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
NEW BEGINNING
NIC VARDANEGA
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, October 29, 2023
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The Australian-born guitarist Nic Vardanega has lived in New York since 2016, where he completed a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies at New York University. This is his third album, which he dedicates to the “new beginning” of the post-pandemic world, and to the birth of his first child. He’s accompanied here by two excellent American musicians, Ben Allison (double bass) and Allan Mednard (drums) who, as usual, play with typical NYC expertise and flair. Considered on its own terms, Vardanega’s music sounds faultless, even perfect. He has a lovely sound on the guitar in all registers, and his eight compositions presented here are beautifully written, exploring a variety of well-known time-feels. The more you listen to this music, the more you are drawn into a rather exquisite world, where his symmetrical improvisations and the subtle nuances in his music are a source of great delight. This is not music where there’s excitement on the surface, but affords the listener a rather deep, quiet and contemplative experience.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
PROJECT INFINITY: LIVE AT PHOENIX CENTRAL PARK
JEREMY ROSE
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Earshift Music
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, November 4, 2023
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Free improvisation in jazz is that genre in which most of the music is spontaneously created on the spot with a minimum of written preparation. Many relatively young jazz musicians in the current generation have taken to it with relish, with varying degrees of success. This album from Sydney’s Jeremy Rose (saxophone & bass clarinet) and three brilliant colleagues, Novak Manojlovic (keyboards), Tully Ryan (drums) and Ben Carey (modular synthesiser), is a superior example of the genre. Because free improvisation can result in sounds never heard before, its proponents can overestimate its originality. Indeed this album’s promotional spiel claims the music is “exploring the post-jazz, post-everything sound world”. Ironically however, as I hear this album, I find familiar signposts everywhere from the jazz tradition which draw me into the music. Try as they might to be “original”, these great improvisers cannot disguise the jazz heritage which is essential to their thinking, and that is why, in my view, Project Infinity is an unmitigated success.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
DAUGHTER OF THE SEAS
VISIONS OF NAR
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ABC Jazz
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, November 18, 2023
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Visions of Nar is a Sydney quintet which reflects several cultural heritages. It’s co-led by pianist Zela Margossian (born in Beirut of Armenian heritage), and includes percussionist Adem Yilmaz, (born in Istanbul of Kurdish heritage), and tabla player Bobby Singh (born in England of Indian heritage). Also present are co-leader Jeremy Rose (saxophones & bass clarinet) and guitarist Hilary Geddes, both of whose improvisatory styles reflect many diverse musical interests. The fascination of Daughter of the Seas rests in how potentially incompatible elements derived from different cultural sensibilities are successfully integrated. The triumph of the album is that the music works so beautifully. Eleven compositions (six by Rose and five by Margossian) are inspired by Nar, described by Margossian as “the goddess of water and ocean, a powerful female mythical force in Armenian mythology.” This album demonstrates once again the illustrious capacity of jazz to provide the freedom necessary for musicians to express themselves in new ways. Also it symbolises our country’s successful multiculturalism, which is now immensely enriching Australian jazz.
Eric Myers