16 November 1947 - 6 September 2018
When you consider Joe’s family origin, it is not surprising that Joe’s life revolved around music and brass music in particular. His Father, Herb Epps was a Euphonium soloist and played in the Salvation Army Band for 75 years while his Mother Delia Epps was a regular vocalist on radio before TV came to Australia. His brother Colin was a trombone soloist and his sister Joyce did a lot of church and concert singing. His Uncle Joe was also a gifted trombone player and singer and performed at many venues in Wollongong in the 1950’s. Music was very much a staple diet in the Epps’ household.
Joe attended Wollongong Primary School followed by
Wollongong High School. While at school
Joe played the last post on Anzac Day. Joe later stated that this ability was the only thing that saved him
from being expelled as he was the only person capable of performing this duty.
On completing his Leaving Certificate, Joe commenced the Mechanical Engineering Certificate at the Wollongong Steel Works which lasted 12 months before he moved on to various other employment, but his real passion lay in his music.
Joe worked for several years playing in bands in the Wollongong
area, The Brothers Two and Fuzzy Duck to name a couple. In the early 1970’s Joe married his first
wife Jennie and bought a house in Wollongong where his son, Brendan was born. They later moved to Sydney for Joe to further
his musical career. He played Dixieland Jazz
at the Texas Tavern in King’s Cross during the Vietnam era before his
considerable talent as a trombone player was eventually recognized. Joe was asked to join The Daly Wilson Big
Band; this was undoubtedly the most prestigious band in the country for many
years. During his years in Sydney he
accompanied many of international artists on their Australian tours, such as
Sammy Davis Jnr. as his lead trombonist and Musical Director for Shirley
Bassey.
Joe married his second wife Helen in 1984 and moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland where Joe had a permanent gig playing in the big band at Jupiters Casino for quite a number of years. He also did numerous gigs on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. After several years on the Gold Coast, Joe and Helen divorced and Joe settled into single life. Joe had a love of boats and boating and for a period lived on a houseboat on the Gold Coast where he continued playing in various bands and also worked teaching Brass at a Gold Coast High School.
Joe moved to Brisbane in the mid nineties and continued
doing gigs at many venues around the city along with many trips away backing
some of Australia’s top entertainers. In
2000 Joe commenced working at the Brass Music Specialists with his musician
friend Greg Aitken as a brass instrument repairer. This was a new step in Joe’s life and Greg
gave him the opportunity to embrace a talent, that not only did he excel in but
was something that he continued with for the rest of his life. In 2004 Greg and Joe eventually travelled to
England where they visited the Rath Trombone factory, a world class
manufacturer and where Joe got to see the trombones being made. He was so impressed with the Rath product
that he couldn’t help himself and ordered one before he left England. This trip had been a wonderful insight for
Joe as to the work involved in the manufacture of brass instruments and
knowledge he obtained benefited him greatly with his repair procedures.
Joe and I met around 2004 and were married at the Brisbane Jazz Club on 4th March 2006 and a year later we moved to Wollongong.
Things seemed to fall into place for Joe with the move back to his hometown. He now was able to enjoy direct contact with his Mum and Dad and the rest of his family, something that previously he only did at Christmas. Old friendships were once again ignited and he had the joy of playing with a lot of musicians that he had played with in his younger years.
Joe continued playing gigs in Sydney and the Illawarra area, often with the Wollongong Jazz Club. We travelled to most of the Jazz Festivals and Conventions where he had such fun playing and catching up with his musician friends. Joe also set up “Joe Epps Brass Instrument Repairs” and built up business repairing brass instruments and was very highly regarded in this area. In 2010 he commenced teaching brass at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music and with his infectious, positive personality and skill as a musician he received accolades from both students and parents.
One of his greatest achievements with his students was to have a brass section included in the Blue Scope Orchestra. Evidence of their success is included in video in this profile on Joe.
