An inscribed presentation mounted photographic portrait of A. Le Mesurier Australian champion bandsman and trombonist in 1915 to a young Ballarat boy, fourteen year old Michael Taffe who later became Australian champion junior cornet soloist.Script printed on front mounting board Richards & Co Ballarat. Inscribed on back of mounting board, "To my little "mascot" Michael Taffe, Wishing you and yours the "Compliments of the Season". from Yours Sincerely A. Le Mesurier. Xmas, 1915.le mesurier, taffe, ballarat trombone, south street competitions, australian band championships.

Ten Pretty Girls was composed by Jimmy Kennedy and Will Grosz wrote the lyrics. The song was written in the 1930's. Broadcasting from Sydney from 1936, Jim Davidson’s ABC Dance Band, with the trumpeter Jim Gussey, the vocalist Alice Smith and the trombonist and arranger George Trevare, became the most popular in the country. It presented dance programs on Friday and Saturday evenings and played for other ABC shows including `Out of the Bag’ and `A.B.C. Parade’. In 1937-39 the band made three interstate tours, with a variety of artists including Bob Dyer, Tex Morton and Gladys Moncrieff. Davidson was a strict but encouraging leader who inspired great loyalty in his players. (ref adb.anu.edu.au/biography)This is an example of the kind of music popular in the first half of the 20th century.Sheet music for "Ten Pretty Girls". The front cover is red and green and has a photograph of Jim Davidson from the A.B.C. National Dance Orchestra. There are details of the composer and lyricist and in the bottom right corner the price -2/-.sheet-music-ten-pretty-girls music

The brass cornet was owned by early Australian Jazz musician and multi-instrumentalist Benny Featherstone Benny Featherstone is considered "one of the most fascinating and gifted musicians in the history of Australian jazz" (Johnson, Oxford Companion to Australian Jazz, p 154). Once described as "Australia's Louis Armstrong"Buescher brass cornetTrue tone. Pat. Oct 89.07 287335 LP 262 The Buescher Elkhart Ind. U.S.A.benny featherstone, prince of good fellows, thirties, jazz musician, melbourne jazz musician, drummer, 1930 s, buescher cornet, trumpeter, trombonist, clarinetist, pianist, early australian jazz