Bernie McGann - 1966 / vinyl LP

Released November, 2014.

This compilation documents part of an exciting, and somewhat neglected period in Australasian jazz. Recorded in Sydney (1966), we can hear Bernie McGann was already one of the great Australian jazz stylists. But at the time the only publicly available recording he made was two tracks on the JAZZ AUSTRALIA compilation (1967) (CBS BP 233450).

All five tunes are also early recordings of two New Zealand greats - Kim Paterson and Andy Brown, who were living in Sydney at the time. Two years earlier, Bernie was living in Auckland (1963-64), and it was here that he worked regularly with Paterson, Brown, and pianist Dave MacRae, and the basis of this band came into being.

‘Lazy Days’, ‘Chuggin’, and ‘Sky’ were salvaged from a worn-out cassette in Kim Paterson’s collection, and presumably one of the very few remaining copies. The music was originally intended for a radio broadcast, but the master tapes were mysteriously destroyed after the session.

‘Rhythm-a-Ning’ and ‘When Will The Blues Leave?’ were taped by Trevor Graham at the Wayside Chapel in King’s Cross. Graham was a Sydney music journalist and ally of the avant garde, and had the foresight to capture some of what was happening at the time.

Some people may be offended by the audio quality of the recordings, but it’s the vitality of the music that matters. What we are hearing are field recordings of a major artist in strong company.

Limited edition of 500 copies with heavy tip-on sleeve.