DISCHORDS

JazzChord, the newsletter of the jazz co-ordination program based in Sydney, New South Wales, commenced in magazine form with  Edition No 11 (Jan/Feb, 1993). In Edition No 15 (Sep/Oct, 1993) a column called 'DisChords', usually written by Jazz Co-ordinator Eric Myers, was introduced to canvass issues that were currently alive in the jazz community. Generally it was a forum for the editor of JazzChord to air his personal views, and to document the achievements of the jazz co-ordination program. Additional photos, not possible in JazzChord, have been included.

DISCHORDS

A column by Jazz Co-ordinator Eric Myers

JazzChord, Summer 1996/97

It’s amazing how some things come full circle. Back in 1989 and into 1990, when I was assisting with the establishment of the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz (and before the appointment of Adrian Jackson as its artistic director), I tried hard to get a good international guest for the inaugural festival. My first preference was Betty Carter and her Trio, (with my fallback option the Cedar Walton Trio plus Dale Barlow). It’s interesting now to re-read my copious correspondence with Betty’s manager Ora Harris, who stressed that Betty had been dying to come to Australia for years. Well, it didn’t happen…

DISCHORDS

A column by Jazz Co-ordinator Eric Myers

JazzChord, Feb/Mar, 1997

The Paul Grabowsky Trio came up from Melbourne to perform at the Sydney Opera House on January 7, 1997 as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival. As part of the same festival, the Mark Isaacs Trio gave a sellout concert at Government House on January 9. I gather that this was the first time that jazz has been included in this festival. I missed Mark Isaacs but was able to hear the Grabowsky trio in the Concert Hall. An audience of about 700 attended, and it was an excellent performance from a very fine trio indeed…

DISCHORDS

A column by Jazz Co-ordinator Eric Myers

JazzChord, Apr/May 1997

The American writer Josef Woodard, who was brought out for the 1996 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, has published a perceptive piece on the festival in the April, 1997 edition of Jazz Times. He mentions the surprise appearance of the US pianist Kenny Kirkland, who was plucked from a tour with the English singer Sting, to play a set with Adam Armstrong and Andrew Gander. Kirkland, says Josef, “laid into his set with a kind of passionate abandon and expressive lucidity”…