Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent, January 14 6/10 Hailu Mergia’s star waxed in the 1970s, when his Walias Band stampeded its way to being the first Ethiopian band to tour the US. Mergia stayed on to escape the military dictatorship that was driving music underground, but ended up driving cabs rather than…
John Shand Posts
Now This (ECM) 9/10 Gary Peacock, who turned 80 since this album was recorded, remains the preeminent living jazz bassist. He was a part of the 1960s free-jazz explosion with Albert Ayler and helped fashion the very bones of modern piano-trio jazz with Bill Evans, Paul Bley and Keith Jarrett.…
City Recital Hall, January 9 6.5/10 Finally Sydney Festival returned Australia’s improvising musicians to its program. Ignoring the musical treasures in its own back yard has been a monumental failure of knowledge, taste, programming and balance. That it was Stu Hunter who broke the drought was heart-warming. The pianist’s first…