By Luke Voogt
Peter Hooper’s 46-year romance with the jazz began with a banjo abandoned at a taxi rank.
“I basically learnt it because my father owned a banjo,” the Moolap musician told the Indy Monday.
Hooper’s dad – an Adelaide ship worker – snapped up the forgotten instrument from a taxi company sale.
He never learnt the instrument himself, instead passing it on to his 11-year-old son.
“He said ‘do you want to make use of this instrument we’ve got here?’” Hooper said.
The then-teenager took to the instrument with gusto.
“I find it a happy instrument,” he said.
“That’s in the right hands of course – I’ve heard it when it’s not.”
Hooper was playing professionally by age 15, and would go on to perform in international venues from Cairo to New Caledonia.
In 46 years, he has played in the Royal Australian Airforce Band, ABC Symphony Orchestra Adelaide and Adelaide Police Concert Band, among others.
Hooper has appeared on TV on Good Morning Australia with Bert Newton and on ABC jazz programs.
The 57-year-old also made the Hall of Fame in the Southern Jazz Club, Adelaide, in 2007 for his “exceptional service” to music in the state.
But the highlight of his career remains playing Andrew Firth, “one of the best clarinet players in the world“.
Next month Hooper will play several gigs in his home city with five-piece outfit Royal Morning, including an Easter show at Geelong RSL.
The band’s original trumpet player Derek Dalton will fly over for the gig.
“I’ll just have to work over my old memory to remember all the songs we used to do,” Hooper said.
The band has covered the hits of Kenny Ball and Dutch Swing College for 26 years.
Hooper will play at Pistol Pete’s on 6 April, Geelong RSL on 16 April and in Geelong CBD on 18 April.
