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.

INVENTIVENESS IN TEN PARTS

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

On The Street, July 25, 1988

Like all arts in which men have outnumbered women, jazz has its macho side. Musicians who judge others on their ability to "eat up the changes at any tempo". The equivalent of rock guitar heroes. But there is another stream, inhabited by gentle and often eccentric souls like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Thelonius Monk and Albert Ayler, for whom expression, inspiration and beauty are paramount. This is the stream to which Sandy Evans belongs. It is the stream that has drawn many female musicians to jazz in recent years, and it is the stream from which many of the great innovations rise. Without people like Sandy Evans, many of us would have lost interest in this music long ago…

SANDY EVANS WITH TEN PART INVENTION

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, August 1, 1988

The performances of Sandy Evans's Unidentified Spaces suite by Ten Part invention not only established Evans as a major jazz composer but also highlighted the ensemble's ability to step far beyond the mainstream to realise the full potential of jazz as an expressive medium. The first movement had a dramatic effect on audiences casually seated with drinks. The hush of a concert hall fell as the initial themes were played in relay by Bernie McGann, alto, Evans, tenor, Miroslav Bukovsky, trumpet, and James Greening, trombone. Here Evans revealed an Ellingtonian ear for the right player in the right place…