SYDNEY JAZZ-ROCK GROUP.
Photo left to right: Naomi - vocals, Craig Collinge - drums, Cezary Skubiszewski - keyboards, Phil Parli - bass, Gerry Joe Weise - guitar.
Gerry Joe Weise and Corroboree.
Early in 1978 when Gerry Joe Weise was still 18, he left rock group The Class to join the progressive-rock (or what some people were starting to call it back then, jazz-rock) Sydney based band Corroboree (The Class and Corroboree both had the same manager, Redhead Management, so that was the connection between those two bands). Gerry Joe Weise replaced the original guitarist (one of Australia's best studio guitarists) who declined being a member after being angry when his Mesa Boogie amplifier fell out of the back of the drummer's Ford Escort station wagon. Gerry Joe Weise was only too happy to have a chance to cut-it with such dignitary musicians as Craig Collinge on drums (ex Manferd Mann) and Cezary Skubiszewski on keyborads (ex Alexis Korner).
Later on after Corroboree's first studio recordings, when Craig Collinge was in England in a recording studio, Billy Joel listened to the Corroboree tape, and commented that he liked very much the guitar-work of Gerry Joe Weise. Joel was not the only major artist to appreciate Gerry's guitar playing though. !...............
ARTICLE
"Five talented, creative, energetic and vibrant musicians project their whole personalities onto producing sounds both wondrous and brain straining in Corroboree. Imaginative, unique and free-ranging, their original music covers a broad spectrum with many influences ranging from 76 Trombones to New Wave. Their material shows a good contrast, from the flowing synthetic, through to hard driving powerhouse rock, onto soft sweet thoughtful ballads. These musicians and their music really shine, with their unlimited capacity for producing new alive mind blasting sounds !"
Annie Fleetfoot, Musician's Club Sydney concert, 1979.
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PROFILES
Cezary Skubiszewski: was born 1949 in Warsaw, Poland. A Polish Australian composer for film, television and orchestra. He studied the piano from the age of six and spent 10 years learning Classical music. Together with Alexander Bem he formed a band which in the late 1960s played the clubs under various names (e.g. ACB) in Warsaw. Cezary toured Europe with Alexis Korner in the early 1970s, after a year of living in Paris, he migrated to Australia in 1974. He formed Corroboree (1977 to 1980) based in Sydney, with Craig Collinge on drums, Gerry Joe Weise on guitar, Naomi on vocals, Mike Dickinson and Phil Parli were the bass players. In 1991, Cezary composed, performed and produced his album "SOUNDeSCAPE" for group and ensemble, commissioned by the Victorian Arts Centre. He then became a prominent Australian film soundtrack composer and arranger, notably for the 1999 film "Two Hands" starring Heath Ledger. He has received three AFI/AACTA Awards for Best Original Music Score. Multiple awards from Screen Music Awards and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers. As well as APRA Awards for Best Soundtrack Albums: (1998) The Sound of One Hand Clapping, (2003) After the Deluge, (2008) Night, (2009) Death Defying Acts (starring Catherine Zeta-Jones), and (2014) The Broken Shore.
Craig Collinge: Craig Collinge was born in Sydney. With the band Procession, they had the honours of being the first Australian band to release a stereo LP. In 1968 Craig left Australia with Procession to record in England. Craig later joined the famed Manfred Mann and Mike Hugg to form the Chapter Three Band, who recorded 3 albums and toured the United States. Since then, Craig has been the replacement drummer in the Shadows, he has toured with Jim McCartey of The Yardbirds and he has played with Paul McCartney. When Craig returned to Australia, he joined Marcia Hines and later Flinders (with original Corroboree bassist Mike Dickinson). Craig has participated in many Drum Clinics, and appeared at the Expo 77 (with fellow bassist Dickinson) at the Sydney Show Grounds for a jazz-rock Drums and Band Clinic, Gerry Joe Weise was in the audience and enjoyed their Billy Cobham tribute. The rhythm section at the Expo 77, later became the base for the future Corroboree. Craig Collinge's drum style at that time, could be best described as a mix between Billy Cobham, Jack De Johnette and Tony Williams Lifetime
Gerry Joe Weise's original Corroboree 1978 profile: Born in Sydney, Gerry is the youngest member (aged 18) of Corroboree. He has had a strong background of good Sydney rock bands, playing with Skid Row, Siren and The Class. Although standardising his natural abilities to an extent in the past groups, Gerry's ambitions have always been to discover great musicians, both interested and capable of producing the kind of free musical sophistication on which he based his ideals. This ambition has been realised with Corroboree. In which Gerry's unique talents on lead guitar have completed the five-part combination that allows Corroboree to perform with strength and confidence. Since the 1978 profile: Gerry Joe Weise has toured many different countries with his own blues-rock trio. He has released the albums 1994 "Live In Paris", 1996 "A Letter To Jimi", 1999 "Bushman Boogie Deluxe", 2005 "Sydney Paris Blues", 2009 "Blues Down Under", 2012 "Live and Proud". While performing at important concerts and festivals, he has played with B.B.King, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Noel Redding and Eric Clapton. He has also guest supported Ray Charles, John McLaughlin, The Yardbirds, Pat Metheny, The Scorpions, Buddy Guy, Iggy Pop, Jimmie Vaughan, Canned Heat, Joe Louis Walker, the Chicago Blues Festival Tour and the San Francisco Blues Festival Tour.
Naomi: Born in England, Naomi has had a varied musical existence, which included recording with avant-garde band Rainbow Generator, an Australian Theatre performance with songwriter Ralph Tirrell, and working solo with songwriter Ralph Sneider. Naomi as vocalist, had found in Corroboree an originality of music as stimulating as the material she loves to give her special interpretations, by projecting an intense, aggressive artistic power - which captured the very soul of Corroboree's style and fine instrumentation arrangement.
Phil Parli: Born in New Zealand, Phil Parli moved to Australia in 1967 where he took up playing bass guitar in 1970. He replaced the original bass player - Mike Dickinson: who played with Craig Collinge in Marcia Hines, Flinders and the Expo 77. After Corroboree's early studio recording sessions, Mike Dickinson left the band, due to his heavy scheduled work with computers. Phil Parli: Phil had played with The Vibrants in Melbourne. He formed a band with Rod Stone (formely with Craig Collinge in the 60's) and called it Corroboree ! He had a two year stint playing soft-jazz at the Melbourne West Point Casino, he then came to Sydney in 1977 to join the disco band Karma. He played in the legendary Johnny O'Keefe band, right up until Johnny O'Keefe passed away. Phil then replaced Mike Dickinson on bass in Corroboree, and was the bass player at Corroborre's second studio recording sessions.
Gerry Joe Weise and his all maple 1976 L6S. Corroboree's second studio recording sessions.
