The German Jazz band that got stuck in wartime Australia

Late Night Live - Separate stories podcast · Apr 22, 2026 · 29m

The Weintraubs Syncopators were Germany's most popular jazz band until 1933, recording much of the music for Marlene Dietrich’s films. As Jewish musicians, they were forced into exile by the Nazis, and fled to the Soviet Union and Japan, before finding a new home in Australia in 1937. They were hugely popular here, until the Australian Musician’s Union put an end to their career.

Guest: Albrecht Duemling, historian and author of From Berlin to Sydney: The Weintraubs Syncopators’ Jazz Legacy (1924–1940)

Producers: David Marr, Jack Schmidt and Catherine Zengerer