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.

JAZZ AND MULTICULTURAL MUSIC

by John Clare

JazzChord, Apr/May 2000

It is a weird, harsh and contrary climate in which economic globalism is deemed not only inevitable but a good thing all round, while multiculturalism is seen as a pollution that should be stamped out. In fact there is no contradiction. Globalism is monoculture and an unstoppable juggernaut. So what does this writer think of multiculturalism?

DOIN’ THE SATCHMO SPLIT

by John Clare

JazzChord, Summer, 1998/99

Who’s to blame for these noisy arguments as to whether jazz should be art or entertainment, whether jazz musicians should put on a show or - like classical musicians - simply nod or bow to their audience and just play the music? Louis Armstrong - that’s who!
 

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JOHN POCHÉE: NOT THE BITTER END

by John Clare/Gail Brennan

Jazz Magazine, Summer/Autumn 1986

There is a sense here, as in most places, of an underground, an esoteric brotherhood which has the real thing, and of an esoteric group of listeners (natch!) which alone has recognised it. Some of these listeners have taken to ink, usually with unfortunate results...