Matt Raw Absolutely heartbroken to hear of Peter's passing... Far too soon. It was such a privilege and honour to have met him. He invited me to play the piano with the Cairo Club Orchestra on many occasions at Manchester Lane, and we would often play instruments to each other down the phone 😂 I have absolutely no doubt that he is now living it up with all the jazz greats, and has already hired some of them for a new orchestra! I will very much miss receiving random scores from him.... Condolences to all.

Cheryl Milley Peter Milley

Justine JOnes ODE TO PETE Dearest darling dapper Debonair Precious Pete Mentor to some Musician to Many An uncle to all A man with a purpose An enthusiast in the history of Jazz and devout vintage cinephile An avid collector of rare discography His unparralled knowledge of rare 78s, and the birth and rise of the jazz age. Ironically he “Studied Jazz at a TAFE college, when in actual fact he could have been teaching, and imparting his vast knowledge of the idiom, in all the fine musical tertiary institutions in the land. Some of us have a personal PHD in Jazz courtesy of Professor Pete. I met Peter as a young girl in1986 in the glorious Caro Club Orchestra of which he played Trumpet and was the bandleader, as a young musician I was suitably impressed and we were friends for life. A lover of all things Art Deco A shared Passion An unrecognised genius of sound preservation , cleaning up and digitising 78s to share with the world. His 70s sound system reviving the sound of the 78s to the point recordings sounded like the band was in the room. Oh how we shall miss Uncle Petes impromptu lectures on the history of jazz, practice techniques, and music to check out on You tube. The exchange of sheet music and general advice on surviving as a musician in the modern age. The long chats on the phone , bandleader banter , Historical Australian yarns and humorous quips from bygone eras , He said “You outta be in pictures” He shall be forever immortalised in the Australian film of 2020 Miss Fisher and the crypt of Tears” performing with his beloved small band “The Gatsbys. He also appeared in many other Australian film and TV productions including Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries, Healing , Fires , Underbelly, The Cup , Road to Boston, Dr Blake Mysterys, Neighbours,, Jack Irish, City Homicide, Australia on Trial, The Leftovers, The Jazz Show and many more. Peter was more than a friend to me, he was like the older brother I never had , with the same interests. He was warm, kind ,generous, and oh so very humorous. Peter really knew how to make you laugh. His voice will be imprinted in our minds forever, and I am so privileged to have filmed him for “The Jazz show” in 2007 in his famous white tuxedo , telling one of his vintage jazz tales “Jazz with a Z Episode 1 pt 3 and a performance with The Cairo Club Orchestra of “My canary has circles under his eyes” singing and playing at his beloved Astor theatre. Not many people in the entire universe could keep a band together for 40 years, ignored by arts funding bodies. Peter Milley did We were looking forward to making our Australian Jazz film. We were choosing fonts, just last week, that I was going to hand paint on glass, for the film titles. His legacy lives on , he championed the underdog , the little people and Melba Big Band, imparting much sage advice on the perils of being a bandleader He has left me a lifetime of YouTube links…hit me up if you would like me to share some with you A gentleman and a scholar Thank you for your goodness and seeing the goodness in everyone to make us better musicians and people. Love you uncle Pete Love Justine and Orlando Jones