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 TENTH WANGARATTA FESTIVAL OF JAZZ & BLUES 1999

by John Clare

JazzChord, Summer 99/00

It was said again, as it has been each year since the first of these unique festivals, that this was the best Wangaratta. I have not always agreed. 1992, the year of Arthur Blythe, will probably never be surpassed for me, but there has not been a year in which I did not have a rich, inspiring, and even triumphant experience. The triumphalism stems from the fact that this is a form in permanent terminal crisis. Australia has a remarkable array of talent in all areas of jazz, but a handful of them play jazz regularly. For instance, I know of only one big swing band that works weekly - that of Brad Child in Sydney. How many of our great traditional bands work regularly? A handful. And so it goes. Yet Wangaratta has displayed year after year an abundant harvest grown in rather mean soil…

A TEN PART INVENTION THAT SHONE SO BRIGHTLY IT HURT

by John Clare/Gail Brennan

Sydney Morning Herald, July 23, 1987

John Pochee's 10-piece band showed some of the inevitable symptoms of not having played in public for eight months, but in its second set all tentativeness lifted and the potential to be one of the most exciting ensembles in Australian jazz shone so brightly that it hurt. Well, it hurt in retrospect. At the time most listeners felt no pain, but after the dust had settled it was hard not to agonise over the limited opportunities for a band like this. Taking a more positive view, they do have two more jobs lined up — at the Piccadilly on Sunday 26 and Tuesday 28 — by which time Ten Part Invention should have reached the heights it attained in its second Basement appearance last year…

MELBOURNE JAZZ FESTIVAL 1998

by John Clare

Rhythms,  March 17, 1998

When Adrian Jackson claimed, quite accurately, that his festival had received rave reviews, it was suggested that this might have something to do with interstate critics being accommodated for the event. If this is a problem, it exists universally. Major arts festivals, and even some sporting tournaments, fly in critics and accommodate them. The budget for arts contributors is so miserable on most newspapers that there would be virtually no international or even interstate coverage otherwise. Being flown in and accommodated is ground zero. Critics are expected to take that for granted and give honest opinions. A festival in Queensland once flew me up there, but only after I had warned them that, while I appreciated the hospitality, it would not influence my opinions. They were very upset when my review appeared with its mild criticisms…