All his life, Joe had a passion for old cars and in 2016 he bought a 1959 Morris Minor car in serious need of restoration. There was a degree of nostalgia in this purchase as it was the same model and colour as his very first car. Joe worked on this car right up to his death and had the bulk of the mechanical work finished which enable him to drive to the bottom of our street and back up to home.
In December 2016 we attended the Jazz Convention at Ballarat
and had a wonderful time. After the
Convention we continued on to travel the Great Ocean Road and then on to
Geelong and Melbourne before returning home to Wollongong. Joe was not feeling 100% on our return, just
slightly off colour, so he took himself off to the Doctor. That was the day our life changed
forever. Joe was diagnosed with Cancer. It was so unbelievable, as prior to feeling a
little off colour in the week leading up to his Doctor’s visit, Joe had no
previous indication that he had a problem. We both knew he had a battle on his hands but we got on with life, we
wined and dined, went out with friends, went to listen to jazz, Joe played in many
gigs and his happy, positive attitude
made him a joy to be around.
There are many friends that were there for us as we travelled down Joe’s last journey in life and you know who you are. I don’t normally single out one person but on this occasion I feel that I need to. Peter Freeman bought Joe up to Brisbane in August 2017 to play one particular piece in the Tropical Dance Orchestra gig at the Brisbane Jazz Club, namely, "Olha pro ceu (Look to the Sky)". Peter organized to have the gig video recorded. Watch Joe's performance of "Look to the sky" with the Tropical Dance Orchestra at the Brisbane Jazz Club, 25 August 2017.
Joe’s performance that night was just perfect
and was the last of its calibre that he performed. Peter gave us a copy of Joe playing "Olha pro
ceu (Look to the Sky) which is now one of my most valued and treasured items. I
can relive that wonderful night anytime I feel the need.
Listening to it has bought me much happiness and love and
also some sadness. Mr. Epps you were the
best and forever you and your love will remain in my heart. It was a joy to
look after you and be by your side during your final journey. Joe passed away peacefully at home in my arms
on 6th September, 1918.
Lyn Epps
October 2020
His many names, his titles, would suggest
that he was diverse person who engaged and embraced so many aspects of life and
so many people. Whether it was tinkering, trombone-ing, bass-ing, repairing,
scrabbling, crosswording, backgammoning, drinking, partying, dorking (one of
his favourites) he was always doing it to the fullest and to the greatest of
his ability.
He was quite a competitive guy at times.
I first met Joe in 1997, some twelve/thirteen years after he moved to Queensland to work at Jupiter's Casino as part of the show band. I believe he worked in the Casino up to about '92. During this period Joe formed some strong bonds with a lot of the south Gold Coast music illuminati. Some were old friends who had also followed work to the Gold Coast, and others were new. I was a teenager during those years and, as a keen surfer, spent a lot of time on the coast. The Gold Coast was a pretty raw place, at the end of the Bjelke-Peterson and Russ Hinze era.
I know that Joe embraced the lifestyle to the fullest. He was living large. He had a house at Palm Beach for a while. He had a Jag I think, and I recall a mention of an MGB.
Joe's fashion faux pas have kept me amused for a lot of years. One of the things I love was how he was always so willing to laugh and share them with you. He was the first to point out his class. His second house was at Mudgeeraba. After he gave that house away he embraced the bachelor lifestyle fully. I believe he started managing flats at Labrador, living with quite a personality called Greg Cargher.
There were all manners of mischief and
scamming going on. I was told that during one encounter with the boys in
blue... the officer said they don't normally have to deal with people as old as
him engaging in that sort of behaviour. I think that was round about the same
time as he was asked to give his eye colour and he responded with
"red".
It was soon after this time that I first
met Joe. It was '97, and I was playing in a band with Joe's good friend Wayne
Newey. It was called No Sweat. We had
two sets - one set of music of Blood
Sweat and Tears, and the other was playing Chicago. The band was formed to play the midnight until 2am show at
Bob Watson and Tom Hare's Bassnote, the recently opened jazz venue in Brisbane.
