Charles Robert Munro born 22 May 1917 was a jazz reedist, cellist and flautist that grew up in Christchurch New Zealand. Munro moved to Sydney when he was 21 and played in the bands of Myer Norman and Wally Parks in addition to work as a sideman on various nightclub, theater, and ship gigs. He served in the military during World War II, then worked with Wally Norman at the Roosevelt nightclub in Potts Point in Sydney which was the hottest spot in town. The who’s who drank at the Roosevelt, from police chiefs and politicians to businessmen.
He played with Bob Gibson and his band in 1950, then joined the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s (ABC) dance band in 1954, continuing to work with the group up until 1976 as a composer, performer, and arranger. In the 60s he worked extensively with Bryce Rohde participating in many of Rohde’s Australian jazz experiments. He led his own bands toward the end of his career, and also worked with Georgina de Leon.
Charlie Munro was probably the first Australian jazz musician to explore influences from other cultures. His first album ‘Eastern Horizons’ recorded in 1967, is considered to be a landmark of Australian jazz, which is basically a blend of jazz and quintessential American music played by non-Americans, and Eastern music played by Westerners. This was followed by Count Down (1969) on the Columbia label and Integrations (1986) on Larrikin. Charlie Munro died in 1985 of a cerebral hemorrhage, at the age of 68.
