JOHN CLARE

This folder 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”. 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.

ENGINE ROOM TO TOUR SOVIET UNION

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, November 4, 1989

On about the 13th of this month, the Soviet/Australian Jazz Quintet will come into existence. A month later it will dissolve. It will have been a singular experience for all concerned. On the 11th, local drummer John Pochée, bassist Steve Elphick and pianist, saxophonist and composer Roger Frampton will fly to Moscow to meet the two Russian members of their band. They don't yet know who they are or what instruments they play, but the five will appear in three Russian jazz festivals and numerous jam sessions. The locals go at the invitation of the Soviet Jazz Federation, which approached our National Jazz Co-ordinator early this year, proposing a series of exchanges. Various local musicians, academics and a critic were asked to nominate and vote for a suitable Australian contingent. It does no harm to reveal that I voted for the three winners…

THE ENGINE ROOM DRIVES SOVIETS LOCO

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald, (undated, late November, 1989)

John Pochée, Roger Frampton and Steve Elphick have played in a number of countries — including India, Poland, Britain and the United States — but something happened to them during their three weeks in the Soviet Union that left them in a state more closely resembling shell shock than jet lag. Three days after their return last week, I spoke to Elphick. "It was very hard," he said. Was it good? "Fantastic," he said quietly. His eyes wandered…

VISITING RUSSIANS: MUSIC THE LINGUA FRANCA

by Gail Brennan/John Clare

Sydney Morning Herald (undated, but probably early October, 1990)

When Russians Alexander Fischer and Daniel Kramer faced a crowded auditorium at the Manly Jazz Festival this month, they seemed more exotic than African drummers, Balinese dancers or perhaps even Eskimos. Until they began playing, they could only communicate with bows, smiles and "hello". The very idea of Russian jazz musicians evokes a complex of paradoxes, but as soon as they began playing these seemed irrelevant. They are artists. Jazz is the idiom they have chosen. If they had sounded like mechanical copies of Western models, bemusement would have hung in the air over everything they did. In fact, the originality of trumpeter Fischer was apparent almost as quickly as his brilliant technique and clear, powerful tone. Pianist Kramer was perhaps even more intriguing…