Reviews
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Creatures of the Half Sleep – John Reeves Trio
Step into the world of jazz pianist John Reeves, who is releasing his first CD ‘Creatures of the Half Sleep’, a collection of original compositions arranged for accordion! Here, we geek out over his beautiful instrument, and his journey with it so far. The John Reeves Trio has Helen Svoboda on double bass and Aaron… Continue reading
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Chong Ali at the Flamin’ Galah
Photography 📷 @le_akira Last year I reviewed Chong Ali at The Flamin’ Galah for Scenestr, but I never put it on my blog. In these Covid lock-down times I thought it would be good to relive some of that. I’ve reshaped it and have included more photos. Akira Le took all the photos, and it… Continue reading
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Review: Laughing Buddha by Chong Ali
Laughing Buddha is a new single by Vietnamese Australian emcee Chong Ali, who hails from Brisbane. It premiered on Australian music portal Tone Deaf on July 23 2019. I love this. Chong Ali is a poet. With a big heart and a fighting spirit, he is an inspirational voice for his community. More about him… Continue reading
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Estampa @ Brisbane Jazz Club
This review was first published in Scenestr and the Brisbane Jazz Club website. Fancy some wine at a Parisian brasserie, or sharing tapas at a café in Rio? We packed suitcases, headed for the Brisbane Jazz Club on Thursday July 11, and got on a plane with Estampa for a musical sojourn of samba, gypsy… Continue reading
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Sunset Symphony – music in a Kudat paradise
The photographs in the book were better, supplied by the Sabah Tourism Board. But Kudat manages to shine, even with what I have here. [Excerpt from: Funk, Joanna. SabahSongs: Contemporary Music in Sabah. Kota Kinabalu: Opus Publications, 2013. 44-50. Print.] The story was first published in my blog SabahSongs before the blog became a book.… Continue reading
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Blues Arcadia EP review
Blues Arcadia’s debut EP by the same name is seven original songs running the gamut of the blues. These musicians are the real thing with nothing to hide. Recording live to tape meant absolute commitment to every moment of the songs. Blues Arcadia Songwriters Alan Boyle (vocals) and Chris Harvey (guitar) make our world a… Continue reading
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Blues Arcadia at Lefty’s Old Time Music Hall
Originally published in Scenestr. Blues Arcadia guitarist Chris Harvey said before the gig, “At Lefty’s, they’re there to party, and we’re there to help them. So that’s what we do. Bang bang, it’s quite electrifying. We’re there to work the audience. Get them to that bar, get them on to the dance floor. So it’s… Continue reading
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Chris Poulsen Trio review in Scenestr
Here is the link to Chris Poulsen Trio published in Scenestr magazine. Continue reading
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Chris Poulsen Trio at Brisbane Jazz Club
[Originally published in Scenestr] How sweet it was to be blown away by the sheer exuberance of the Chris Poulsen Trio on Friday (June 17) at the Brisbane Jazz Club. With Poulsen on keyboards/synth, Jeremy O’Connor on electric bass and ukulele bass, and Dan Smith on drums, these musicians delivered a stellar night to a… Continue reading
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Galapagos Duck review in Scenestr
Here’s the review in Scenestr. Continue reading
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Galapagos Duck at Brisbane Jazz Club
It was still daylight and there was a queue outside the Brisbane Jazz Club on Annie Street, Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. Full house then? I asked. Continue reading
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Joe Fritz and his All Stars at BJC
Hungarian clarinettist Joe Fritz’s tone is the cream on an Irish coffee in winter. He plays melodies which weave in-and-out and break your heart with their unpredictable prettiness. He was at the Brisbane Jazz Club playing the music of Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and plenty of driving, straight-ahead jazz. His sidemen were sublime. A tight… Continue reading
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Joe Fritz and his All Stars at BJC review
Hungarian clarinettist Joe Fritz’s tone is the cream on an Irish coffee in winter. He plays melodies which weave in-and-out and break your heart with their unpredictable prettiness. He was at the Brisbane Jazz Club playing the music of Benny Goodman, Woody Herman, and plenty of driving, straight-ahead jazz. His sidemen were sublime. A tight… Continue reading
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Heart and Spirit: Orchestra Corda Spiritus VIDEO
Londonderry Air by Orchestra Corda Spiritus What do you call a bunch of guys who play with heart and spirit? Director Stephen Wu said the orchestra’s name came about in the mid ’90’s. Continue reading
About Joanna
Joanna is British Australian. She worked mainly in financial news in London. In her forties she moved to her parents’ birthplace, Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo. She became a pianist at the Jesselton Hotel in Kota Kinabalu and wrote a blog about musicians, which was popular among Sabahans at home and abroad. The blog was turned into a coffee table book when the Ministry of Tourism and Culture expressed interest. Joanna came to Australia in 2012. This is her second blog.
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