ESSAYS

This section includes essays on various jazz subjects, written by a number of writers. Contributions are welcome. Writers interested in contributing are welcome to contact the editor by filling out the form in the CONTACT tab. Photographs to illustrate those essays are welcome. Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of articles in this folder.

JIM MCLEOD’S JAZZ TRACKS ABC 838 832-1, 1989

Reviewed by Bruce Johnson

Jazz Action Society of NSW, 1989 (date to come)

For someone with my interest in Australian jazz, this Jim McLeod’s Jazz Tracks album is a must. I bracket it with Southern Spectrum (Larrikin LRJ 231) as one of the most useful recordings to appear in recent months. I mean by that that I can see that they serve an important function, as well as being musically enjoyable. Let's face it - too many books are written, too many records made, too many things produced. 30 years ago we couldn't get enough jazz records. Now, I can't help wondering why a lot of them are made. Jazz Tracks and Southern Spectrum, however, have an important air of occasion, in the literary sense. They bring to our attention things that have not been sufficiently noted, they are important documents regarding the state of the jazz tradition in Australia…