By Des Cowley.
A highlight of last year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival (MIJF) was a two-night showcase of music by artists associated with the Earshift Music label, founded in Sydney by saxophonist Jeremy Rose in 2009.
While label showcases are nothing new, they are rare in this country, where most independent labels – especially those promoting jazz and improvised music – struggle to build a body of releases sufficient to warrant it. It’s more something we associate with international labels like Blue Note or Manfred Eicher’s ECM label.
With around a hundred releases on its books, there was no dearth of Earshift acts for MIJF to choose from. In the end, five separate ensembles – comprising some seventeen musicians – played Chapel Off Chapel in Prahran: Hilary Geddes, Visions of Nar, James Bowers, Raki, and Jeremy Rose’s latest project Infinity II. Trust me when I say there wasn’t a dud among them. These performances, embracing sonic journeys, powerhouse improvisations, world beats, First Nations storytelling, felt like a state-of-the-art report card on where jazz and improvised music in this country is, and where it’s headed.
It remains a mystery how Rose finds the time. You’d be forgiven for thinking that running a label would be a full-time job, but that’s the least of his accomplishments. As a musician, he fronts successful Sydney band The Vampires, along with the Jeremy Rose Quartet, and The Earshift Orchestra. In addition, he is a key member of ethno-jazz outfits Visions of Nar, Vazesh, and the Strides. To date, he’s released some sixteen albums under his own name, or with The Vampires. As if that’s not enough, he separately lists his interests as: record collector, amateur triathlete, music fanatic, keen surfer, and gardener. I feel weak just thinking about it.
Hard to believe, then, that Earshift came about by chance. In 2008, Rose approached Sydney drummer Simon Barker about releasing his quartet album Chiba, recorded in Oslo, on Barker’s independent label Kimnara. As Rose recalls: “Simon offered a piece of advice that proved pivotal: he suggested I start my own label instead.” At the same time, Rose had two other albums looking for a home: The Strides self-titled debut album, and Chellowdene by The Vampires. “Those three albums collectively became the impetus for founding Earshift Music, with The Strides ultimately released as EAR001.”
While Earshift might have been founded as a vehicle for Rose’s music (he plays on 13 of the first 15 releases), things began to change around 2018, when the label began releasing a growing number of albums by other artists, both new and established: Steve Barry, I Hold the Lion’s Paw, James Macaulay, Sam Anning, Ellen Kirkwood, Scott McConnachie, Kristin Berardi, Sam Gill, Phil Slater.
When I query what was behind this shift, Rose replies: “It wasn’t a conscious strategic pivot but more a natural extension of how the label had always functioned. These were close friends that I was deeply connected with, and whose work I believed in – collaborators, or musicians I was already creatively invested in. Once I had the infrastructure of the label established, it didn’t feel like a giant step to include their work as well. Expanding the label to include these releases was about supporting one another and building a community.”
For Rose, it is patently obvious how difficult it is for independent musicians to navigate the system on their own: “Most musicians I see releasing their music independently have little impact beyond their own grassroots audience. Even releases supported by major national platforms, like ABC Jazz, often struggle to travel beyond Australia. Earshift’s goal was to provide an international platform for music from this corner of the world, and put into place durable systems that can streamline this process and build on the Earshift network – distribution, promotion, and relationships – that artists could plug into. At its core, the label has always been about mutual support, shared visibility, and community, rather than growth for its own sake.”
There’s no question that Earshift’s burgeoning roster was single-handedly responsible for some of the most exciting jazz being released in this country at the time. Since then, Rose has championed a new generation of players and composers, including Ellie Hoyt, Johannes Leubbers, Chloe Kim, Helen Svoboda, Niran Dasika, Cheryl Durongpisitkul, Tom Avgenicos, Tessie Overmyer, Hilary Geddes, James Bowers. It stands as a who’s who list of contemporary jazz in this country.
But don’t expect to come across photos of Rose in the studio, hunched over the mixing desk, commensurate with those iconic shots of Manfred Eicher or Rudy van Gelder. As he acknowledges: “Earshift operates primarily as an artist-led, service-based label, rather than a traditional production house. Artists usually approach the label with a project that is well underway, often at the mixing stage or completely mastered. From there, my role is to assist shaping the release: building the surrounding assets, refining the narrative, coordinating artwork and promotional materials, overseeing manufacturing where relevant, and connecting with our international distributors.”
I wondered whether his role could be likened more to that of a curator of a contemporary art gallery, choosing in effect what might be shown: “In a sense, I do act as a curator. The label only releases music I genuinely believe in and that feels aligned with the Earshift ethos. It’s always been about celebrating distinctive voices and giving them the best possible chance of being heard on an international level.”
