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Title: From Berlin to Sydney

From Berlin to Sydney

The Weintraubs Syncopators’ Jazz Legacy (1924–1940)

by Albrecht Dümling (Author)
©2026 Monographs XXII, 340 Pages
History & Political Science
Series: Exile Studies, Volume 25

Summary

“Albrecht Dümling’s rich documentation of this groundbreaking Berlin jazz band with its sensational show power is both a moving testament to the impudent creativity of youth and a warning against timeless strains of bigotry and terror.” — Alan Lareau, Professor Emeritus of German, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, USA
Founded in Berlin in 1924 by the pianist and drummer Stefan Weintraub, the Weintraubs Syncopators were Germany’s most popular jazz band until 1933. They enjoyed success on concert and variety stages, in theatre and film, and in recordings, and were painted by Max Oppenheimer. Forced into exile by the Nazis’ seizure of power, the group, consisting mainly of Jewish musicians, was initially able to continue to perform under difficult conditions in Europe, the Soviet Union and Japan, before temporarily finding a new home in Australia in 1937. The Second World War and internment ended their career. This comprehensive book on the subject, published for the first time in English, traces the fascinating artistic development and moving lives of the Weintraubs Syncopators. The accompanying website brings the versatile art of this jazz band to life in annotated audio and video files.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Half Title
  • Exile Studies
  • Title
  • Contents
  • Figures
  • Acknowledgements
  • Introduction
  • Writer’s Approach to the Topic – The Present Book
  • Part I (Until 1933)
  • Chapter 1 From Hobby to Profession
  • Syncopation Invades
  • The Launch of the Weintraubs Syncopators
  • Discovered by Friedrich Hollaender
  • Around the Memorial Church
  • Abroad for the First Time
  • With Josephine Baker
  • Chapter 2 Records, the Latest Hit
  • Friedrich Hollaender with his Weintraubs Syncopators
  • From Odeon to Electrola
  • With Vocals
  • Chapter 3 The Step onto Big Stages
  • Theatre Metropolis Berlin
  • Manager Heinz Barger
  • Publicity for a Unique Collective
  • One Month in the Berlin Wintergarten
  • Chapter 4 Action on the Screen
  • Beginnings of the Sound Film
  • ‘And Nelson Plays …’
  • ‘The Blue Angel’ (1929/1930)
  • From First Draft to Evergreen
  • Mockery of the Philistine
  • Other Films (1930–1931)
  • Chapter 5 Guest Performances and Tours
  • ‘The Weintraubs – Prototype of the New Musician’
  • Girl Hype in Vienna
  • From Magdeburg to New York
  • Chapter 6 Rich Repertoire in the Media
  • Recordings in the Beethoven Hall (1930)
  • Radio Programmes (1930–1932)
  • Chapter 7 Finale in Berlin
  • Attacks From the Right
  • One Last Time in the Wintergarten
  • Last Media Productions 1933 in Germany
  • Escape Abroad
  • Self-disclosure in The Hague
  • Part II (1933–1937)
  • Chapter 8 Beginning of the Exile
  • Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland (1933–1934)
  • In Fascist Italy (1934–1935)
  • Austria and Czechoslovakia
  • Chapter 9 Invitation to the Soviet Union
  • From Prague to Moscow
  • Jazz under Stalin
  • Welcomed with Open Arms
  • Across a Giant Empire
  • A Side Trip
  • Unexpected Problems
  • Chapter 10 In the Japanese Empire
  • Heinz Barger Negotiates
  • Successful Also in Japan
  • Departure of Two Musicians
  • Preparations for Down Under
  • Part III (1937–1945)
  • Chapter 11 Start in Australia
  • Landing on a Faraway Continent (1937)
  • Guest Performance or Immigration?
  • Triumph in New Zealand (1938)
  • Chapter 12 Admired and Feared as Competition
  • ‘My Melancholy Baby’: Prince’s Restaurant
  • Struggle for Publicity
  • Waiting for the Permanent Residence Permit
  • Chapter 13 The Hour of the Informers
  • Dangerous spies?
  • The Trade Union Secretary Continues to Fight
  • Chapter 14 Behind Barbed Wire
  • Support for the Allies
  • Arrested and Interned (1940–1941)
  • Special Case John Kurt Kaiser
  • In the Nazi Camp
  • Before the Alien Tribunal Court (1941)
  • Chapter 15 The Dissolution of the Band
  • End of the Professional Music Career
  • Military Service and Citizenship
  • A Late Victory Over the Musicians’ Union
  • Part IV (1945 Until Today)
  • Chapter 16 Destinies of the Musicians After 1945
  • Fragments of a Collective
  • Pressing On: Sydney John Kay
  • Music Only a Hobby
  • Chapter 17 Stages of Rediscovery
  • Stefan Weintraub Remembers
  • Discoveries and Encounters
  • Postscript
  • Discography
  • Bibliography
  • Appendix (including information about the website)
  • Index

