Eric Myers was jazz critic for the Sydney Morning Herald 1980-1982, and for The Australian 1983-1987. He was publisher & editor of the Australian Jazz Magazine 1981-1986. After 20 years as a government-funded Jazz Co-ordinator 1983-2002, he returned to writing on jazz for The Australian in 2015, where he is now the jazz albums reviewer. He has a website dedicated to documenting Australian jazz history at www.ericmyersjazz.com
Situated on the corner of Shepherd and Knox streets, Chippendale, one finds the Knox Street Bar. The building has been owned for over 30 years by the sculptor and photographer Bjorn Godwin, who converted what was originally a garage …
Well, GOOD FORTUNE is certainly not an art film. On one level, it’s a rather quaint romp, which has its good points, and is often mildly amusing. Certainly members of the preview audience were prompted to laugh out loud at …
Pic Melanie Charles… Photo credit Shane Rozario
When a musical artist such as Brooklyn-born Melanie Charles is promoted as “renowned for her genre-blending fusion of jazz, soul, and R&B, layered with electronics and samples”, one doesn’t quite know what to …
Pic Samara Joy… Photo credit Shane Rozario
The 25-year-old American singer Samara Joy, nominally the headline artist of theSydney International Women’s Jazz Festival (SIWJF) performed under somewhat difficult circumstances: she had come down with a respiratory infection in advance of …
Pic Hiromi… Photo credit Shane Rozario
The combination of a jazz pianist and a string quartet is by no means new. One thinks for example of Chick Corea’s album My Spanish Heart which Australian pianist Joe Chindamo says introduc…
Pic Major Zulu… Photo credit Natasha Killeen
When I last reviewed Major Zulu in November, 2022, on the occasion of her closing the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival at Foundry 616, she had a beautiful band of young jazz musicians …
The works presented at this splendid concert, Beethoven’s violin concerto and Schubert’s Symphony No 4 were united by a common factor: both works were relatively unsuccessful during the lifetimes of the composers, and only came to the fore well after …
In October, 2017, I first heard singer Gregg Arthur on his CD Last Call which I reviewed for The Australian. Subsequently I heard him at the Camelot Lounge, where I was mightily impressed by his live singing on stage. …
Above pic : John Harkins Photo credit Cary Bennett
John Harkins, Jacob Graham, Andrew Dickeson, Warwick Alder on the Sydney Road Stage… Photo credit Caroline Speight
In 1978 I attended the very first Manly Jazz Carnival, and am surprised I’ve …
Above pic: the legendary Judy Bailey
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 …