JAZZ ALBUM REVIEWS IN THE AUSTRALIAN
In September, 2017 Eric Myers commenced reviewing jazz albums in the Review supplement of The Weekend Australian. All reviews in this folder are written by Myers.
JAZZ
3
STATES OF CHAOS
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, July 9, 2022
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When a jazz ensemble enters the studio with no preconceived ideas as to what they’ll play, I fear the worst. Sometimes the result undermines those elements in the music which most attract listeners: melodic beauty, familiar rhythms, normal harmonic changes. In this case, Casey Golden (piano), Bill Williams (bass) and Ed Rodrigues (drums) have produced an album where freedom and attractive sounds are exceedingly well-balanced. This trio has been playing together for 12 years, and it shows in the music. This is a brief album of 30 minutes, with 12 short tracks, mere snatches of musical experience. I’ve always found Golden’s pianism deeply attractive, and naturally his brilliant flights of imagination have to lead the way here. Williams and Rodrigues are listening closely, picking up on what he’s playing, and are with him all the way. There’s little of the perversity and didacticism often found in this genre. Rather I hear an organising principle, sending a clear message to the listener, and that’s empathy.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
INTO LIGHT
CLAIRE CROSS
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Hope Street Recordings
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, July 16, 2022
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Unless you’re Jaco Pastorious, an electric bassist normally hides in the background in a supportive role. As leader however, how does a bassist express her musical vision? Melbourne’s Claire Cross has answered the call in what is arguably a pastoral work. Her core ensemble is unusual, rarely heard in jazz: two horns (saxophone & trombone), two strings (viola & cello), guitar, piano and electric bass. Virtually no drums, although they, along with percussion and other instruments, appear sparingly on some tracks. Six works, composed and arranged by Cross, sound exceedingly warm and mellow, so that adjectives in the publicity blurb are spot on: dark-hued, immersive, subtle, sensitive, delicate. Cross’s arrangements are enhanced by lyrical jazz solos throughout, in particular those of alto saxophonist Flora Carbo who solos on three tracks, trombonist Jordan Murray (two tracks) and Cross herself (two tracks). Cross aptly describes her relaxing and contemplative album as “an exploration of simplicity”. I believe many will find it compulsive.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
FACE TO FACE
JEREMY ROSE QUARTET
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Earshift Music
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, July 30, 2022
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There’s much to praise about this formidable album from four brilliant Sydney musicians: Jeremy Rose (saxophones, bass clarinet, effects), Steve Barry (piano), Noel Mason (double bass) and Alex Hirlian (drums). Their music could perhaps be termed “advanced post-bop”, to borrow a phrase I heard recently. Rose is best-known as a member of The Vampires quartet and composer of the celebrated oratorio Iron in the Blood. In eight works here he shows his impressive melodic gift, both as composer and improviser. The clever rhythmic structures embedded in the pieces, skilfully articulated, enhance the music. Barry’s piano solos have an appealing logic, so that his train of thought can be clearly heard, and his interactions with Rose are inspired. The music is played freely, but at the same time it’s splendidly well-integrated. In the liner notes Rose says that technology is changing the way we communicate, and his music is intended to reinforce what makes us human: face to face contact, hence the album’s title.
Eric Myers