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
IRIDESCENCE
DANNY WIDDICOMBE & TRICHOTOMY
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Earshift Music
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, October 11, 2025
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This is a lovely album of pop songs sung beautifully by Danny Widdicombe (guitars, pedal steel, synth). He’s accompanied by the Brisbane jazz trio Trichotomy, including Sean Foran (piano & keyboards), John Parker (drums & percussion) and Samuel Vincent (electric bass). In fact the most impressive aspect of Iridescence, other than Widdicombe’s work, is the electric piano solos of Foran, an immaculate player in all contexts over the years. While this album is fairly described as “a stunning blend of jazz, modern soul and funk”, pop should be added to that list. Recently I’ve been listening to music of the 1960s again, and was struck by how much Iridescence resembles the formula which The Beatles introduced to the world for the first time: rich vocal harmonies, clear & intelligent messages in the lyrics, and excellent time-feels that sound just right. Iridescence emulates that excellence. While the messages of hope and renewal in the lyrics might appeal most to youngsters who are experiencing angst, I feel that any listener tuned into good music will find this album highly rewarding.
Eric Myers