JAZZCHORD ARTICLES

Between 1993 and 2002, 53 editions of the bi-monthly magazine JazzChord were published as part of the National Jazz Co-ordination Program. This folder includes a selection of articles from those editions. Articles published in JazzChord appear on this site also in the JOHN CLARE, JAZZ CO-ORDINATION, BOOK REVIEWS, CONTRIBUTIONS and OBITUARIES folders. Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of articles in this folder.

12TH TAC WANGARATTA FESTIVAL OF JAZZ 2001

by John Clare

JazzChord, Dec 01/Jan 02

There are morons in Sydney who call Melbourne 'Bleak City', having no receptors for the subtle and intense atmospheric changes of our most fascinating capital. But everyone I know loves Melbourne, and at any rate all that nonsense is left behind when we meet at Wangaratta. Therefore I was distressed to hear rumours of a jihad stirring in the warm South. Some Bin Laden type was howling a prophecy that would madden the remotest resident of Reservoir with dreams of paradise. If enough hatred was directed north, infidel Sydney would explode in time loop for ever and ever and ever. On the first night I did encounter some infantile chauvinism. A group of good old southern boys gave the stranger the dead eye each time he tried to be friendly…

JAMES MORRISON’S INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

by Eric Myers

JazzChord, Mar/Apr, 1996

James Morrison is more than just a major jazz artist in this country. He's now a national celebrity, who is as well-known to the general public as many commercial television stars. Suspicious of such conspicuous success, some critics find it difficult to regard him as a serious musician. As a result, James's fans in the jazz world have often defended him from charges that he is merely an entertainer. In a recent edition of 24 Hours Jim McLeod, reviewing the CD Live In Paris by James's international septet The Hot Horn Happening, observed: "In a sense it might be regarded as James Morrison's first real jazz album, completely away from attempts to entertain above all, and to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. That's not to say that this isn't entertaining, but it should be free of accusations of 'circus tricks'."

THE 1998 BELLINGEN JAZZ FESTIVAL

by Eric Myers 

JazzChord, Summer, 1998/99

I have a feeling that I've not heard the Bellingen Jazz Festival at its very best. When I last attended, in 1994, it rained throughout most of the weekend, washing out most of the outdoor events. But, despite the somewhat chaotic re-scheduling that had to take place, I left believing I had attended a marvellous festival. So it was again in 1998, on August 14-16, a weekend dominated by rain and mud but accompanied by fine music to lift the spirits. Bellingen, situated in a rain forest area on the mid-North Coast of NSW, is such a nice place to be, with such a lovely ambience, that it was a great pleasure to be there once again, even if one was trudging around under an umbrella for most of the weekend…