The Vampires (band)

The Vampires are an Australian world-roots jazz group formed by saxophonist Jeremy Rose, trumpeter Nick Garbett, drummer Alex Masso and bassist Mike Majkowski in 2005.[1] The band formed in their final year of studying for their Bachelor of Music (jazz performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. The band has released six albums and toured extensively around Australia, Germany, the UK, Czech Republic, Austria and Italy. The band performs mostly original music by Jeremy Rose and Nick Garbett that draws inspiration from their travels around the world and experiences in life. The band has performed at every major jazz festival in Australia, the Love Supreme Festival (UK), Glasgow Jazz Festival, Edingburgh Jazz Festival, Jazzahead Festival (Bremen, Germany), and the Enjoy Jazz Festival (Mannheim, Germany).

The Vampires
OriginSydney
Genresworld-roots jazz
Years active2005
LabelsEarshift Music
Websitewww.thevampires.com.au
MembersJeremy Rose
Nick Garbett
Alex Masso
Alex Boneham
Past membersMike Majkowski

The band is considered to be trailblazers for a new generation of creative jazz talent from Australia, having gained critical attention worldwide and pushing the genre into new realms. With a distinctive sound that is undoubtedly their own, the band has garnered praise from Downbeat US (“phenomenal”), Guardian UK (“seductive genre hopping creativity”), and All About Jazz (“gold all over”). The Vampires have been nominated for Australia’s ARIA Music Awards, was finalist for Best Australian Jazz Ensemble and Best Produced Album at the Australian Jazz Bell Awards, was a finalist in the AIR Awards, and were the first instrumental act to be short-listed for the Australian Music Prize.

The band is currently living in different parts of the world - bassist Alex Boneham is an established presence in Los Angeles whilst trumpeter Nick Garbett lives in Lampedusa, Italy. Jeremy Rose and Alex Masso live in their hometown, Sydney.

Members
  • Nick Garbett (trumpet)
  • Jeremy Rose (alto, tenor and soprano saxophones, clarinet, bass clarinet)
  • Alex Masso (drums and percussion)
  • Alex Boneham (double bass, 2008-present)
  • Mike Majkowski (double bass, 2006-2008)

Collaborators
  • Jonathan Zwartz (double bass, 2014-2017, on The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke)
  • Shannon Barnett (occasional guest, trombone on South Coasting, Chellowdene and Garfish)
  • Fabian Hevia (guest, percussion, approx. 2009-2012, on Chellowdene and Garfish)
  • Ben Hauptmann (guest, guitar, 2014-2017)
  • Lionel Loueke (guest, guitar, 2016, on The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke)
  • Danny Fischer (guest, drums, 2016, on The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke)
  • Also one off performances with Matt Smith (guitar), Tobias Backhouse (drums), James Greening (trombone), Mike Rivett (saxophone), Peter Farrar (saxophone), Lloyd Swanton, Max Alduca, Rory Brown, Brett Hirst, Tom Botting, Noel Mason (bass) and a collaborative project with Zephyr Quartet.

Reviews
  • “In a head-bopping nod to the obvious, The Vampires play vamps. Yet, these are no ordinary vamps. Written and improvised melodies are beautiful and flawless, and the harmonies between the three voices (woodwinds, brass, bass) ring with pitch-perfect sonority. There is a sublime pacing to each of the tunes here, with strategic shifts in texture, tonality, tonality, rhythm or intensity twisting the narrative of each hypnotic groove into an ever-unfolding and irresistible arc.” **** Gary Fukushima, Downbeat
  • "This is such a good album that it's difficult to know which superlatives to start with.... This is state-of-the-art modern jazz at the highest level"****1/2 Eric Myers, The Australian
  • "Not only is the composing and improvising exceptional, it’s the Vampires’ best-recorded album, too.…carrying faint (and thrilling) echoes of the Art Ensemble of Chicago."**** John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald
  • “Simpler nature, yet equally expressive soundscapes… reminiscent of the fusion 'milestone' Bitches Brew.”**** Freidrich Kunzman, All About Jazz
  • "If jazz music is about continuously reinventing and staying on your toes, then 'The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke' is a phenomenal jazz record by a worldly, talented, and newly minted five-piece band."**** Chris Tart (Downbeat)
  • “It is gold all over. Original, melodically minimal compositions with hidden details scattered in every corner you look—covering nearly every topographic musical element and framed in a cohesive whole.”Friedrich Kunzman, All About Jazz
  • “One of my favourite albums of the year was a jazz recording.. …It’s beautifully constructed melody sounded so classic, so perfect, that it had already become deeply ingrained in my memory. Of course, I have been listening to this album a lot. This one’s a real winner.” David Faulkner, The Saturday Paper, Australian Music Prize chair
  • “Seductive, genre-hopping creativity: The references embrace reggae, classic Cuban son, high life, pre-electric Miles Davis and hints of Blue Note soul-jazz or Henri Texier’s cinematically scene-setting music..." **** John Fordham, The Guardian UK
  • "This was the perfect summer record that pulled off the trick of being both an ambient soundtrack to life on the move while remaining capable of standing up to concentrated home listening."Phil Barnes, All About Jazz

Discography
  • South Coasting (2008) - Jazzgroove Records[2]
  • Chellowdene (2010) - Earshift Music[3]
  • Garfish (2012) - Earshift Music[4]
  • Tiro (2013) - Earshift Music[5]
  • The Vampires meet Lionel Loueke (2017) - Earshift Music[6]
  • Pacifica (2019) - Earshift Music[7]
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References
  1. Cunningham, Ilsa (23 August 2007), "Vamping it up", Illawarra Mercury
  2. McBeath, John (8 March 2008), "Spin Doctor", The Australian
  3. Mitchell, Roger (26 September 2010), "CD reviews", The Sunday Mail
  4. McBeath, John (24 March 2012), "Music reviews", The Australian
  5. McBeath, John (5 October 2013), "Tiro (The Vampires)", The Australian
  6. Fordham, John (27 September 2017), "The Vampires/Lionel Loueke: The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke review – seductive, genre-hopping creativity", The Guardian
  7. Fukushima, Gary (July 2019), "The Vampires/Pacifica review", Downbeat
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