David Dallwitz

David Friedrich "Dave" Dallwitz (25 October 1914 – 23 March 2003) was a South Australian jazz musician, painter and art teacher whose work spanned almost seven decades.

Dallwitz was born in Freeling, South Australia the son of (Joseph) Ernst Dallwitz and his wife Clara Magdalena Dallwitz (née Rohde). He studied violin as a child, and after moving with his family to Adelaide in 1930 he developed an aptitude for jazz piano. From 1933 to 1935 he studied concurrently at the South Australian School of Art and the North Adelaide School of Fine Art.

Dallwitz was a jazz pianist, bandleader and composer in both the ragtime and dixieland idioms. He is perhaps best known for having worked with some of Australia's more progressive musicians such as John Sangster, Bob Barnard and Len Barnard. He also led the Dave Dallwitz Ragtime Ensemble.

He led the Southern Jazz Group from 1945 to 1951, then abandoned jazz for a period, during which he studied at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, composing symphonic and chamber music and playing cello and bassoon in various groups. He became involved in composing and arranging music for revues, leading to the formation of the Flinders Street Revue Company, for which he also directed and played piano. He returned to jazz in 1970 and resumed recording shortly after, and is regarded as one of Australia's important jazz personalities."

Dallwitz performed ragtime and big band music. A highlight of his career was the appearance of his band with Sydney and Brisbane musicians at the Esso Jazz Summit on Sydney's Bondi Beach in 1986. The band's set was shown on ABC-TV and was released on ABC Records.

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