“State-of-the-art modern jazz at the highest level" - The Australian

The Vampires are trailblazers for a new generation of creative jazz talent from Australia, having gained critical attention worldwide by pushing the genre into new realms. Creating a distinctive sound that is undoubtedly their own, the band has garnered praise from US Downbeat (“phenomenal”), UK Guardian (“seductive genre hopping creativity”), The Saturday Paper (“one of my favourite albums of the year”) and All About Jazz (“gold all over”). The Vampires have received nominations for Australia’s ARIA awards, Bell Awards, AIR Awards, and were the first instrumental act to be short-listed for the Australian Music Prize.

The band has enjoyed success from their six critically acclaimed albums South Coasting (Jazzgroove Records), Chellowdene, Garfish, and Tiro, The Vampires Meet Lionel Loueke, Pacifica, as well as extensive touring and festival appearances over the past ten years, performing at the Love Supreme, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Jazzahead! Festivals in the UK and Europe, as well as every major jazz festival in Australia.

The band features saxophonist Jeremy Rose, trumpeter Nick Garbett, bassist Alex Boneham and drummer Alex Masso.

The Vampires’ music builds on the rich history of piano-less jazz quartets with a unique twist, adopting reggae, balkan, afrobeat and latin rhythms in unexpected ways. The dual saxophone and trumpet melodic lines have a strong sense of dialogue and emotional range – from exciting to soothing. The band draws on many influences, but have been compared to the likes of early Ornette Coleman, the Catholics, Bob Marley and John Zorn/Dave Douglas’ Masada.