Exile Studies

Vol. 25

Edited by ANDREA HAMMEL

A series founded by ALEXANDER STEPHAN

Contents

  1. List of Figures

  2. Acknowledgements

  3. Introduction

  4. Writer’s Approach to the Topic – The Present Book

  5. Part I (Until 1933)

    1. Chapter 1 From Hobby to Profession

      1. Syncopation Invades

      2. The Launch of the Weintraubs Syncopators

      3. Discovered by Friedrich Hollaender

      4. Around the Memorial Church

      5. Abroad for the First Time

      6. With Josephine Baker

    2. Chapter 2 Records, the Latest Hit

      1. Friedrich Hollaender with his Weintraubs Syncopators

      2. From Odeon to Electrola

      3. With Vocals

    3. Chapter 3 The Step onto Big Stages

      1. Theatre Metropolis Berlin

      2. Manager Heinz Barger

      3. Publicity for a Unique Collective

      4. One Month in the Berlin Wintergarten

    4. Chapter 4 Action on the Screen

      1. Beginnings of the Sound Film

      2. ‘And Nelson Plays …’

      3. ‘The Blue Angel’ (1929/1930)

      4. From First Draft to Evergreen

      5. Mockery of the Philistine

      6. Other Films (1930–1931)

    5. Chapter 5 Guest Performances and Tours

      1. ‘The Weintraubs – Prototype of the New Musician’

      2. Girl Hype in Vienna

      3. From Magdeburg to New York

    6. Chapter 6 Rich Repertoire in the Media

      1. Recordings in the Beethoven Hall (1930)

      2. Radio Programmes (1930–1932)

    7. Chapter 7 Finale in Berlin

      1. Attacks From the Right

      2. One Last Time in the Wintergarten

      3. Last Media Productions 1933 in Germany

      4. Escape Abroad

      5. Self-disclosure in The Hague

  6. Part II (1933–1937)

    1. Chapter 8 Beginning of the Exile

      1. Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland (1933–1934)

      2. In Fascist Italy (1934–1935)

      3. Austria and Czechoslovakia

    2. Chapter 9 Invitation to the Soviet Union

      1. From Prague to Moscow

      2. Jazz under Stalin

      3. Welcomed with Open Arms

      4. Across a Giant Empire

      5. A Side Trip

      6. Unexpected Problems

    3. Chapter 10 In the Japanese Empire

      1. Heinz Barger Negotiates

      2. Successful Also in Japan

      3. Departure of Two Musicians

      4. Preparations for Down Under

  7. Part III (1937–1945)

    1. Chapter 11 Start in Australia

      1. Landing on a Faraway Continent (1937)

      2. Guest Performance or Immigration?

      3. Triumph in New Zealand (1938)

    2. Chapter 12 Admired and Feared as Competition

      1. ‘My Melancholy Baby’: Prince’s Restaurant

      2. Struggle for Publicity

      3. Waiting for the Permanent Residence Permit

    3. Chapter 13 The Hour of the Informers

      1. Dangerous spies?

      2. The Trade Union Secretary Continues to Fight

      3. Chapter 14 Behind Barbed Wire

      4. Support for the Allies

      5. Arrested and Interned (1940–1941)

      6. Special Case John Kurt Kaiser

      7. In the Nazi Camp

      8. Before the Alien Tribunal Court (1941)

    4. Chapter 15 The Dissolution of the Band

      1. End of the Professional Music Career

      2. Military Service and Citizenship

      3. A Late Victory Over the Musicians’ Union

  8. Part IV (1945 Until Today)

    1. Chapter 16 Destinies of the Musicians After 1945

      1. Fragments of a Collective

      2. Pressing On: Sydney John Kay

      3. Music Only a Hobby

    2. Chapter 17 Stages of Rediscovery

      1. Stefan Weintraub Remembers

      2. Discoveries and Encounters

      3. Postscript

    3. Discography

    4. Bibliography

    5. Appendix (including information about the website)

    6. Index

Figures

Maps

  1. Map 1. Weintraubs’ Berlin. Map by Michael Bienert, Berlin, based on Baedeker Berlin 1925

  2. Map 2. The Weintraubs Syncopators and their worldwide appearances. Map by Stefanie Adler

  3. Map 3. Weintraubs’ Sydney. Map by Stefanie Adler and Michael Fisher

Images

  1. Fig. 1: Earliest picture of the Weintraubs Syncopators (1926) – from left: E. Salinger (d, as), S. Weintraub (p), H. Graff (as), Ernst Glaser (bj), A. Bruinier (tp)

