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. As from October 21, 2025, the magazine Review was replaced by another magazine entitled Culture. From that date reviews by Eric Myers appeared either online in The Weekend Australian or as Album of The Week in the magazine Culture.
JAZZ
50 Years of Jazztrack: Studio Sessions by Various Artists
ABC Jazz
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Published online in the Weekend Australian’s Culture magazine on May 2, 2026
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In 2026 ABC Jazz celebrates 50 years of its flagship radio program Jazztrack. An indispensable outlet, chronicling the development of Australian jazz over half a century, it began in 1976, compered by Jim McLeod. Since 2014 it’s been presented by Mal Stanley. 19 tracks have been selected and re-mastered by Stanley, whose main difficulty was not what performances to choose, but what to leave out. I could wax lyrical about virtually every track. I’ve chosen to mention three highlights, which particularly caught my attention: Barney McAll’s solo piano reading of Wayne Shorter’s The Albatross (1994); Sandy Evans’ composition Hand in Hand (2011) recorded with an all-star sextet; and Kristin Berardi’s astonishing redefinition of the Rodgers & Hart standard, Where or When with a drummer-less quartet (2013). This is a comprehensive documentation of the extraordinary creativity and individuality of Australian jazz musicians who’ve created a jazz culture unique in the world today. Other than those already mentioned look out for the works of Paul Grabowsky (1995); Andrea Keller (2005); Mike Nock (2006), and a host of other distinguished musicians too numerous to list.
★★★★½
Eric Myers