MISCELLANEOUS POSTINGS

This folder includes miscellaneous articles on jazz subjects, including performance and album reviews, written by Eric Myers, which may or may not have been published elsewhere. Readers can click on the INDEX button to peruse a list of contents in this folder.

A MEMORABLE TRIBUTE TO THE LEGENDARY CHUCK YATES

Compiled by Eric Myers

April 3, 2025

Stella Yates writes: On Sunday, March 16, 2025, we gathered to honour my father Chuck Yates’s memory. His wake was a moving testament to his life and the impact he had on those around him. The evening was filled with laughter, love, respect, and warmth from all who attended. The atmosphere was vibrant, a genuine celebration of his full life, with great music and heartfelt stories. I felt his presence, and it was a truly beautiful and shared evening by all. Lost in the moment, I regret not having captured more of these precious memories with my camera…

DAN BARNETT BIG BAND AT THE LOUNGE

Reviewed by Eric Myers

May 16, 2025

Jazz concerts at the relatively new venue The Lounge in The Concourse at Chatswood, have so far been a tonic, enabling the presentation of jazz in pristine conditions, including importantly the presence of a lighting technician and a sound technician.  I cannot think of a jazz venue in Sydney which currently competes with The Lounge in terms of these facilities. On May 8 the Dan Barnett Big Band presented a delightful program of big band music, adroitly avoiding many of the tired old workhorses which can often weigh down such a repertoire, particularly if a band merely plays well-known standard arrangements. But even if some of those alleged workhorses were played on the night (such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Perdido and Take The A Train), they were invariably spiced up by exceedingly well-arranged versions, which always sounded fresh and interesting…

TRIBUTE TO ART BLAKEY’S JAZZ MESSENGERS AT THE LOUNGE

Reviewed by Eric Myers

June 5, 2024, The Lounge, Chatswood Concourse

It's entirely appropriate that Andrew Dickeson, one of our leading jazz educators through his work at the Sydney Conservatorium, should be presenting the music of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers. Why? Because of this music’s importance in the history of Australian jazz. From the 50s and 60s, it was highly influential, particularly with the generation of modernists built around drummer John Pochée, which emerged during those years. Other than Pochée those musicians included saxophonists Bob Bertles & Bernie McGann, and pianist Dave Levy, plus a handful of others who jammed at arguably the birthplace of modern jazz in Sydney: the Mocambo coffee lounge in Newtown. These young musicians went on to play highly significant roles in various groups which became central to the evolution of modern jazz in this country…