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
TMT
TAMARA MURPHY TRIO
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Independent
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, February 11, 2023
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This impressive album, with immaculate sound, is from a relatively new trio consisting of musicians who know each other well, led by Melbourne double bassist/composer Tamara Murphy. Her two colleagues are well-chosen: guitarist Stephen Magnusson, co-winner with James Muller at the Wangaratta National Jazz Awards competition in 2000; and drummer James McLean, awarded the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship in 2016. With musicians at this level of excellence, expectations are high, and they deliver in spades. This is primarily a showcase for the unique artistry of Magnusson, a guitarist with a completely individual voice, who at will can flick the switch from lyrical beauty, where Bill Frisell has shown the way, to abstraction. Of the nine compositions here, Murphy has five, including a new version of her lovely tune Kindness Not Courtesy, with others including a nod to Australian repertoire in Bernie McGann’s Brownsville, and John Lennon’s Come Together. Murphy’s solos, built on taste and musicality, achieve a marvellous bass sound that is full-bodied without ever becoming strident.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
RICKI MALET TRIO
RICKI MALET TRIO
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, February 18, 2023
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Ricki Malet has a reputation as Perth’s leading jazz trumpeter, having firmly established his credentials with David Theak’s Australian National Jazz Orchestra, and on pianist Harry Mitchell’s recent album Archetypes. On his trio’s debut album, Malet is accompanied by two splendid musicians Alistair Peel (double bass) and Bronton Ainsworth (drums). Revealing his considerable talents, Malet shows wide-ranging instrumental versatility. Other than six of his own originals, he provides interesting versions of two bebop classics (Bud Powell’s Dance Of The Infidels and Charlie Parker’s Segment) and two well-known standards (Cole Porter’s What Is This Thing Called Love? and Frank Churchill’s Someday My Prince Will Come). With no chordal instrument to provide warmth, the album has a rather astringent sound, limiting its capacity for variety and interest. Still, within narrow parameters, Malet makes an authoritative statement and in the process shows a virtuosic awareness of contemporary sounds possible on the trumpet. I feel this album is a substantial achievement.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
THE OUTSIDER
CHRIS CODY
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Independent
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, March 11, 2023
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A suite inspired by the idea that life is meaningless, as suggested in Albert Camus’s novellas, is seemingly a contradiction in terms, as no music genre is more life-enhancing than jazz. Still Chris Cody’s response in musical terms to “questions of identity and purpose when faced with isolation” is infectious. He uses three horns and three rhythm players, with additional exotica supplied by John Robinson (oud) and Adem Yilmaz (percussion). There’s more than a hint of Parisian multicultural jazz, where musical influences emanating from France’s former colonies in northern Africa are reflected, thus underlining Cody’s long-term immersion in French culture. The inspiration and compositional vehicles are of great interest, but it’s the excellent improvisations here which stand out. A stellar line-up includes some of Australia’s finest jazz musicians, whose solos inestimably enhance Cody’s nine compositions, particularly Michael Avgenicos (tenor saxophone), Lloyd Swanton (bass), the aforementioned Robinson, and of course the composer himself on piano. One of the album’s highlights is the title track, a thoughtful and ruminative ballad which lingers in one’s imagination.
Eric Myers