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.

THE CREATIVE VANGUARD OF MICROFICHE AND THE ALBUM WITH TIME

by Ian Muldoon

August 3, 2026

Drawing on the rich history of jazz over the past century, some young Australian jazz artists known as Microfiche have drawn together the collective sensibility of the earliest New Orleans bands and combined it with their individual voices, their advanced techniques and new sounds including electronics, to weave rich tapestries of colour, rhythm, melodies and harmonies, in making some exquisitely beautiful sounds. For a decade I’ve been following this collective aggregation of Nick Calligeros, trumpet & electronics; Sam Gill, alto and soprano saxophones; Phillippa Murphy-Haste, clarinet, bass clarinet & viola; Holly Conner, drums, percussion & electronics; Novak Manojlovic, piano and keyboards; and Max Alduca, double bass/electric bass. Hilary Geddes on guitar replaced Manojlovic in 2026…

JOHN SANGSTER: MUSIC FOR FLUTEMAN

by Eric Myers

Jazz Magazine, Nov/Dec, 1982

 I think we can safely say that there is such a thing as a "Sangster sound", which is exemplified throughout his music — whether it be designed as instrumental jazz or written for a film, as in the case of his music for Fluteman. In other words, John Sangster's music is so individual — like that of the great jazz composers — that you only have to listen to two or three bars before you realise instantly that it's his characteristic writing. Sangster is masterly at evoking the moods of nature. His mysterioso alto flute lines and spare percussion (so effective in his theme music written for the TV series Harry Butler In The Wild) bring to mind immediately the melancholy feeling of the outback. His vibraphone, wind-chimes, lush strings and reeds writing can epitomise the rain forest, the feeling of the everglades. His music has the feeling of a man who is at home with nature.