Earshift Music Showcases 2024: Celebrating 15 Years
We’re proud to be celebrating 15 years. Thanks for your continued support. We’ll be celebrating with some showcase events in Naarm/Melbourne (7-9 March) at the Jazz Lab and 11 -12 March in Eora/Sydney at Monday Night Confessions and Lazybones Lounge Marrickville, respectively.
March 7-9
Presented by the Brunswick Music Festival
The Jazz Lab
Earshift Music is proud to celebrate 15 years with a showcase presenting Melbourne’s most ground-breaking jazz stars. Koi Kingdom in a double bill with drummer Maddison Carter, who launches his new album ‘Polymorphic’. Jazz vocal treasure Michelle Nicole brings her quartet in a double bill with trailblazers I Hold the Lion’s Paw with guest Sunny Kim; plus Helen Svoboda’s The Odd River in a double bill with saxophonist Jeremy Rose featuring Andrea Keller, Tilman Robinson and Joe Talia.
Founded in 2009 and directed by Jeremy Rose, Earshift Music has released over 80 albums, representing the diverse cultural bleed and distinct musical voices of Australian jazz.
“…Earshift represents the fresh future of Australian music.” - nycjazzrecord
“Australia’s most significant outlet for jazz-related music.” Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday 7
Koi Kingdom
Maddison Carter ‘Polymorphic’ album launch
https://thejazzlab.com.au/event/bmf/
Friday 8
Michelle Nicole Quartet
I Hold the Lion’s Paw feat. Sunny Kim
https://thejazzlab.com.au/event/bmf2/
Saturday 9
Helen Svoboda: The Odd River
Jeremy Rose feat. Andrea Keller, Tilman Robinson and Joe Talia
https://thejazzlab.com.au/event/bmf3/
Thursday 7 March
Koi Kingdom
Koi Kingdom was founded in 2016 on a shared love of composing and performing original music as well as a mutual respect for each other’s craft which reflects their experiences growing up in a multicultural and globally connected country. All three artists are powerful composers, performers, and bandleaders in their own right. The group’s music lies outside genre boundaries while their distinctive sound is characterised by detailed compositions, instrumental virtuosity, and fearless exploration.
After releasing their second album in April 2021 Koi Kingdom have been working hard on their most ambitious project to date. Aiming to make the most of the special musical connection and shared creative vision these three musicians have found in each other, they committed to meeting weekly for the past two years to compose and rehearse for their latest album. This concept driven work is structured around a co-created native based in the koi world or rather ‘koi kingdom’ and touches on themes of friendship, loss, grief, rebirth, and joy.
The album draws on the genre defying precedents established by their first two records but reaches even higher heights through a greater cohesion of each individual’s creative strengths resulting in a sum that is truly greater than its parts.
Cheryl Durongpisitkul - Saxophone, Voice (Prose)
Marcos Villalta - Guitar, Keyboard and Percussion (Pink Milk)
Stephen Hornby - Double Bass
Maddison Carter album launch
Polymorphic is drummer Maddison Carter's latest venture, drawing upon his fascination for rhythmic complexity. Whilst blurring the boundaries of jazz and contemporary classical music, the compositions juxtapose tonal and atonal threads. The music shows an affinity for constructed, organised sonic space alongside vast improvisation. Electronic manipulation, tight interlocking rhythms, and vibraphone craft the distinct sound of this ensemble.
Jessica Lindsay Smith | Flute, & piano
Imogen Cygler | Violin, keyboard, & piano
Flora Carbo | Alto saxophone, & bass clarinet
Niran Dasika | Trumpets, effects, & synthesiser
Isaac Gunnoo | Double bass, & bass guitar
Maddison Carter | Drums, vibraphone, & composition
Friday 8 March
Michelle Nicolle Quartet
The Michelle Nicolle Quartet are well known for their diversity of repertoire. With eight albums and many Australian and international tours under their collective belt, they are celebrating their 25th year. Their recent album, The Bach Project richly embraces the music of J.S. Bach in their unique chamber jazz style. The quartet’s arrangements showcase the mastery of J.S. Bach’s compositions and add a flavour to the improvisational elements found (and sometimes lost) in these great works. Features her long standing quartet of guitarist Geoff Hughes, bassist Tom Lee and drummer Ronny Ferella.
“If there’s such a phenomenon as the perfect jazz singer, Michelle Nicolle is far and away my choice.” ★★★★★ The Australian
“These interpretations are apogees of an album from a vocalist and her band who have found their place in their search for creativity and taken it to another level with increased poignancy and international powers.” ★★★★1/2 Dingo Jazz
Michelle Nicolle - voice
Geoff Hughes - guitar
Tom Lee - bass
Ronny Ferella - drums
I Hold the Lion’s Paw feat. Sunny Kim
I Hold the Lion’s Paw is a sonic trip like no other. Led by ARIA nominated trumpeter-producer Reuben Lewis, this ensemble is a guide into an immersive world of twisted funk, electro-grunge and psychedelic jazz that will leave you with "the feeling of having stumbled into someone else’s LSD trip” (Sydney Morning Herald). This is music as assemblage, using the stage as a laboratory whilst practicing post-production sorcery in real time.
Joining I Hold the Lion’s Paw will be legendary vocalist Sunny Kim. Drawing from her life journey as a global nomad - Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Denver, Boston, New York and now Melbourne - Sunny’s artistic practice seeks to find meaningful connections to people, culture, and place through a dedication to self-discovery, deep listening, and collaboration.)
This is a first-time creative exchange not to be missed!
Reuben Lewis – trumpet, synthesisers, pedals, samples
Adam Halliwell– electric bass
Ronny Ferella – drums
Sunny Kim - vocals
Saturday 9
Helen Svoboda: The Odd River
The Odd River is Finnish-born Melbourne-based bassist vocalist composer Helen Svoboda’s surreal musical evocation of the collision of organic and inorganic, of the natural and unnatural.
