Jacobs was born in
Edgbaston, England, a son of musician Solomon Jacobs and his wife Louisa Jane Jacobs, née Stockham (1856–1928). They toured Australia in 1914 and again in 1917–18, when Jacobs was billed as a comedian, and as "the singing conductor". He also proved to have talent as an actor. Their stay in Australia and New Zealand amounted to over a year, perhaps due to the War, but remained highly popular, and performed at many patriotic events. Reeve returned to Australia once more, for the
Fuller brothers'
revue "Spangles", billed as her final world tour. "Spangles" ran in Melbourne from 15 April to 10 November 1922 at the
Princess Theatre, a record-setting 230 performances, then at
Fullers' New Theatre in
Castlereagh Street, Sydney, from 2 December 1922 to February 1923, when she had to retire due to her health failing. The "Spangles" troupe broke up and Jacobs decided to settle in Australia, initially as conductor at Sydney's
Opera House. Before leaving England he had married "Lucie Linda", a dancer in Reeve's troupe, and whose mother was Reeve's
wardrobe mistress. They soon moved to
Melbourne, and by 1930 were living in the suburb of
Elwood. He was seldom out of work: he conducted the
New Palace Theatre orchestra for the Fuller brothers and
Hugh J. Ward in such hits as
Tons of Money. In September 1923 he conducted the orchestra accompanying the silent movie
Robin Hood for the grand opening of Melbourne's
Princess Theatre, and was musical director for the Fuller company's
pantomime Mother Goose scored by
Hamilton Webber. and Rickards'
Tivoli Theatre a year later. He conducted
J. C. Williamson's Opera Company for producer
Minnie Everett during their 1926 Gilbert and Sullivan season, when the usual conductor
Gustave Slapoffski was unavailable. On 12 November 1927 the new
Palais Pictures cinema opened at
St Kilda, with Jacobs as musical director and conductor. Jacobs continued conducting the Palais orchestra until 1949, and retired in 1951. He also worked with some of the notable Australian film directors of the 1930s: he wrote orchestral arrangements of
Mrs Varney Monk's score of
F. W. Thring's musical ''
Collits' Inn''; he wrote and conducted the score for
Charles Chauvel's film
Heritage. In the chancy world of show business, Jacobs was never unemployed. He won respect from orchestra members for his sound musicianship. Theatre and radio managers could rely on him. He was always sober, cheerful and polite; he led a quiet life in suburban Brighton, where he served as a vestryman at St Andrew’s Church of England. . . . In later years he worked as music librarian for the Tivoli and for Crawford Television Productions, and directed, arranged and conducted Melbourne’s Carols by Candlelight concerts. At eighty years of age he still accompanied his wife’s Australian National Theatre ballet school classes. ==Compositions==