Meet Melbourne's King of Jazz and leader of the Jazz Preachers, Frank Traynor. Frank is featured on the Extraordinary Lives part 2 tour, where you can also learn about other stories from Fawkner Memorial Park.
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Very special thanks to Mary Traynor for helping us to share Frank’s story.
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Early years
Frank Traynor was born in the suburbs of Melbourne on 8 August 1927. He became interested in jazz in his early teens and taught himself to play. His passion was for the classic African American, New Orleans style. His favorite instrument was the trombone although he could play most wind instruments.
Career
When he left university, Frank worked in administration, but played jazz as many nights as he could. He played in his own band, the ’Black Bottom Stompers’ and later in Les Barnard’s jazz band. He also started recording with this group.
Frank established the Melbourne Jazz Club in 1958 and founded Frank Traynor’s Folk and Jazz Club. The club, on Exhibition Street in Melbourne, was instrumental in the Australian folk music revival. It featured performers such as Danny Spooner, Judith Durham and Margaret Roadknight as well as many others.
Frank taught several instruments and made some top rating record albums. The most notable being ‘Sweet Patootie’ with the Jazz Preachers in 1963. This song, and a couple of others even made it into the top 40 charts.
Frank was an innovator and an influencer. He didn't limit himself to jazz but took on as many musical commissions as he could. Over his career, he made promotional appearances and recorded Football League Club songs. He also played one-nighters at dances and balls and instigated the ‘Jazz in Schools’ program.
In 1975, the Melbourne Jazz festival named Frank the Australian King of Jazz.
Personal life
Frank married Patricia Jewel (nee Burgess) in 1954 and they had three children. After their divorce in 1968, he married Mary Maiuto in 1969. People would say their Christmas parties were legendary.
Death
Frank Traynor died in 1985 from leukemia. He led Australia’s longest running jazz band, the Jazz Preachers, for nearly 30 years from 1956 until his death. Adapted from material supplied by historian Dr Jan Penney, GMCT Trust member 2010-2020.
Bibliography
Breen, M. (ed.) 1987, Missing in action: Australian popular music in perspective, Cambridge University Press, Port Melbourne.
Hounslow, K. 1999, 50 years of playing jazz in Australia: my jazz life: an autobiography, audio book and recordings, self-published, Kiama.
Watson, A. 2012. 'Traynor, Thomas Francis (Frank) (1927-1985)', Australian Dictionary of Biography
Williams, D. n.d., Traynor’s Folk and Jazz Club
Image source
Image from Frank Traynor's Folk and Jazz Club history project.
