Australian Biography: Don Burrows

2008, 26 Minutes

Born in 1928, jazz and swing musician Don Burrows is a household name in Australia.

A composer and arranger, he's one of the world's finest interpreters of the jazz tradition and highly respected internationally, where he has toured to great acclaim since 1960. Burrows was the first Australian musician to be invited to perform at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1972 and later the Newport Jazz Festival and New York's Carnegie Hall.

A multi-instrumentalist, Don has played the clarinet, saxophone and flute with world-renowned musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole and Oscar Peterson. The first Head of Jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium, he has travelled all over Australia, bringing his enthusiasm for music to students in the bush.

Don has received Honorary Doctorates for his services to both music and education. A lifelong fisherman, Don is also an accomplished photographer. Now in his 76th year, Don Burrows has not even begun to think about slowing down.

A Film Australia National Interest Program. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.

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