JAZZWA MOURNS THE PASSING OF A JAZZ MENTOR, MUSICIAN AND TEACHER
Members of the WA jazz community and hundreds of other friends and colleagues attended the funeral of late, Dave Way last week bidding him a fond farewell in true jazz tradition. Leading the hearse were his students, former students, and fellow musicians as they played ‘When the Saints Go Marching in.’
To a packed audience, eulogies were spoken with great love and humour about Dave’s commitment and dedication to young people and who was inspirational to burgeoning Jazz musicians – particularly those around the Kalamunda area, where he established the Kalalmunda Youth Swing Band (s) that is now regarded an integral part of Western Australian Jazz history.
We send our condolences and love to his wife, Helena, children, Bronwynn and Phil and other members of his family.
He will be terribly missed but his memory will live on.
– Chair and committee of JAZZWA
Kalamunda Youth Swing Band’s Farewell to Dave Way
By Helen Matthews
For almost 20 years, Dave Way was musical director, teacher, arranger, motivator and occasional bus driver of the Kalamunda Youth Swing Band. When he retired, his devotion to his youngsters was equally shown to him by his students, past and present with their spontaneous speeches and emotional performance – not to mention the hundreds of parents, friends and colleagues that packed the Kalamunda Performing Arts Theatre on the 2nd July 2008.
I have had the privilege of knowing Dave for over 40 years. I met him for the first time when, as a young singer, I would go the Pagoda Ballroom after working at the Seacrest Restaurant in Cottesloe to pick up my husband – an off duty cop who worked there as security. The pianist and leader of the resident band, John Thornton would usually invite me to sit in with the band named after him, JT and the Jazzmen. John left the band soon after to establish the Band Booking Centre and has for many years been the Trustee Manager of the Regal Theatre in Subiaco.
I got to know the JT band members: Don Bancroft, trumpet, Dave Way, trombone, 2nd trumpet, Ross Nicholson, clarinet, saxes, Jim Best, electric bass, Monty Lister, drums and Denis Follington, who later replaced John, on piano and a few months later was asked to join the band.
It was the mid-60s, so it was pretty wild, but never dangerous, unless you count the riot at the Swanbourne Hotel one Saturday afternoon. But that’s another story. Dave was a Salvo boy and soon became the natural leader of the group. JT became incredibly popular and was the first WA group to presents it own national television series. I left JT and the Jazzmen in 1972 with the band continuing for many years, maintaining its crossover traditional jazz and contemporary repertoire.
Over the years Dave and I crossed paths many times and I have watched him literally taking his students by the hand and leading them into the wonderful world of music. From the Mazenod College Big Band at Lesmurdie in 1989 to the formation of the Kalamunda Youth Swing Band in 1990. By 2000 there were four functioning bands with No.3 being the training band and No. 4 being a band for beginners.
Dave’s energy, determination and genuine love, whilst teaching the importance of discipline and teamwork were a joy to behold. His students became highly proficient sight readers very quickly and many went on to enter the tertiary education sector as both teachers and jazz artists, including Glyn McDonald, Matthew Lees, Mark Sprogowski, Damien Maughan, Des White, Matthew Eves, Jon Fernandes, Mark Rodrigues, Robbie Bresland and Melanie Price. There were many others, including his talented daughter, Bronwynn Way (or Mrs Sprogowski) who, I am delighted to say, is my God-Daughter.
Dave’s decision to retire was mainly due to ill health. However, that will not stop him from continuing with his band for underprivileged children that is sponsored by Rotary in South Perth.
People like Dave don’t come along very often and we should honour him and be forever grateful that he decided to focus his career as a teacher of music to Western Australian children. ‘The hills are alive with his sound of music’
In closing, I consider it appropriate to end on the words written by the children of the Kalamunda Youth Swing Bands who rewrote the lyrics to Danny Boy and sang them to him at his Farewell Concert.
Oh David Way, won’t be the same without you
Giv’n all the love, the love that you can give
We’ll miss you now, but in your absence know this
Thanks to your work this swing band now does live
And we’ll live on
Through memories that we share with you
And do you proud
For we, one and all, know
That without you, we wouldn’t be where we are now
So when you go, know that we really love you so
My congratulations and best wishes to the newly appointed Musical Director for the Kalamunda Youth Swing Band, Mr. Jon Fernandes.
