John Shand Posts

April 18, 2017 / Concert Reviews - Archive

Australian National Maritime Museum, March 18 8.5/10 They arrived on stage one at a time, each ritually striking a brass bowl that seemed to ring for about as long as our Prime Ministers currently last. This sense of theatre remained in play, partly thanks to the colourful clothing and exotic…

April 16, 2017 / Album Reviews - Archive

FIHI MA FIHI (baska.com.au) 7.5/10 Fihi ma Fihi means “it is what it is”, which is a fair summation of this Melbourne band’s blend of traditional Turkish music and dancefloor hypnosis. This mix is much more subtle and nuanced than bulldozing a 4/4 bass drum through the middle of some…

April 11, 2017 / Album Reviews - Archive

STRENGTH AND SANITY (Newvelle) 8.5/10 For some of us Booker Little was as great a jazz trumpeter as any. That this sentiment is not more widely shared is down to the fact that Little was dead in 1961 at just 23. He didn’t have much time, but with what he…