Wally Portingale Australian Band Leader – Phantom Dancer 6 May 2025

From the Bairnsdale Advertiser and East Gippsland Stock and Station Journal (Vic.) 13 Aug 1946…

STARS OF THE AIR. A.B.C. DANCE BAND ARRANGER
Back From Army Service

Wally Portingale arranges most of the featured numbers played by the A.B.C. Sydney Dance Band conducted by Jim Gussey.

Portingale was a pianist before he specialised in arranging.

WALLY PORTINGALE and Rupert Dumbrille, the music arrangers attached to the A.B.C.’s Sydney Dance Band, alternate in writing the special dance-band feature in “Press Gang” on Fridays, at 7.15 p.m., on National relay.

Portingale recently rejoined the band after service with entertainment units of the A.I.F. in the Middle East, and in New Guinea, where he made a successful debut as a conductor.

As an arranger, he specially enjoys making symphonic arrangements of Duke Ellington numbers. He has been an admirer of Ellington ever since he heard his earliest recordings many years ago.

“In composition I think Duke Ellington is on his own,” said Portingale. “He is a genius, and creates an atmosphere in his work different from that of any other modern composer. I like his melodies, too, and his unusual chord structure. Ellington has made over 1,100 recordings, and has performed with his band in New York’s greatest concert-hall — Carnegie Hall — scene of all the important symphony concerts and virtuoso recitals. Ellington says of himself: ‘I don’t write jazz, I write negro folk music.’ ”

PORTINGALE

Wally Portingale has been a professional arranger for ten years. (He wrote and conducted the theme for The Argonauts on ABC radio)

He is also a pianist and piano accordeonist, but prefers writing music to anything else. ‘‘I like to hear what I hear in my bead,” he says

From the age of ten he studied music for four years, and that is all the tuition be has bad. His first big chance to arrange came when he was in China, playing with Joe Aronson’s band.

New music was scarce, so to vary the old numbers new arrangements were sought.

Portingale was asked to make them.

When arranging, he first prepares in his mind a skeleton sketch of his interpretation of the number; then, knowing the strength and instrumentation of the band for which he is writing, he goes to his piano and continues to work from there. He finds he composes better late at night, and has placed a special damper on the keys of his piano so that he will not disturb neighbours.

It takes him about a day to arrange a number such as Duke Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady,” which is semi-symphonic; but an average dance number, like those featured in A.B.C.’s “Hit Parade” on Wednesday night, he would complete in four hours.

Wally Portingale attends all the rehearsals of his arrangements—listening first in the studio, and then in the control room. If he finds the colour of his music is not as he had anticipated, he changes the arrangement on the spot.

With an entertainment unit in New Guinea be made his debut as a conductor, and was a great success with the servicemen. He also toured the Middle East with the first entertainment unit under Jim Gerald’s command.