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
The Heavens Declare by Berlin Psalm Project;
Lady Bam Records
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Published online in the Weekend Australian’s Culture magazine on May 23, 2026.
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The Australian saxophonist Richard Maegraith and his vocalist wife Ali Maegraith both studied at Sydney Conservatorium of Music in the early 2000s. Living in Berlin since 2015, they’re active at Kiez Church Wedding, a church in the heart of the city, where Richard is a pastor. Their ensemble Berlin Psalm Project presents eight psalms from the Old Testament, serving as lyrics for original melodies sung by Ali, a highly accomplished singer. Five compositions are written by her, and three are co-written with her husband. Before non-believers switch off, I can testify that Richard and five excellent Berlin musicians blast their way through eight beautifully arranged works, palpably creating full-blooded modern jazz. I hear it as contemporary hard-bop, exploring a variety of time-signatures. A glance at the Bible indicates that words in the psalms have been edited to suit the written melodies, while essential Christian messages are retained. It’s gratifying to see that, alongside the great saxophonist Maegraith, the band includes two brilliant Australian musicians resident in Berlin, trumpeter Greg Ambroisine and trombonist Will Pethick, both of whom contribute outstanding improvisations.
★★★★
Eric Myers