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.

THE MIKE KENNY NONET AT THE SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, September 18, 2025

I’m of the view that jazz in many ways has gone backwards over the last 25 years, and is now in a parlous state, particularly in Sydney, where despite a marginal rise in live performance opportunities since the Covid pandemic, most professional jazz musicians are unable to make a decent living. Given this sort of pessimism, I was delighted, courtesy of the Sydney Fringe Festival, to come into contact with a positive phenomenon which hitherto has escaped my attention, and which could bode well for jazz into the future, depending on how widespread it is: the excellent work which a jazz-loving music teacher can do in various schools to benefit jazz…

SYDNEY FRINGE FESTIVAL: TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JUDY BAILEY

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, September 19, 2025

Dr Judy Bailey OAM died aged 89 on Friday August 8, 2025, at Estia Health Willoughby where she had been resident since early 2021. Among other health concerns, she suffered from mild cognitive impairment as a result of a failed anaesthetic during a hip replacement operation. It’s unlikely that, had she lived, she would have been able to attend this event. Instead it served as a posthumous tribute by several leading musicians who often played with her bands in the past. Lane Cove Council’s deputy mayor Bridget Kennedy introduced the event and welcomed members of Judy’s family: Chris De Gray, his wife Vicki and their two sons Connor and Austin…

JOHN HARKINS QUARTET AT THE MANLY JAZZ FESTIVAL

Reviewed by Eric Myers

Sydney Arts Guide, September 27, 2025

In 1978 I attended the very first Manly Jazz Carnival, and am surprised I’ve lived long enough to attend the 2025 event, now in its 48th year. It became the Manly Jazz Festival in the early 1980s, and from 1987 the Manly International Jazz Festival before “International” was removed by the local Council in the 90s. Given the crowds on the Manly peninsula on September 21, when I attended, it appears that the recent relocation of the festival from the October Labour Day long weekend to mid-September, has not dimmed the public’s enthusiasm for a full-on weekend of jazz music…