Following on from the Earshift showcase in Melbourne last year, Rose further partnered with MIJF and the London Jazz Festival to present his large-scale composition Disruption!: The Voice of Drums at the Barbican in London. Subsequently, it was performed in Berlin, and at Poland’s Jazztopad Festival.
I was interested to learn how audiences there responded to this local music on a major international stage: “The audience reception of Disruption! was especially striking – those who know of the project will understand how it subverts familiar jazz hierarchies by placing rhythm-and-the-drum at the centre of the music. The combined energy of drummers Simon Barker and Chloe Kim is both confronting and transformative for an audience. Reactions varied from stunned silence to being overwhelmed. Simon Barker told me that one of the Polish musicians backstage was screaming at him with his mind blown. All the shows were sold out and the standing ovation at Jazztopad was particularly memorable. It confirms the distinct nature of this project – how it is unlike anything people have heard – and the importance in believing in yourself, and offering something true to yourself. What’s the point in playing original music that’s indistinguishable from what’s being played in the US. We need to have something unique to offer.”
Rose’s role in exposing international audiences to Australian jazz is a critical initiative, helping fill the gap left vacant by diminished government funding. “Yes, Earshift has been steadily building an international presence well beyond Australia, not only through touring but through consistent overseas reviews and relationships with presenters, festivals, and media. The interesting thing is that I see myself first and foremost as an artist trying to build an ecosystem rather than as a traditional record label. Increasingly, that comes with a sense of responsibility to advocate for this music internationally. Through my own touring and networks, I’m able to open the doors and create pathways for other artists, and when one project gains momentum, it helps lift the broader community with it.”
It can’t be an easy road, navigating the ever-evolving habits of listeners with their manifold options: physical product (CDs and vinyl), digital (via Bandcamp), or streaming. Then there’s the arduous slog of distribution. Rose is sanguine: “Earshift releases are distributed digitally worldwide via MGM Distribution, who also handle national physical distribution in Australia, while Proper Music Group manages physical distribution in the UK and selected international markets. Alongside this, artists sell records directly at gigs, and Bandcamp remains a crucial pillar for both physical and digital sales.”
He continues: “Bandcamp, in particular, has been vital for independent labels as it provides direct-to-fan access to actively support artists – something that still feels meaningful in an era dominated by streaming. It’s genuinely encouraging that people continue to purchase digital albums, even though they can technically stream it for free. There’s a relatively small but incredibly important community of listeners that continue to value ownership and directly support physical media, and we’re grateful that this ecosystem still exists.”
What lies ahead? Rose is philosophical: “As for whether it’s getting easier or harder to get music out there: it’s both. Meaningful visibility is increasingly difficult, but what helps sales is being more pro-active about how we engage with our audience – stronger release campaigns, regular community updates via a monthly newsletter, and initiatives like discounts or curated Bandcamp pushes. Our sales have continued to grow but that’s come about from sustained engagement more than anything else.”
When it comes to Earshift releases, I can point to a long list of personal favourites: the Vampires collaborative outing with pianist Chris Abrahams on Nightjar (2023), Vazesh’s Tapestry (2024), Sam Anning’s magisterial Across the Field as Vast as One (2018), or Helen Svoboda’s weirdly evocative The Odd River (2023). I was curious about whether there are any specific Earshift records that Rose is especially proud of: “Haha, thanks. Yes – Nightjar would have to be on there. Phil Slater’s The Dark Pattern would have to be another. Peter Knight and TLDR is another recent gem, as is most of Sam Anning’s and Helen Svoboda’s releases. Oh no, once I start listing them, I think of all the other amazing music on there that I love – Sunny Kim, Hilary Geddes, Niran Dasika, the list goes on.”
There’s little doubt in my mind that Earshift label is crucial to the fabric of improvised music in this country. Rose, via Earshift provides leadership, champions gender equality and diversity in jazz, and fosters musical risk-taking that bigger labels shy from. At the same time, the label remains indie to its roots. When Rose visits Melbourne to perform, he can generally be found in his off-time visiting local record stores, like Northside or Rocksteady Records, hand-delivering Earshift releases.
When Rose first launched Earshift back in 2009, there were other labels actively releasing jazz in this country – notably Jazzhead (founded by Joe Camilleri in 1996), Newmarket, Rufus, Jazzgroove. Sadly, a combination of financial stresses, the rapid growth of digital and streaming, and who knows what else, have put paid to most. Those remaining tend to have a glacial rate of production. In such a challenging climate, the continuing presence of a label like Earshift takes on even greater significance.
Rather than slowing down, Earshift appears to have instead hit the accelerator. With an ever-expanding schedule of releases – thirty albums in 2024/25 alone – it strikes me that if future historians succeed in coming to grips with the state of improvised music in this country throughout the first quarter of the twenty-first-century, it will be in no small measure due to Rose’s efforts.
Jeremy Rose performs with The Vampires at Birds Basement in Melbourne on 20 February 2026