Twenty years of SCREAM Jazz Orchestra

Performing everything from swing era and jazz to more contemporary music, SCREAM Jazz Orchestra is a traditional 18-piece big band with a difference. 

Most of its members are current or ex-Defence (Army, Navy and Air Force, both regular and reserve), giving the band a military level of focus and skill.  

SCREAM (short for ‘Sunshine Coast Retired and Ex-Armed forces Musicians’) is the only civilian big band in Australia with this strong ex-Defence focus, according to band and Caloundra RSL Sub Branch member Kevin Brown. 

A civilian band with military prowess 

SCREAM was formed in 2004 by retired Warrant Officer Keith Walker, who realised that several ex-service personnel were playing in civilian bands on the Sunshine Coast. 

“It became apparent that the camaraderie and dedication that these highly trained ex-serving members were used to was lacking,” Kevin explains.  

“As a result, SCREAM was born, bringing with it a level of professionalism that’s unique to military bands the world over.” 

SCREAM’s ex-Defence members have served across Australia and/or supported operational deployments in places such as Vietnam, the Middle East, East Timor, Bougainville, and the Solomons, plus “friendly deployments” to military tattoos across the globe. 

“With the core of the band being retired or current professional musicians, the repertoire and standard of playing is quite high,” Kevin says. 

United by music and service   

Kevin was born into music, and it was music that drew him – and many of his fellow SCREAM members – to Defence.  

“I grew up in a brass playing family and learnt to play trombone in the Salvation Army church band,” he shares.  

Impressed by the sight and sound of a military band “dressed in pith helmets and plume, marching and playing exciting music”, he joined the Australian Army at 17. 

“Most ex-military members of SCREAM joined the ADF as young musicians looking for a full-time paid job in the music business. Serving the country while doing so is a massive bonus,” Kevin says.  

Kevin served with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) as a medic and bandsman in Vietnam before joining the Engineers Band in Sydney and 1st Military District Band in Brisbane.   

2nd Battalion Band in Vietnam, 1967-1968

“Military bands offer the chance to play a wide range of musical styles in many different ensembles, from concert band to marching band, big band, rock band, classically oriented small groups, and jazz ensembles,” he says. 

The Army also gave Kevin the opportunity to study at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, which led to a 30-year career with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. 

Good music and great company  

Now in its 20th year, SCREAM has a new leader in vocalist and trombonist Dean Doyle, who served with the Army (1987-1996) and Royal Australian Air Force (1996-2005) and has brought some different styles – adapted from current musical trends – to the band’s repertoire. 

SCREAM meets regularly to rehearse, and performs at public and private events across the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane. Performances with Jacki Cooper, John Morrison, Bobby Valentine and Grace Knight, and at the Noosa Jazz Festival, have been among the band’s biggest highlights – as have creativity and camaraderie.   

“[SCREAM] means getting together socially, playing a good standard of music for our own enjoyment, and spending time with former colleagues. The transition from military to ‘civvie street’ is made easier when members can get together and play with like-minded people who have a professional focus on music and performing,” Kevin says. 

“Not all SCREAM members are ex-military, and the combination of players from a civilian musical background and those from the ADF strengthen the lineup and provide a diverse range of experienced musos.  

“There are very few opportunities to play ‘big band swing era’ music in today’s general community. Playing it to a live audience with a great bunch of musos is the front line of musical performance. It’s the challenge of playing good, big band music well that we all enjoy.” 

Find out more 

For more information on SCREAM Jazz Orchestra visit their Facebook page, or to view videos of the band visit their YouTube channel.