Her driving inspiration is her environment, she is struck by the weirdness of what we have done to natural world - and happily admits to being obsessed with finding uncustomary sounds, and ways of playing her instrument. Her album under the same moniker has attracted critical international attention.
Helen Svoboda – vocals, bass
Andrew Saragossi - saxophones
Daniel Waddingham - guitar
“A musician who absolutely defies categorisation” The Music Show, ABC
Jeremy Rose with Andrea Keller, Tilman Robinson and Joe Talia
ARIA award-winning saxophonist and Earshift Music label director Jeremy Rose leads a trail-blazing career spanning twenty releases of original music with collaborative and solo projects across the world including The Earshift Orchestra, The Vampires, Vazesh, Visions of Nar, Project Infinity and the Jeremy Rose Quartet. Rose has performed at festivals, venues and concert halls throughout Australia, Europe and the UK, including recently touring Europe with guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and collaborating with Benin born Blue Note guitarist Lionel Loueke. His recent projects include collaborations with two members of The Necks - pianist Chris Abrahams on the ARIA award winning Vampires’ album Nightjar, and bassist Lloyd Swanton on the ARIA nominated Vazesh album, The Sacred Key.
“a pivotal figure” NYC Jazz Record
“his mastery in all aspects of his artistry makes him a creative force with which to reckon.” ALL ABOUT JAZZ
“Riveting improvisations from one of our best composers.” SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
Jeremy Rose – saxophone and effects
Andrea Keller – piano
Tilman Robinson – electronics
Joe Talia – drums
Monday March 11
Earshift Music Showcase
Celebrating 15 Years
Presented by Monday Night Confessions
Church St Studios, Camperdown
Cameron Undy
Ghost Frequency II - Resonance album launch
Sydney-based Cameron Undy presents the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Ghost Frequency solo guitar project, Ghost Frequency II - Resonance. Born from a fascination with rhythms of the African diaspora, the series elegantly captures the echoes of the ancestral dances, ceremonies, and rituals that have enriched the world of contemporary music. Like ghostly artefacts, these rhythms serve as both ancient relics and sources of inspiration, connecting the present to distant civilizations.
“Few musicians would possess more depth of talent than Sydney’s Cameron Undy.. this thoroughly intriguing and unprecedented album is a major achievement.” ★★★★★ The Australian
Delay 45
Led by award-winning trumpeter Tom Avgenicos, Delay 45 is a Sydney-based modern jazz group featuring close collaborators Roshan Kumarage (piano), Dave Quinn (bass) and Ashley Stoneham (drums). The group have gained recognition among peers, critics and audiences for their debut release Big Ears, with critics claiming "a bold new chapter in Australian jazz" (Sydney Morning Herald), and that they “have developed an approach to performing that is creative and individual…” (Loud Mouth).
"a bold new chapter in Australian jazz" (Sydney Morning Herald)
“(Delay 45) ...have developed an approach to performing that is creative and individual…” (Loud Mouth)
Tuesday March 12
Earshift Music Showcase
Celebrating 15 Years
Jeremy Rose & The Earshift Orchestra
Disruption! The Voice of Drums
Feat. Simon Barker and Chloe Kim
Ilex
Disruption! The Voice of Drums
Feat. Simon Barker and Chloe Kim
“Ground-breaking in concept and monumental in scale… It’s impossible to convey the breadth of this musical experience in a few words.” Ausjazz.net
Jeremy Rose and the 8-piece Earshift Orchestra bring a thrilling tribute to the timeless, visceral and disruptive power of the drum - Disruption! The Voice of Drums, featuring extraordinary drum virtuosi Simon Barker and Chloe Kim. This major work offers an opportunity to reflect on the current disruptive challenges we face, offering an immersive and healing experience. The work premiering at the 2022 Sydney Festival, winning the APRA AMCOS Art Music Award for Jazz/Improvised Work of the Year, and was presented at the 2023 Melbourne International Jazz Festival at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
ilex
ilex is the solo project of Sydney drummer, percussionist and producer Holly Conner.
Live sets combine experimental and industrial club tracks with heavy drums and driving rhythms; balanced with beautiful textural percussion, and amorphous sound-worlds.
ilex’s music draws inspiration from Japanese sci-fi, industrial techno and electro, drone music, and experimental sound art. Combining her eclectic influences, versatility as an instrumentalist, and production skills, she is fast creating her own unique and distinctive brand of percussion-meets-electronic music.
"Dynamic, powerful...an impressive display of virtuosic drumming....Highly theatrical, the sound and vision were highly impressive" - Eric Myers, Loudmouth Magazine 2022.
As ilex, Holly has performed experimental solo/live drum club sets supporting DJs such as Tzusing and industrial/punk/noise group Behind You; as well as creating ambient iterations of ilex for shows with artists such as Megan Alice Clune and Bluetung. She has performed at countless local Sydney electronic music nights, as well as the Sydney Opera House Studio as a Freedman Fellowship Finalist; and at the Sydney Biennale Art After Dark Series. In early 2023, ilex was chosen as FBI Radio's Independent Artist of the Week, following the release of her new single 'What is Soft is also Strong'. ilex's debut EP, Visions of Elsewhere, was released in 2021. The EP is ambient and introspective; exploring the softer, less traditional, and textural sides of percussion. Tracks feature samples of gongs, traditional drums, temple blocks, found objects; all warped with effects and heightened with sparkly, celestial synths. In late 2022 she released her follow-up single 'What is Soft is Also Strong' which was on rotation at FBI radio Sydney, and received airplay across the country. Her latest track "Kodamas" was released on the New Weird Australia ambient compilation "Fragile States".