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
WAVES
ROSS McHENRY
____________________
Earshift Music
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, December 7, 2024
____________________
As with bassist Ross McHenry’s previous albums The Outsider (2017) and Nothing Remains Unchanged (2020) it’s difficult not to think of Waves as a Matthew Sheens album. From Adelaide, but now living in New York, Sheens’s piano is the lead voice, and as always his brilliance shines through. With great US drummer Eric Harland on hand again these three musicians are a sensational rhythm section, providing a highly sophisticated reading of the jazz/rock fusion genre. Note McHenry’s very hip electric bass sound, strong but never too loud, consistent with past great recordings in this genre. McHenry has enlisted three additional Americans Ben Monder (guitar), Donny McCaslin (saxophone) and Adam O’Farrill (trumpet). They play McHenry’s seven compositions strongly, with typical American authority, but in my view their improvisations are not distinctive enough to enhance McHenry’s musical vision. That vision is impressive, inspired by the impact of “seismic personal and existential events” such as Australia’s devastating 2019 summer fires. McHenry regards Waves as a “poignant love letter to the landscapes and relationships that shape our stories”.
Eric Myers
JAZZ/CLASSICAL
CROSSING PATHS
ENSEMBLE LIAISON & TONY GOULD TRIO
____________________
Move
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, December 28, 2024
____________________
This album contrasts pieces recorded by a classical trio Ensemble Liaison with tracks recorded by a jazz trio led by pianist Tony Gould. The former group includes Svetlana Bogosavljevic (cello), David Griffiths (clarinet) & Timothy Young (piano) while Gould works with Angela Davis (saxophone) and Ben Robertson (double bass). The common repertoire includes versions of Bach’s Ave Maria, and other comparable pieces from composers such as Faure, Satie and Schumann. The original idea here was for the jazz trio to provide improvised versions of the same compositions. This was not totally achieved owing to circumstances at the time which compelled Gould’s trio to record first, to find that when Ensemble Liaison recorded sometime later, a slight change of repertoire occurred. Still, Crossing Paths provides an energising contrast between the classical musicians reading their scores, while the jazz musicians are expressing their thoughts in the moment. I see no reason why enthusiasts of both classical and jazz musics should not enjoy this juxtaposition of two equally valid approaches.
Eric Myers
JAZZ
THE RUNNING TIDE
SANDY EVANS TRIO
____________________
Independent
Five stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, January 4, 2025
____________________
Sandy Evans (saxophones), Brett Hirst (bass) and Toby Hall (drums) have been collaborating for 21 years, so they’re a tried and true combination. The empathy between them here is palpable. The Running Tide features 13 relatively short compositions by Evans, mostly mere snatches of musical experience, plus one tune composed by the three musicians. I found the music relaxed, joyful, melodic and compelling. This is not to say that the trio was averse to higher energy when it was called for, for example in Evans’s composition And You Are?, which is highly reminiscent of John Coltrane’s great recordings in ¾ time; and also to turbulence, as in Astral Poet Remembrance 1, Evans’ unaccompanied two-minute improvisation in honour of Cecil Taylor. Three of Australia’s greatest jazz musicians are playing here, with Evans’s virtuosity authentically captured. Hirst and Hall, no mere sidepersons, are able to establish brilliant rhythmic grooves throughout, but when called upon to solo, both come to the party with absolute authority. Importantly, the sound on this great album is immaculate, courtesy of leading recording engineer Ross A’hern.
Eric Myers