jOHN Pochée BIOGRAPHY
This folder contains reviews and articles pertaining to Eric Myers’s biography of the late Australian drummer/bandleader John Pochée, who died in November, 2022, Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of reviews or articles in this folder.
Nicki Parrott
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…
PUBLICITY MATERIAL ARMIDALE JAZZ & ART FESTIVAL JULY 1990
John Pochée, sometimes known as 'the silver fox', was commissioned by the Adelaide Festival in 1986 to form the band Ten Part Invention, bringing together some of the most exciting talent in Australia. Bernie McGann, Pochée’s friend and partner for 30 years commands attention with his virile, inventive and searching style. Then there's pianist and composer, Roger Frampton, frenetic, exploratory and surprising. Add to this the original compositions of Miroslav Bukovsky and Roger Frampton and the rest of the band, and you have pure energy and innovation in jazz…
Bernie McGann
SPIRIT SONG
by Garry Lee
X Press, March 23, 1991
Spirit Song is a composition by Sydney alto saxophonist Bernie McGann which is featured on Ten Part Invention's debut, self-titled album through ABC Records. The idea of some 'spirit' guiding the destiny of this ten-piece jazz ensemble is probably far-fetched, but the musical friendships of some of the band's players go back to the 1950's. Their liaisons cover almost the entire history of Australian modern jazz with names like Pochée, Bertles and McGann occupying pivotal positions in its development. The band's existence owes, I suspect, much to the energy and commitment of drummer, John Pochée…