  2. Fig. 2: Hollaender revue ‘Das bist Du’ at the Theater am Kurfürstendamm (1927) – from left Bruinier, Aronovici, Kaiser, Weintraub, Graff, at the piano F. Hollaender. Performers from left Lucie Mannheim, Curt Vespermann and Else Ehser

  3. Fig. 3: Advertisement in the Berliner Tageblatt, 8 July 1928

  4. Fig. 4: The Weintraubs Syncopators 1928 – from left to right: Friedrich Hollaender, Paul Aronovici, Kurt Kaiser, Horst Graff, Ansco Bruinier, Stefan Weintraub

  5. Fig. 5: In the Theater am Kurfürstendamm (1928) – from left: Weintraub, Wachsmann, Graff, Aronovici, Bruinier, Kaiser

  6. Fig. 6: Ca. 1930 – from left: Weintraub, Aronovici, Wachsmann, Olewski, Graff, Bruinier, Kaiser

  7. Fig. 7: Advertisement in the Berliner Tageblatt, 10 May 1925

  8. Fig. 8: From 12 April 1929: ‘Charley’s Aunt’ with Curt Bois at the Komödienhaus Berlin (Schiffbauerdamm 25)

  9. Fig. 9: Ranked by height from top to bottom: Kaiser, Bruinier, Graff, Olewski, Wachsmann, Aronovici, Weintraub

  10. Fig. 10: Performance at the Steinrück celebration (1929) – from left: Kaiser (as), Max Pallenberg (as), Wachsmann (p), Aronovici (bj), Olewski (tp), Weintraub (d) and Fritzi Massary

  11. Fig. 11: Record advertising postcard

  12. Fig. 12: The Weintraubs ca. 1928 (unknown artist) – from left: Bruinier, Kaiser, Aronovici, F. Hollaender, Graff. Weintraub on the drums at the back

  13. Fig. 13: Painting ‘Jazzband’ by Max Oppenheimer from the 1930 advertising brochure: in the centre Horst Graff on saxophone, on the right Ansco Bruinier (trumpet)

  14. Fig. 14: Wintergarten programme 1929

  15. Fig. 15: Participation as a quintet with dancers in the short film ‘Und Nelson spielt’ (1929)

  16. Fig. 16: ‘The Blue Angel’ (1929/1930): Marlene Dietrich plays Arno Olewski’s violin during a break in filming

  17. Fig. 17: ‘The Tender Kinsfolk’ (1930): The Weintraubs with Ralph Arthur Roberts and Harald Paulsen

  18. Fig. 18: Artist’s photo of the Weintraubs with dedication to Friedrich Klopfer and autographs by Stefan Weintraub, Horst Graff, Kurt Kaiser, Cyril Schulvater, Arno Olewski, Ansco Bruinier and Georg Haentzschel (1930)

Details

Pages
XXII, 340
Publication Year
2026
ISBN (PDF)
9781805840367
ISBN (ePUB)
9781805840374
ISBN (Softcover)
9781805840329
DOI
10.3726/b22938
Language
English
Publication date
2026 (April)
Keywords
jazz Berlin Weimar Republic cabaret theater film records Friedrich Hollaender Marlene Dietrich Franz Waxman Nazis antisemitism social history exile Soviet Union Japan Australia internment enemy alien musicians union
Published
Oxford, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, 2026. xxii, 340 pp., 56 fig. b/w, 2 tables.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Albrecht Dümling (Author)

Albrecht Dümling is a musicologist and music critic. His exhibition on Nazi music policies, Degenerate Music, travelled all over the world. He is the author of the first comprehensive book on Bertolt Brecht’s collaboration with composers and of Vanished Musicians: Jewish Refugees in Australia (Oxford: Peter Lang, 2016).

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Title: From Berlin to Sydney