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
SINCE SUBITO
MEATSHELL
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Earshift Music
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, June 5, 2021
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This is the sort of album where I clutch at straws trying to understand the music. It’s apparently inspired by the 100-year-old cubist art movement which juxtaposed different perspectives. Certainly singer/contrabassist Helen Svoboda and saxophonist Andrew Saragossi juggle conventional modes of expression in new ways. Some of the seven original compositions here are confronting, but it’s impossible not to empathise with such talented musicians. As a bassist, Svoboda adopts a somewhat metallic, percussive sound to lay down the duo’s rhythm. She is a highly innovative vocalist, and her sometimes wordless lines can run to upward glissandos, which morph into excruciating screams, to sounds which suggest she is gasping for air or, dare I say it, simulating orgasm. An old question arises: is this noise masquerading as music? The two musicians can establish a groove, and Saragossi is a superior jazz saxophonist. Still, this music is not the deeply familiar avant-garde; it is in my view New Music. You may never have heard anything quite like this before.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
DUALITY
MICHAEL PIGNÉGUY & THE AWAKENINGS ENSEMBLE
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, June 12, 2021
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This two disc-album from Perth drummer/composer Michael Pignéguy is in some ways a blast from the past. He formed The Awakenings Ensemble while working in the Middle East between 2006 and 2018. In 2012 its first album Speak was issued. For the current follow-up album, 23 musicians playing in various combinations were assembled, mostly from Australia and Malaysia, with others from countries such as the US, France, Tunisia and Russia. In an hour, two suites are presented: high energy instrumentals on a disc called Introspections; and vocals on another called Collaborations. All compositions are by Pignéguy other than two of his arrangements: Wayne Shorter’s Footprints and the standard My Funny Valentine. The instrumentals, featuring electric bass, synthesiser solos, and rock time-feels, are very much in the 70s-style fusion idiom, with nods to contemporary music, including Middle Eastern sounds. The vocals, featuring five impressive female singers, are in the soul/funk idiom. Still, this is unmistakably a drummer’s album, its chief asset being Pignéguy’s brilliance at the drum kit.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
NOVA NOVA
LOUISE DENSON GROUP
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, June 19, 2021
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This is a lovely album from pianist Louise Denson’s excellent Brisbane quintet. It features faultless playing by superb professionals Lachlan McKenzie (trumpet/flugelhorn), James Sandon (tenor sax), Helen Russell (bass) and Paul Hudson (drums). In full flight this is basically a hard-bop quintet, but playing with typical Australian insouciance, without the hard edge of African American exponents of this genre. It’s more West Coast than New York. The warmth in the music suggests the inspiration of a sunshine culture. Eight cleverly arranged compositions by Denson produce beautiful improvisations from all players. Congratulations to sound engineer Mark Smith whose sophisticated knowledge of how jazz should sound is evident. The near perfect sound balance here is what sound technicians should be aiming for at their live gigs. It’s particularly pleasing to luxuriate in the crisp sound of Denson’s piano solos in the mix, and to experience McKenzie’s gorgeous sound on flugelhorn. Turn up the volume and enjoy.
Eric Myers