Eric Myers Jazz

ERIC MYERS REVIEWS 1980-87

Eric Myers was the Sydney Morning Herald’s inaugural jazz critic, his first review appearing on February 2, 1980. This folder contains reviews and articles written by Myers up to his resignation in 1982. Text published in the newspaper is reproduced here, with the addition of photographs which may or may not have appeared in the newspaper. In 1983 Myers moved to The Australian, where he was that paper’s jazz critic, until he resigned towards the end of 1987.  His reviews for that newspaper appear also in this folder. Articles which appeared in other publications are included here, if they serve to document the performances of Australian jazz musicians. Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of reviews or articles in this folder.

THE CRITICAL SOUND OF MUSIC

by Eric Myers

Encore Magazine, May & June, 1981

At both the recent Sydney International Music Festival and the Qantas International Jazz Festival, proceedings were disrupted by sound problems, confirming the widely-held view that, for some time, the most unfortunate aspect of jazz presentation in Sydney has been the general quality of sound reinforcement. ERIC MYERS, who has been a critic of sound technicians, spoke with KEVIN DAVIDSON, sound technician at the last Sydney International Music Festival at the Regent Theatre, and found that things were not so simple…

STEVIE WONDER IN CONCERT

by Eric Myers

Encore Magazine, May & June, 1981

I attended the first of Stevie Wonder's three sold-out concerts in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion on April 23. The blind singer/composer was not feeling well. He had been recording all the previous night at EMI Studios until 9 am, and had slept badly during the day. Jaded when he arrived at the concert, he asked his capacity audience for a vibe, for energy — and received it in abundance…

ART PEPPER TO TOUR

by Eric Myers

Encore Magazine, May & June, 1981

There have been many tortured and tragic personalities in the history of jazz, but few more interesting than the alto saxophonist Art Pepper, who tours Australia in June. Now 55, Pepper was an early developer who at 17 was already married and playing alto with Stan Kenton. In the late 40s and early 50s his recordings with Kenton, Shorty Rogers and other West Coast jazzmen showed that he was a brilliant altoist whose playing was a mature synthesis of Lester Young's coolness and the new harmonic complexities brought into jazz by Charlie Parker. He was plagued, however, by drug problems...