We were short of a trombone player and Wayne brought Joe along. He was still on
the Gold Coast then. He blustered in full of noise and frivolity, giving
everyone who looked like they deserved a piece of his relentless wit. I
remember thinking ... who IS this guy? I
chirped up quite proud and said "I'm going to get married soon", and
Joe chirped in and said "Don't worry son, you can't be happy
forever".
He met my father for the first time at my
buck's party. He said to him "I don't know what all the fuss is about.
It's only going to be for a few years."
Lasting impression.
Then the rehearsal came and we played and I
remember thinking "Who is this guy, man?" His playing was amazing. It
was a real wake-up call to all of these young guys. I think he mentioned that
just because we all had long hair didn't mean we had to play like girls.
So for me personally meeting Joe at this
time was a very formative moment musically. He took me under his wing in the
years to follow and included me, and encouraged me to progress and step out of
my comfort zone. I'm an optometrist by profession. I have no formal music
training, and now I find myself as one of the first called up for doubling in
theatre shows. He has done a lot for me and a lot of other people as well. He
got me my first gig with Charlie Hull on Shout, and got me doing shows with him, and I ended up on the road with Gene Pitney, with Joe. From there my musical
life snowballed.
Joe was a world of contagious hilarity and
antics that everyone wanted to be part of. There was always room for as many
who wanted to join in.
Talking to his Gold Coast colleagues and
his collaborators, it was a common story. Joe's effortless, inclusive nature was to bring along all and sundry who had
the stamina to keep up. And if you didn't keep up, well ... don't worry son,
we'll pick you up next time around.
As I write this I'm listening to a recording
done in '97/'98 of the No Sweat band
and a few friends called the New Boys.
Every chorus that Joe played blew each and every one of us out of the water.
I'm sure he knew it, but at no time did Joe make you feel self-conscious or
lacking. It was all about this thing: the energy and the moment.
He moved to Brisbane, I think about 1998, to
take over the upstairs of a mutual friend of ours, Rod Shepherd's house, where
he spent the next five years. It was during this time that I go to appreciate
Joe's love for orphans ... and his endless need to tinker. For those of you who
don't know, an orphan to Joe was a car to get no love.
You can tell about the man from his hobbies, ... and
he couldn't resist a bargain. Like his musical colleagues, he could always see
the potential in rough diamonds, a vision which seemed often clouded by, as
Barrie said, (maybe fogged more than anything) by more than a little bit of nostalgia.
He had an Alfa GTV, and then another, so he could hybridise the first one for
the good bits that went into the other. He had a Ford Fairlane that when he
bought it would only go backwards. He had a Morris 1100 which he though would
be a good idea to put in a sun roof. He picked the sunroof up for nicks in the
paper. We all questioned when he pulled out the jigsaw to cut a hole in the
roof, but true to his form, his confidence was contagious. Some how he managed
to turn his Morris into a slick sports car.
There was another time when ... we used to have a house at the Gold Coast and Joe would often stay with us. It had a leaking toilet. He decided that as a form of goodness he would fix the toilet for us. So as he's pulling the part out he dropped an important nut down the loo, and it was gone. So he scratched his head and off he went to the local hardware store and picked up a universal part to fit this toilet. As we were putting it into the cistern, we realised that that universal part didn't fit the existing part. So we needed to get another universal part. So off we go to the hardware again, and the hardware was shut. So then we go to the next hardware a few K's up the road and get the universal part. And then off we go and we finally get it fixed, and we stand back and look at it, and cracked a celebratory beer, and flushed the toilet to make sure it worked. Next thing the nut that we lost in the first place ended up in the bottom of the toilet bowl.
Joe's inclusive nature and easy manner made
him an amazing network of friends with people from all walks of life. If you
needed someone, he could always find a man for the job. You could guarantee
they would have an interesting quirk that would invariably make the job a more
memorable journey. It was this network, and Joe's love for tinkering, that
would would lead him to talk to Greg Aitken from Brisbane Brass Repairs while they were both playing a season of Crazy Few at the QPAC Lyric Theatre. It
turned out that Greg was looking for an extra hand on deck to do some repairs
at his shop. Joe jumped at the job ... almost. I remember some trepidation
about getting up before 10 in the morning, having to be polite to people before
the sun went down, and possibly having to talk with children and their parents.
