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
LOWLIGHTS
SPIROGRAPH STUDIES
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, January 8, 2022
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If there is one quality which most permeates the music of Spirograph Studies, it is melodic beauty. It explains the great pleasure this quartet provides for the listener. Even the presence of pianist Sam Keevers on some tracks, substituting for normal pianist Luke Howard, does not undermine the quartet’s strong artistic direction. He fits like a glove. Bassist/composer Tamara Murphy has subverted jazz machismo, whereby a powerful soloist is backed by subservient musicians. As with their 2019 album Kindness Not Courtesy, the result is unusually conversational music, whereby all players freely come to the fore throughout, reacting sensitively to others’ contributions. Also including guitarist Fran Swinn and drummer James McLean, the group produces overwhelmingly reflective music, sustained by lovely harmonic changes in Murphy’s compositions. The music is assertive enough to avoid mere ambience, while at the same time flirting with collective improvisation without being excessive. It’s a commendable balancing act by a Melbourne group whose music is extremely well-integrated.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
FLUX
DELAY 45
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Earshift Music
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, January 22, 2022
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Trumpeter Tom Avgenicos’s new album should be seen in relation to the groundbreaking work of Scott Tinkler whose explorations of the sound possibilities in jazz trumpet expression have been extremely influential. Over the years leading trumpeters such as Sydney’s Phil Slater and Melbourne’s Paul Williamson have reflected on Tinkler’s achievements but, in Flux, Avgenicos now issues a comprehensive critique. Avgenicos appears to be saying: I am here, and this is what I can do on the trumpet. It’s a compelling exercise. The Delay 45 quartet affords Avgenicos an exceedingly sympathetic platform for his ideas. Roshan Kumarage (piano), Dave Quinn (bass) and Ashley Stoneham (drums) are three brilliant young musicians who go back many years with Avgenicos, and on this album are with him all the way. Although there is much unbridled expression here, it’s not inconsequential that Avgenicos’s approach incorporates a commendable lyricism which is amply supported by the others, particularly in the case of Kumarage’s rhapsodic contributions on piano.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
THE OFFERING
ANTON DELECCA
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Earshift Music
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, January 29, 2022
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This lovely album of straight-ahead modern jazz from saxophonist Anton Delecca results from his stint in New York 2017-19, where he recovered from a period of stagnation in Melbourne, and completed his masters degree at Queens College. He met there a very hip pianist Caili O’Doherty, who features strongly on the album with distinctive solos in various time-feels. Other musicians, all excellent, include Cory Cox (drums), Australian expatriate Matt Clohesy (double bass) and guest alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins on three of nine tracks. Delecca’s seven compositions are exceedingly thoughtful and original, with real melodic flair. The repertoire also includes Hoagy Carmichael’s Skylark and Horace Silver’s Barbara. Delecca has faced a number of personal challenges in his life, including treatment for bi-polar disorder. A sister release to his award-winning 2013 album The Healer, The Offering is dedicated to the memory of his parents Bill and Marg Delecca, major supporters of his life and music, whom he lost respectively in 2014 and 2015.
Eric Myers