John Shand Posts

November 19, 2017 / Album Reviews - Archive

GREAT (MGM/Planet) 7.5/10 This could have been the great album its title suggests, but then Fred Smith is not the first artist to mistake a single album’s worth of material for a double. Unexpectedly (given he is as Australian as an emu), Smith has given all the songs American settings,…

November 18, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

The Studio, October 30 7.5/10 This could be cast as a win for composition over improvisation, although one could attend Freedman Jazz happily oblivious to its being a competition at all, and simply enjoy a celebration of creative music. This 15th edition again emphasised the diversity of music performed under…

November 17, 2017 / Album Reviews - Archive

NAT KING COLE & ME (Blue Note) 7.5/10 It takes a certain vocal quality to even attempt this. Choose your own metaphor: whether velvet, honey or melted chocolate, lushness is mandatory, as is the ability to soothe. Nat “King” Cole was a primary influence on the young Gregory Porter, and…