TMT by tamaramurphy

This is the debut release from Tamara Murphy Trio (TMT!). Available in digital and CD formats.

Press:
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Rhythms Magazine - March 2023

Melbourne bassist Tamara Murphy retired her long-running ensemble Murphy's law some years back. Of late, she's focused her attention on her quartet, Spirograph Studies, while continuing to perform with Andrea Keller, Nat Bartsch, Paul Grabowsky and others. TMT, however, counts as a brand-new project. Working in stripped-back format of bass/guitar/drums, the trio creates music with ample space to breathe, aided by a close-knit simpatico. TMT boasts a stellar cast: Steve Magnusson is one of our finest guitarists; and drummer James McLean is the go-to guys for a host of bandleaders. Along with Murphy, they instigate a mostly original program, with a few covers thrown in. Chief amongst these is an incendiary take on Lennon's 'Come Together', highlighting Magnusson's space guitar, which digs deep into the groove, teasing out the song's inner-mechanics. 'The Salt and The Sea', with its glacier-like tempo, finds the trio in Bill Frisell mode, the music shot-through with a warm glow of nostalgia. Them Yorke's 'Atom's For Peace' takes on a timbral, abstract demeanour, gentle and contemplative, while Bernie McGann's 'Brownsville' highlights the Monk-like aspect of the late saxophonist's work. The title track is a masterclass in slow-moving minimalist music: Magnusson's guitar uncoiling at a leisurely pace, drifting across bass and drums, a cosmos of emotion conjured by just a few notes. TMT attests to Murphy's love of nuanced textures, her deep desire to strip things back to essentials, uncovering the space within, a music at once unadorned, heartfelt and expressive.

Des Cowley
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Four-and-a-half stars

Published in the Weekend Australian, February 11, 2023

This impressive album, with immaculate sound, is from a relatively new trio consisting of musicians who know each other well, led by Melbourne double bassist/composer Tamara Murphy. Her two colleagues are well-chosen: guitarist Stephen Magnusson, co-winner with James Muller at the Wangaratta National Jazz Awards competition in 2000; and drummer James McLean, awarded the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship in 2016. With musicians at this level of excellence, expectations are high, and they deliver in spades. This is primarily a showcase for the unique artistry of Magnusson, a guitarist with a completely individual voice, who at will can flick the switch from lyrical beauty, where Bill Frisell has shown the way, to abstraction. Of the nine compositions here, Murphy has five, including a new version of her lovely tune Kindness Not Courtesy, with others including a nod to Australian repertoire in Bernie McGann’s Brownsville, and John Lennon’s Come Together. Murphy’s solos, built on taste and musicality, achieve a marvellous bass sound that is full-bodied without ever becoming strident.

Eric Myers

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Tracklist

1.	Come Together	4:20

2.	The Salt and The Sea	6:48

3.	TM	7:05

4.	Kindness, Not Courtesy	7:03

5.	Atoms for Peace	6:00

6.	Schrödinger Vs. The Cat	7:45

7.	Brownsville	6:08

8.	Way Back Home	7:04

9.	A Call, A Whisper	5:53

Credits

released November 11, 2022

Tamara Murphy Trio:
Stephen Magnusson – guitar
Tamara Murphy – double bass
James McLean – drums

Recorded January 3 + 4, 2022 at Adria Studios.

Recorded + mixed by Hadyn Buxton
Produced by Tamara Murphy and Hadyn Buxton
Mastered by Lachlan Carrick
Album layout by Luke Fraser

Huge gratitude to Stephen and James for being part of this project. They are spectacular artists and humans. Also huge thanks to Hadyn, Lachlan and Luke for bringing their aesthetic and artistry. Thank you to my family for their ongoing support, love and guidance.

Melbourne is a pretty great place to live as a musician. The community here is constantly growing but it still feels like a small town to me. I feel like we take care of each other – both in terms of artistic collaborations and connections but also through the constant support and friendship of the excellent musicians who make up this community. All of us come together in different permutations at various times – creating some projects which go on for years and others which are fleeting – but the continual exchange of ideas and growth of musical identity is always ongoing.

All songs written by Tamara Murphy, except:
Come together: Lennon/McCartney (Sony Music Publishing (Australia) P/L – APRA – AMCOS)
Atoms For Peace: Thom Yorke (Warner Chappell Music Australia Pty Ltd – APRA – AMCOS)
Brownsville: Bernie McGann (AMCOS)
TM: Stephen Magnusson (AMCOS)

TM is dedicated to Thomas Meyer.
Kindness Not Courtesy is dedicated to Tony Gould.

This project is supported by the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

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