Forgotten band came to Liverpool and there's been 'nothing like it since'

No known recordings exist of the unique groupJoseph Munroe-Robinson on stage in Syncopated, co-produced by Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company(Image: DIDEYESHUTTER)

It’s now been more than a century since a talented musical band first came to Liverpool – and while their story has been largely forgotten, there’s been “nothing like them since.” Through the generations, our city has birthed some of the world’s most famous artists and musicians – but we’ve also welcomed acts from across the globe who have made their names on our many stages.

The “original jazz pioneers,” the Southern Syncopated Orchestra arrived in Liverpool in 1919 with a distinct sound they first established in the US. Touring the UK and Ireland at the time, a number of the musicians spent a long time in performing in our city – but through time, no recordings of their music has meant their story has been largely untold.

Now, a new play, set to music by Varaidzo and directed by Tian Glasgow, follows the story of a music student from London and a young Liverpudlian who unearth the hidden history of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra. Co-produced by Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company, the lead roles are led on a journey by two figures from the past and take a a trip into the revolutionary Black sound that took the world and their own lives by storm.

Professor Catherine Tackley from the University of Liverpool has researched the group for over two decades, highlighting the importance of the orchestra in bringing jazz to this country. From old newspaper headlines and advertisements, we can also see much of their story took place in Liverpool.

Professor Tackley, 49, told the Liverpool ECHO: “I’ve been researching the Southern Syncopated Orchestra for 25 years now. They actually they arrived here from America in 1919 and they came in three kind of parties on different ships.

Joseph Munroe-Robinson and Teddy Oyediran on stage in Syncopated(Image: DIDEYESHUTTER)

“I don’t quite know what they did in Liverpool at that point – I suspect, as a lot of people did, they went straight down to London because that was kind of an entertainment centre. But they did end up back in Liverpool to play in 1920.

“What’s quite interesting about that moment is that was actually the moment that the band broke up unfortunately. There were a lot of disagreements going on about ownership and about finances and and I’ve read all the details of the court case.

“Half the band went back to London, the other half stayed in Liverpool and were kind of like what do we do now? It was a bit of a fractured moment when they arrived back in Liverpool because by that point, they’d been in the country for quite some time.

“It was quite a big group and they looked like an orchestra – it was that kind of scale. They had a lot of plucked string instruments, like banjos and mandolins and a saxophone section and a drum kit and some brass – so it was quite unique.”

Southern Syncopated Orchestra were well known in the city for some time and were mentioned a number of times in the local press. In 1920, advertisements of their performances featured in Liverpool Daily Post & Mercury, as well as articles in the Liverpool ECHO. But despite this, there are no known recordings of the group. Professor Tackley said: “Their sounds must have been incredible.

Joseph Munroe-Robinson and Teddy Oyediran on stage in Syncopated, co-produced by Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse and Talawa Theatre Company. Part of the story is based on the history of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra the original jazz pioneers Part of the story is based on the history of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra the original jazz pioneers(Image: DIDEYESHUTTER)

“I think what they were trying to do was put a more positive spin on putting blackness on stage. It wasn’t all to do with stereotype – they said look, there’s a demonstrable musical heritage that’s about spirituals, it’s about the blues, but also, let’s do some classical music.

“They played Vivaldi and Brahms – so it must have been amazing. There’s been nothing like it since, really.

“When we tell stories about popular music history, we’re very dependent on recordings. So for people that haven’t got recordings, they kind of get missed out a little bit.

“This group, because they didn’t really fit into one thing, I think their story needs animating. It needs playwrights and directors and musicians to revisit that story and to use their imaginations.

“I think that’s why this is so important – it’s about telling stories in all different sorts of media. For me it was just so exciting to find out that there was going to be a play that was based on them.”

Director Tian Glasgow, 42, told the ECHO that not only did the team research the history of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra, but also but the change in our city’s culture, fashion and accent to transport the audience back to 1920s Liverpool. The show stars Joseph Munroe-Robinson and Teddy Oyediran. He said: “Syncopated was written by a writer called Varaidzo who as a black woman is really interested in telling black stories and was commissioned by Talawa and the Everyman to write for their Black Joy season.

“They wrote this story of a kind of meet cute of two characters, who start telling parts of the real history of the Southern Syncopated Orchestra. It is really interesting when you do find articles or anything written about the group, how well they were spoken about.

“It was like this magical, new sound – but also from what I know about American history, jazz was also seen as like a dangerous sound – it will lead you astray. It was that combination of transporting people back to that style of music, but we couldn’t find the actual sound of it.

“The two main characters are improving what happened in the past. You get this really fun element where they’re trying to tell the story, but they’re not telling it how they both want to.

“He’s firmly holding on to the actual history and she’s wanting a romance of the ages. She is a fictional character and Frank is a real person.”

Tian said not only is he proud to share this relatively unknown history, but to share a story that can still inspire over a century on. He said: “Through the characters, it’s a one-to-one relationship.

“But then also there’s this grander scale of what music means to them. For me, it seems to be always in conversation with a lot of artists – when there’s a film called Sinners which basically is just the inspirational for so many different people that I know.

“It is this thing where like music can connect you with the history, connect you with ancestors and the sort of magical power music can have.” Syncopated runs until Saturday, October 4 and you can find our more here.

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Forgotten band came to Liverpool and there’s been ‘nothing like it since’

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