We follow up each episode of The Intersection with an interview with an expert on the topic. Our special guest for Episode 4 is historian and musicologist Kay Dreyfus. Her 2013 book,,’Silence and Secrets – the Weintraub Syncopators in Australia’, introduced many people to this extraordinary story.

The Weintraub Syncopators were the hottest jazz band in Weimar Germany. But after the Nazi party passed the first anti-Jewish laws, the Syncopators decided to embark on what was perhaps the longest world tour by any band in history. It ended in an internment camp in rural Australia. This episode traces an epic journey of music, intrigue, war, xenophobia and survival. Playlist Weintraub Syncopators – Heut spelt mein Sebastian Marlene Dietrich – Jonny Marlene Dietrich  - Ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin Marlene Dietrich  - Lili Marleen (German version) Marlene Dietrich  - Lili Marleen (English version) Marlene Dietrich – Falling In Love Again Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Chinatown My Chinatown Marlene Dietrich with Friedrich Hollaender & Weintraub Syncopators – Blonde Women Friedrich Hollaender & Weintraub Syncopators – Up and At ‘Em Die Weintraubs – Mein Schatz vom Tegernsee Weintraub Syncopators – Isle of Capri Weintraub Syncopators – Jo-Jo Friedrich Hollaender & Weintraub Syncopators – Jackass Blues Weintraub Syncopators – Nur in Sebastopol Weintraub Syncopators – Honolulu Baby Weintraub Syncopators with Rudolf Nelson – Wenn Du Meine Tante Siehst Franz Waxman - Dance and Angela (piano version) Friedrich Hollaender & Weintraub Syncopators – Marion Weintraub Syncopators – Auf Dein Wohl Brad Annis (Double Bass - Israel Philharmonic Orchestra) – Solo from Mahler Symphony No. 1 (Original recording) Weintraub Syncopators – Das Geheimnis des Dr Lari Fari

Our special guest is historian and activist Gary Foley. A Gumbayngirr man, Gary Foley has been at the forefront of Indigenous activism for over fifty years and was a key figure in the Bicentennial protests.

1988 in Australia. On the musical front, it was seriously divided between the mainstream music industry and the alternative/underground scene, yet both sides had their eyes on the international stage. But there was a bigger issue; 1988 marked the Bicentennial of the British invasion of Aboriginal lands. Indigenous activists were waiting to protest any celebrations. It was this that the international media focused on. Playlist Minced Meat: The World's Got Everything In It NO: 200 Years Kev Carmody: Black Deaths In Custody James Freud: One Fine Day Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: City Of Refuge The Triffids: Jerdacuttup Man King Snake Roost: Gutterbreath Distant Locusts: Father's Suit Matrimony: Whirlpool Head Box The Jesuit: Three Cheers For The Pancreas Slub: Rootman Beasts of Bourbon: Door To Your Soul Umkulu: Boomerang Gondwana: Swamp No Fixed Address: Pigs The Gravy: Spirit Of The Land SPK: Kambuja Kev Carmody: Thou Shalt Not Steal

Our special guest is journalist and broadcaster John Highfield. Best known for his 35 years on ABC Radio, it is not so well known that John was a teenage employee of the Lee Gordon organisation in the early 1960s. His recollections are fascinating. Playlist  Chubby Checker: The Fly

Australia may have "turned to America" during WWII, but culturally, it was still doggedly British. This changed in the 1950s. We look at one arbiter of the change -  Lee Gordon -  an American with a shady backstory who arrived in Sydney in 1953 and within a year had created the Australian concert circuit! And how! But it's a very strange story too, and poses a lot of questions....   Hear choice samples from some of the acts Gordon brought to Australia; Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, LaVern Baker and more. Playlist Lee Gordon: Get The Message Elmer Bernstein: The Street Eddie Cochran: Scratchin' Gene Vincent: Catman Frank Sinatra: I Got The World On A String Ella Fitzgerald: Ella Hums The Blues Johnnie Ray: Lotus Blossom LaVern Baker: Tiny Tim Elvis Presley: Reconsider Baby Alis Lesley: Handsome Man Johnny O'Keefe: Don't You Know Chuck Berry: Downbound Train Little Richard: Directly From My Heart The Leemen: Make Love To Me Lee Gordon: She's The Ginchiest

Our special guest to discuss the themes of the White Australia Blues episode is historian Deirdre O’Connell. She has written at length on the Sonny Clay tour and its background. Her extraordinary 2021 book, ‘Harlem Nights – the Secret History of Australia’s Jazz Age’ was hugely influential in the making of this episode. This interview explores elements of the story that we heard in Part 1. Playlist Mitchell's Jazz Kings: Montemarte Rag

The Immigration Restriction Act of 1901 heralded the White Australia Policy. This culture of whiteness would inevitably affect music in Australia. In this episode we look at the 1928 tour by Sonny Clay’s Colored Idea, the first African-American jazz band to tour Australia. We also look at ways the White Australia Policy continued to affect music even after the policy was dismantled. Playlist Louis Armstrong: Basin Street Blues Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra: Jambled Blues Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra: Plantation Blues Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra: Devil's Serenade Leon Rene's Orchestra: I'm An African Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra: Gang O'Blues The Caretaker: Weeping Ballroom Sonny Clay's Plantation Orchestra: Front Room Blues Louis Jordan: Caledonia Roy Brown: Good Rockin' Tonight Georgia Lee: Yarra River Blues Ella Fitzgerald: Come To My House Dizzy Gillespie: I Know That You Know Chuck Berry: Back In The USA Miles Davis: Right Off Last Poets: On The Subway Talking Heads: Listening Wind The Herd: 77%

A series focussing on the intersection between music and history, The Intersection traces the evolution of ideas, social norms and cultural forms in Australia – and the characters and events behind them. Sometimes shocking, with dramatic twists along the way, be prepared for an immersive journey into the surprising moments that shaped our lives and tastes today, and the role that music, musicians, promoters, the media and audiences played within it. An audio documentary, produced by Two Star Studios, sits at the heart of each weekly episode, followed by interviews with academics in the field. As you listen, you’ll be captivated by music from different eras and genres – from 100 years ago until today – and will hear it in ways you’ve never quite heard it before.