The Wentworth Hotel 1920 Lang Street

 

The Wentworth was one of the better hotels at the time, in the same league as The Australia, Metropole, Grosvenor, Petty's, and The Sydney.

"Will James' Band, Wentworth Hotel, Sydney, 1920. L to R: - violin ; Frank Bull - Piano ; Will James - banjo, leader ; Sid Simpson - saxophone ; Sammy Cope - drums"

I had a great time getting this photo of the band orchestra just right. In 1920, jazz was evolving from rag, and judging by the instrument line-up here the repertoire would have been very Dixieland. Unfortunately, recording studios didn't reach Australia until five years after this, so we'll never get to hear them. Although, you can get a good approximation from US recordings around 1919-1920 available on SoundCloud and Bandcamp.

Also, the female singers' outfits show the incredible change that occurred between pre and post WW1 society. That's skimpy compared to the long skirts that women had always worn. 

The Wentworth moved to Chifley Square in 1966, and the old site was cleared to make way for the new QANTAS building (currently IBM).

1938

Today (Google)

And just for the record, the ballroom later in 1943.