The Big Fat Brarse (BFB), was originally known as Owen Yateman’s Big Fat Brarse and was formed in 1973.
Its roots however date back to 1954 when Owen Yateman, then a Torquay fisherman, formed his first band the Sand Dune Savages, a popular, regular working band playing traditional jazz. Several personnel and band name changes ended in 1963 with the formation Owen Yateman’s Jazz Men.
The final line up of this band started adding “non-jazz” tunes to their repertoire to remain relevant with the declining interest in jazz, before changing their name to Owen Yateman’s Big Fat Brarse. The band made the change from ‘trad jazz’ to the jazz/funk/pop/rock genres which allowed them to continue working in the ‘pub scene’ at a time.
Incorporating past and current hit songs meant their music was appreciated by a younger and hence, wider audience. They maintained their love of the genre they had always played, and continued to include several of the ‘traditional jazz tunes’ in their repertoire every night.
They enjoyed a long-term residency at the Waurn Ponds Hotel, initially starting with six nights per week which over time slowly reduced to Saturday night only. Whilst still at Waurn Ponds, on the seventh night, Monday, the band played at the Valley Inn Hotel, a residency they held for a total term of five years.
When Thursday nights became free, the band commenced regular nights at the Prospect Hill Hotel in Kew, Melbourne; a residency it held for nine years.
In 1988, the band changed their name to Owen Yateman’s Jazz Band again and reverted to playing traditional jazz which they continued to do until Owen’s death in 1998. The remaining band personnel at the time of Owen’s death continued to play under the name ‘Yatie’s Maties’ for a few more years.
Parts of this text and the photographs reproduced here are done so with the written permission from the author of “A Comprehensive Pictorial History of Jazz in Geelong”.
