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
ARCHETYPES
HARRY MITCHELL
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, December 24, 2022
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This is another album from elite Perth jazz musicians, a brilliant follow-up to pianist Harry Mitchell’s outstanding 2019 album Mara, with the same sidemen: Jamie Oehlers (saxophones), Karl Florisson (double bass), Ben Vanderwal (drums), plus trumpeter Ricki Malet. Many Australian jazz composers are now in the practice of describing the inspiration behind their music, which is always fascinating. From the famous Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung Mitchell identifies the various archetypes which underly human personality, and reflects them in the titles of his nine compositions: Shaman, Creator, Anima, Materialization, and so on. Still, whatever the inspiration, I simply hear jazz, beautifully played. With musicians at this level, their playing is full of endless delights, while for me Mitchell himself provides most interest, with sparkling, rhythmically sophisticated solos, no matter what the mood. Johannes Luebbers’ perceptive liner notes say it all: “Mitchell moves with ease from up-tempo, post-bop jazz language, through odd time grooves, fleeting moments of free improvisation and sensitive ballad playing – retaining a sense of joyful exploration throughout.”
Eric Myers
JAZZ
OLD IDEA/NEW IDEA
FRAN SWINN
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Lionsharecords
Four-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, December 31, 2022
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This beautiful album is so easy to love. It features the splendid guitarist, Melbourne’s Fran Swinn, whom I last heard on a 2019 album from Tamara Murphy’s subtle group Spirograph Studies. Here Swinn is far more to the fore, accompanied by a superb rhythm section in Sam Keevers, a brilliant pianist with a completely individual voice; the ultra-sensitive drummer Rajiv Jayaweera; and double bassist Sam Anning, who also co-produces with Swinn, adding his ubiquitous expertise to another jazz album of excellence. Eight originals by Swinn are featured, including three very hip wordless vocals, sung beautifully by Josh Kyle whose scat singing is masterful throughout. Swinn’s solos can sound careful, even diffident, on first hearing, but one soon warms to how thoughtful and free they are melodically, with little sign of the empty displays of technical virtuosity which can burden comparable modern jazz guitarists. This album is manifestly a winner, and continues the torrent of great releases emanating from a fertile Melbourne scene.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
SENSE
MERINDA DIAS-JAYASINHA
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Independent
Three-and-a-half stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, February 4, 2022
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This is Brisbane singer/songwriter Merinda Dias-Jayasinha’s first solo album. Highly ambitious, it makes some other music genres sound rather trivial. Excellent musicians here include Niran Dasika (trumpet), Matt Hoyne (guitar), and Helen Svoboda (double bass), while Dias-Jayasinha herself is obviously multi-talented. The intimate lyrics in her five compositions (three of eight are written by others) suggest the sensibility of a Joni Mitchell; her lovely voice, without vibrato, is compelling; she’s a brilliant exponent of the wordless vocal; and the characteristic soundscape she’s created, which dominates the album, is truly innovative. Yet that soundscape is also problematic. It’s often busy soundwise, some might say too busy. Those who enjoy the conventions of collective improvisation may warm to it, but others who prefer judicious accompaniment, allowing the soloist to breathe, may find some of the music veering into excess. Dias-Jayasinha’s artistry works beautifully when the backing soundscape is sparse but, when accompanying musicians freely weigh in at volume, I feel the music suffers.
Eric Myers