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.

JAZZ IN SYDNEY

by Eric Myers

JAMM Magazine, June, 1981

There has been much talk in recent years about a jazz boom in Sydney, and there is a good deal of evidence to suggest that there never has been more jazz activity in this city. Just the activity in traditional jazz would be enough to suggest that jazz is alive and well here. There are 12 to 15 traditional jazz groups who work virtually every night of the week—testimony to the extraordinary resilience of the New Orleans idiom in this country, long after it was played in New Orleans and Chicago during the 1920s. However, it is worth noting that the jazz scene is volatile in Sydney. There are increasing signs that the market is not large enough to accommodate all those venues who are climbing on the bandwagon at a time when jazz is popular…

NEW AUSTRALIAN JAZZ MAGAZINE

by Eric Myers

Penthouse magazine, June, 1981

Since the demise of the magazine Jazz Down Under in 1978, Australian jazz has badly needed its own magazine. The best hope for a regular, successful such magazine now appears to be JAZZ: The Australasian Contemporary Music Magazine, published by Peter Brendlé and Audrey de Graff, and edited by the News Ltd journalist Dick Scott. A bi-monthly, two editions have already appeared: January/February 1981, featuring the American flugelhorn player Chuck Mangione on the cover; and the March/April edition, with a cover story on the Australian musician and educator Don Burrows…

ERROL BUDDLE & CHUCK YATES: A NIGHT OF CONTRASTING SPIRITS

by Eric Myers

Sydney Morning Herald, June 5, 1981

On Wednesday night the pianist Chuck Yates gave a rare performance that had many people wondering why this extraordinary and brilliant musician seldom plays in public. Running through an exquisite selection of jazz standards with Jack Thorncraft (bass) and Bruce Dwyer (drums), his approach to the keyboard was subtle and undemonstrative, but always his luminous jazz spirit shone through…