JOHN CLARE

TThis section is dedicated to the work of John Clare, who began writing in the early 70s, and has long been regarded as the doyen of Australian jazz writers. Helen Garner, in her preface to Clare's book Take Me Higher, describes how she used to cut out his writings under his Gail Brennan pseudonym and paste them into her diary. Originally she thought the articles were written by a woman. She describes his writing as "superbly literate and articulate, deeply informed, yet completely ordinary in tone, even at their most elated. A relaxed freedom flowed through everything he wrote. He was fearless. He rejoices. He celebrated. Years later, an art critic who admired him said to me: John Clare’s an ecstatic.” Many of John Clare's articles that were published previously in various publications are collected here. Click on the INDEX button for a list of articles in this folder.

ROGER FRAMPTON AND THE RESURGENCE OF CREATIVE MUSIC

by John Clare 

Jazz Magazine, Winter/Spring, 1984

Jazz, whether or not it once meant sex, became a non-specific word, like Dada. Unlike Dada, which is forever attached to an art movement of a particular time, its meaning could change with context and inflection. In certain contexts it has had a similar meaning to Dada: an approach to art which elevated the unexpected, the irrational; which played with the rules; which was crazy. Crazy, man, crazy. Man, that music’s gone…

ROGER FRAMPTON, PAUL GRABOWSKY AND DON PULLEN

by John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, March 3, 1992

Roger Frampton has taken more than his share of criticism for being "avant garde" (read: "I don't understand it, therefore no-one else can"), but his attempt to find mass appeal a few years ago showed that he lacked the pop sensibility. Thousands have the pop sensibility, but there is only one Roger Frampton, and he operates best when he takes for granted a certain level of musical curiosity on the part of the listener. As witness these two fascinating and deeply satisfying CDs...

A GIRLIE’S GLISSANDO: WENDY SADDINGTON AND BERNIE McGANN

by John Clare

Nation Review, 3-9 March, 1977

Back in the not so halcyon 60s, when Wendy Saddington was being encouraged to suffer and give us Janis Joplin style catharsis, I happened to meet her and told her what was on my mind. It seemed to me that few of the rock groups of the time gave her what she really needed. There was more to her than one level screaming. She eyed me blankly...