Spirograph Studies

Immersive, textural soundscapes featuring subtle movement, shifting colours, and a cinematic, post‑jazz/post‑rock aesthetic.

Beautiful ensemble interplay, with the quartet balancing spacious improvisation, melodic clarity, and a strong collective dynamic.

Thoughtfully crafted compositions that move between delicacy and intensity, inviting audiences into warm, expansive musical landscapes.

A distinctive, hypnotic live atmosphere, shaped by the group’s detailed, textural approach and genre‑blending sonic palette.

Spirograph Studies is a standout Melbourne‑based ensemble led by acclaimed bassist and composer Tamara Murphy, celebrated for their immersive, textural approach to improvised music. Blending elements of post‑rock, post‑jazz, and post‑minimalism, the group has carved out a distinctive sonic identity that is both cinematic and deeply expressive.

Formed as a collaborative quartet, Spirograph Studies features four of Australia’s most compelling improvisers and together, they create hypnotic soundscapes shaped by subtle interplay, rich textures, and a shared commitment to exploratory improvisation. 

Since emerging on the national scene, the band has toured extensively and earned considerable critical attention. Their debut album Kindness, Not Courtesy launched in 2019 across Australia and New Zealand, showcasing Murphy’s compositional voice and the quartet’s cohesive musical vision.

Spirograph Studies has previously graced Australia’s major stages including the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, performing as featured artists and sharing the bill with international luminaries such as Bill Frisell.

Continuing to evolve their craft, the ensemble released Melody Driver in 2025—a meditative, melody‑forward album that deepens their reputation for creating spacious, introspective, and beautifully sculpted contemporary jazz. 

Today, Spirograph Studies stands as one of Australia’s most innovative modern jazz groups, known for music that invites listeners into a world of nuance, atmosphere, and finely woven improvisation.