Jazz world mourns death of Allan Browne

The jazz drummer and composer passed away on Saturday, a month shy of his 71st birthday.

Allan Browne: photo via Melbourne International Jazz Festival

Allan Browne, a pivotal figure in Melbourne’s jazz scene, died on Saturday 13 June, less than a fortnight after launching his most recent album, Ithaca Bound, at Melbourne International Jazz Festival. He passed away after being admitted to hospital earlier in the week, following secondary complications from an infection.

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Richard Watts OAM is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, a Melbourne Fringe Festival Living Legend, and was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize in 2020. In 2021 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Green Room Awards Association. Most recently, Richard received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in June 2024. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts