazz Age.

Book your spot here.