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.

JOHN SANGSTER: THREE NEW ALBUMS

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Penthouse magazine, July, 1981

With the simultaneous release of a double album and two single albums of original music recently, John Sangster confirms there is probably no more fertile composer in Australian jazz than himself. The double album, Uttered Nonsense: The Owl and the Pussycat (Rain Forest Records) is the first Sangster work to be released since he completed his monumental jazz suites inspired by the fantasy world of J R R Tolkien — an enormous project which required ten LP records to encompass the composer's flights of imagination. Uttered Nonsense features music accompanying eight nonsense poems written by the 19th Century eccentric Edward Lear and narrated by Ivan Smith, and also various instrumental pieces inspired by Lear. The great merit of John Sangster's music is that it provides sympathetic contexts for many of the great players in Australian jazz to express themselves freely...

MIKE NOCK: SUCCUBUS ALBUM

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Diary, July, 1981

This record confirms that one of the greatest gifts possessed by the New Zealand pianist Mike Nock is his melodic sense. Though an exponent of contemporary jazz, which is often esoteric and fathomable only to the committed purist, Nock has the priceless ability to write beautiful and memorable melodies. That is, his music can be accessible to people who like good music, but may not necessarily be heavily into jazz. On this disc, recorded in New York in February 1980, Mike Nock plays piano, Fender Rhodes, Mini Moog and Oberheim Four Voice Synthesizer...

JAZZ REFLECTS THE USA: THE BEST IS NOSTALGIA

by Eric Myers

Sydney Morning Herald, July 4, 1981

The big jazz festival which has been raging in New York for the past nine days is enveloped in nostalgia. This seems appropriate at a time when many Americans clearly believe that politically their best years are behind them. As the one original art form given to the world by the United States, jazz has reflected life and politics there throughout the century. The annual jazz festival, once called the Newport Jazz Festival, has changed its name and location. It's now the Kool Jazz Festival (after its cigarette company sponsor) and is held in New York…