Things are afoot…

October 24, 2016

It is getting to the business end of the year now…

This weekend is the wonderful Wangaratta Jazz Festival 2016, and it proves to be a great one! On Saturday, I’m playing with four different bands, starting with Andrea Keller’s Transients IV, and ending with my very own Spirograph Studies! There are heaps of local, interstate and international bands on too – there will be so many things to see and hear. Can’t wait!
ABC Jazz are all over it too, they are recording both of the above-mentioned gigs and will also do a live stream of the Spirograph Studies gig – this will be happening it 10pm EST, so get online if you want to check it out!

ABC Jazz on Facebook

If you want a preview before this Saturday, you can head over to Youtube, where we have some little videos of what it is that Spirograph Studies does!

Time to be Still – Spirograph Studies

As always, hop onto the Gigs page to see every public gig that I’m involved in, and if you want up to date news, feel free to sign up to my mailing list. (Frankly, I’m not vey punctual with the mail outs – but when there’s something really good to see, I get my act together!) And you can always ‘like’ me on Facebook too!

Tamara Murphy – Facebookian

All News

Reviews

Spirograph Studies @ CJC Auckland - Live Review

The Melbourne group Spirograph Studies was exactly as described, modern and eclectic. In this quartet, there were no horns to carve out melodic lines. Instead, a guitar and piano spun intricate layers one on the other, focussing more on well-crafted motifs and harmonic development. There was melody but it was mostly implied, nestling comfortably among richly dissonant textures and emerging out of the subtle interplay. It was often voice-led but not as we know it and the overall effect was beguiling.

The playing was great but what also stood out were the compositions. What we experienced was an unmistakable Jazz Americana vibe. There were no actual Frisell tunes played but the great man’s essence hung in the air; residing most strongly in the interactions between leader Tamara Murphy and her bandmate Fran Swinn; Murphy the enabler and Swinn the ideal vehicle for realisation. As Swinn stroked the chords, the soulful utterances reeled us in; urged on by the bass. With music as delicately layered as this, no band member can afford veer off coarse and none did. This was a disciplined ensemble but in spite of that, the music flowed effortlessly. Their overall sound was warm and yet it tugged on the heartstrings, hinting at a distant sadness. The signature sound of Americana, where every note is weighted with nostalgia.

The other core band member was drummer James McLean. A drummer who showed his ability by responding appropriately to the textural subtleties and propelling the gentle swing feel. His brushwork was crisp and his stick-work understated so as to reside inside the music and not all over it. The pianist on the ‘Kindness not Courtesy’ album was Luke Howard, but on their Australasian tour, his role was alternated with Sam Keevers. I have heard Keevers before as he is a well respected Australian pianist. For a long period, he held the piano chair in the Vince Jones group (a coveted position held before him by Barney McAll). Having Keevers onboard during the New Zealand leg worked a treat. A skilled accompanist who knows a lot about supportive playing and comping. The piano and guitar interacting seamlessly and moving in and around each other’s phrases like dance partners.

The album titled ‘Kindness Not Courtesy’ is available from Bandcamp and the link can be followed here (spirographstudies.bandcamp.com/).The Auckland gig was at Anthology for the CJC Creative Jazz Club, 11 September 2019.

Spirograph Studies: Tamara Murphy (bass, compositions), Sam Keevers (piano), Fran Swinn (guitar), James McLean (drums).

John Fenton
Jazzlocal32.com September 18, 2019

JAZZ
KINDNESS, NOT COURTESY
SPIROGRAPH STUDIES
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Independent
Four stars
Published in the Weekend Australian, August 24, 2019
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Jazz of startling originality, difficult to categorize, has been streaming out of Melbourne for years. Kindness, Not Courtesy is an example. Seven originals by bassist Tamara Murphy and one by drummer James McLean are generally ruminative and minimalist, featuring beautiful harmonic changes. One might call this genre “textural jazz”, whereby no particular soloist dominates the sound mix with technical virtuosity. This is a collaborative venture with four players contributing sensitively to the whole. Still, there is individuality here. Lyrical pianist Luke Howard, while often unobtrusive, can also project strongly, with a very clear voice. Guitarist Fran Swinn, with a pleasing Bill Frisell influence, is a skilled conversationalist in the mix. While there is an appealing stillness here, the music also flares out, showing the influence of rock elements, while its inner music retains the majesty of jazz.

Eric Myers
The Weekend Australian, August 24, 2019