Eric Myers Jazz

sydney arts guide

This folder contains reviews written by Eric Myers for the Sydney Arts Guide, edited by David Kary. Readers can click on the INDEX button for a list of reviews or articles in this folder.

JAMES MORRISON QUARTET AT THE LOUNGE

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, August 26, 2025

When James Morrison performed at Foundry 616 in March, 2023, I was there with bells on, for the simple reason that Morrison, who is perhaps the only jazz musician in the country popular enough to sell out our largest concert halls, is rarely heard in the small jazz club. To my way of thinking the small venue is the best place to hear the art form of jazz, because of the intimacy that is possible in such a space. I was delighted therefore to discover that Morrison and his quartet were, for the first time, on the jazz program at The Lounge in Chatswood, a 300-seater venue which is virtually perfect for the presentation of jazz music. This series of concerts is now steaming along successfully every month, owing to the support of Willoughby Council…

THE SSO PLAYS PROKOFIEV MOZART & BEETHOVEN

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, August 31, 2025

This concert featured works by Prokofiev, Mozart and Beethoven but the spirit of another composer was in the air, even though no works of his were on the program: the Austrian Joseph Haydn, perhaps the best-known composer of the Classical period circa 1750-1800. The major 20th Century composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote his short 15-minute Symphony No 1 during the summer of 1917 at the height of the Russian Revolution.  He was staying in a country house with no piano available, so he took it upon himself to write a work from his imagination. It’s accepted that he wished to write a work with a Classical aesthetic, which has been described as “a gentle parody of, if not tribute to, the classical symphonies of Haydn in particular”…

EMMA PASK AT THE LOUNGE IN CHATSWOOD

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, September 15, 2025

Jazz singer Emma Pask delivered such a great performance at The Lounge on September 4 to a sold-out crowd, that I began to wonder why this excellent venue without fail seems to bring out the best in the performers that are featured there. Of course the musicians selected to be part of its prestigious monthly program – curated by Jackie Thomas-Piccardi and marketed by Jacqui Bonner – have in many ways been the pick of Australia’s leading jazz artists, so their quality is without question. Plaudits go to Willoughby City Council, as its support for this project has enabled the creation of a world-class performance space comparable to the best jazz venues of which I’m aware in several European or Scandinavian capital cities…