JOHN CLARE

This 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.

THE ENGINE ROOM: VIRTUOSITY WITHOUT PEDANTRY

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, April 21, 1989

The absence of jazz bores and the high attendance of young musicians spoke volumes for the continuing vitality of veterans Roger Frampton and John Pochée, and of their latest protege, the gifted young bassist Cameron Undy. Pochée and Frampton are still, happily, under suspicion from those old buffs for whom creative departures from convention and "correctness" will not be countenanced. In fact they are part of a stream of individualists who have invested Australian jazz with a distinctive energy. On Tuesday they paid Undy the respect of showing him no mercy as they launched into high-speed reconstructions of originals and standards, creating cross-currents that heaped the energy up until it broke in irresistible surges…

THE LAST STRAW AT THE PICCADILLY HOTEL 1987

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, August 11, 1987

It is probable that The Last Straw has kept a unique collective identity intact longer than any other band in Australian jazz or rock. Yet they can still sound remarkably fresh, and even futuristic. On Sunday, however, they began the evening with an unremarkable set, played to a sparse audience. Through most of the second set they sounded like a good, satisfying hard-bop band, but no more. Then the last number of this set, their old Latin-funk warhorse Atlantis, suddenly exploded as Bernie McGann's alto shot its bolts of energy off at every conceivable angle. Bassist Lloyd Swanton was moved to open his mouth wide and bellow, as if he could find no other adequate accompaniment to this extraordinary solo…

TEN PART INVENTION LIVE BROADCAST JANUARY, 1989

Reviewed by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, January 23, 1989

Listeners interested in the present as well as the past were astounded to learn that 1989’s main -"mover and shaker" would be a young man who allegedly plays the clarinet like Benny Goodman. No amount of Postmodernist theory can justify this sad comment on Australian jazz.  Fortunately, bands like John Pochée's Ten Part Invention blow it into the realm of obscurantism. Announcer Jim McLeod called it the most exciting larger jazz ensemble in the country, and the audience gathered for its broadcast from Bronte RSL were left in no doubt. The band plays original music with tremendous conviction. Youngest member James Greening, for instance, has one of the best trombone sounds I have heard and an original concept on the instrument…