“STRANDED!”

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 18, 12 April 1927, Page 5

“STRANDED!”

SYNCOPATER ON THE ROCKS JAZZ MUSICIAN IN COURT When Clifford Duncan left his “ li’l old Kentucky,” tucked his banjo under his arm and embarked with the Ferris Jazz Band Revue Company for New Zealand, he little thought that on a not far distant night he would be sitting on a cold, unsympathetic door step in Grey Street, Auckland —homeless, friendless, penniless and hungry. It was thus that Constable Dunn found him at half-past four on Sunday morning. When the policeman’s tolch flashed on him the jazz bandsman was only too glad to stretch his cold, cramped limbs and accompany him to the police station. It was the old story. 111-luck had dogged the company, which had finally disbanded. In the Police Court yesterday Duncan, who is 22, the typical American syncopater one sees in the pictures, with colour complete—was charged with having insufficient lawful means of support. “ It is not a case where the man is a real vagrant,” Senior Sergeant Edwards said. “ He was camped out. and had nowhere to go. He spent the last of his funds on a cable to America asking for money.” The dark-skinned bandsman was remanded for a week in the care of th« Salvation Army.