He felt it was possibly a little odd starting a new career when all his Wollongong
contemporaries were pulling up stumps. Anyhow, off he went and he never looked
back. Again the same theme of exceptional workmanship, and at times a little
too much honesty, and an honourable work ethic got him through.
Greg and Joe went off to UK. At the RAF
factory Joe presented the owner with his Bach
trombone - his sound, his horn for 30 or 40 years, and said we'll use this as
how to overhaul a trombone. So Greg reckoned the airfare may have been about
$2000, but the look on Joe's face when the owner had the blowtorch and the love
of his life totally dismantled into tiny pieces within minutes, was absolutely
priceless. Reportedly Joe's ability and charm was soon embraced by all and he
was taken under the owner's wing. By the end of the week he had a fully
reconditioned bone, evidently in better working condition than when he had
bought it.
We're moving into the noughties now, and Joe moved out of his upstairs digs with Rod and Kim, and moved in with BJ at Mount Ommany. There were many orphans in the front yard including a boat that never got its feet wet. Joe was head-hunted by Australian Academy of Music and set up a repair division. It was soon after that he met Lyn.
Joe
would often tell us if he was wooing a new lady by saying "I found myself
another Auntie's baby." He called me "Saggy" for whatever reason. He
would normally rate them as to whether they were worth half a house or not. When
Lyn came along he said to me "You won't believe it. This one comes with
her own house." He said to me "She could be my superannuation." But when we finally did meet Lyn, Joe took me to one side and he said
"Now, Saggy, I know I've said some dumb shit, but don't let on mate. Don't
blow it for me. Keep it under your hat, alright. This one's different." I
don't think I've seen Joe squirm quite like that before.
This reminds us that, despite all the fun
and hedonism, that Joe had a very defined and solid set of principles to which
he was always true. He would always show
respect for hard work and there was no BS. The thing I loved about Joe was that
he would be the first to admit if he didn't meet the standard. Although he
didn't set out to, this made him become quite a role model to a lot of people.
A young sax player, Andrew Ball, an amazing musician, wrote to me and said
"A simple five-minute conversation with Joe gave him the same volume of
learning as a week of master classes."
Joe
would never compromise just to fit in. But at the same time he was not
incapable of changing and growing, unlike so many other head-strong
people. After I don't know how many
years of telling people Joe didn't eat cheese ... "Yes we do want a pizza, and yes,
we don't want a pizza with cheese." ... finally in his seventh decade of life he
decides he likes the stuff. I think his capacity for change was where his love
for Lyn originated. Lyn has told me more than once, he was a tough nut to train
in the early days, but I think in her he saw the opportunity to allow the
softly caring aspect of his personality to break through. It's been an absolute
pleasure watching the thin layer of the 70's male dissolve as Joe embraced new
life.
I've rambled enough. There are so many
stories and antics I could go on for hours. When I
called out the thoughts to help me write this, I was inundated with the words:
honour, brilliance, talent, laughter, integrity, inclusive, supportive, ...
although my favourite (and it didn't come up much) was mischievous. We all
loved Joe. Hopefully he won't be missed, because every day when we look at our
reflections, we should each and every one of us see a lot of part of Joe
smiling back.
Transcribed from Darren McPherson's tribute to Joe Epps.
Unanderra, New South Wales, September 2018.
Click here to watch Joe Epps with the Caxton St. Jazz Band, Brisbane Jazz Club, August 2017.
Watch the Tribute to Joe Epps by the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Brass Ensemble performing at the Regent Theatre in Wollongong, 7th December 2013. CLICK HERE
Some pictures of Joe and friends:
with the Tropical Dance Orchestra prior to a concert at Brisbane's Customs House, 26 November 2006.
