“The guys in the band did such a great job of writing music to really bring Lionel Loueke into the group so he’s a fifth member as opposed to just a guest. I would have loved to be present in the studio just to watch the magic happen!”
Tag: The Vampires
Playing with the Vampires on this album has pulled some startling performances out of Loueke and, in kind, the band rise to his fire one catches oneself thinking they sound the best they ever have; then you realise the Vampires always sound this good.
I love guitar, it has the ability to convey an incredibly rich range of textures and sounds, and has a history of amazing players. However, when I choose collaborators, it is often based on the individual: Lionel Loueke and Kurt Rosenwinkel are both unique voices on their instruments, and aesthetically, I felt they were a great match for the respective projects I was working with.
Since 2011, The Street has put a spotlight on jazz when it began developing a national forum around jazz in Australia’s capital city through bringing leading jazz artists together in Canberra and creating endless possibilities for new audience experiences and expectations.
“Adding a guitar to the Vampires distinct chord-less sound world is of course new, however we feel that Lionel’s contribution will help inspire and spur us onto new musical territory. Nick and I have also composed music with Lionel in mind, and so the music will accommodate and make way for his unique style of playing.”
The horn unison passages have the extraordinary unity – bright and seemingly electrically fused – that characterised the famous pairing or alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman and trumpeter Don Cherry; while their solos are freely melodic, somewhat in the Coleman vein.
on ‘Brother Sykes’ – The band play around each other here, as if conversing, exchanging their grief – the feeling is one of a wake, funereal and puffed-out. It is a nod to the complete musicianship of Alex Boneham that the bass dominates here, expressing so much in answer to the gray-blues and watery mauves thrown at him by Rose and Garbett. All seems to happen underwater, beneath a heavy lid of mortality.
The Freedman Jazz Fellowships provide Sydney audiences with a mini-festival each year that features music by artists hoping to bring their exciting projects to life. We talked to the 2012 finalists about their projects and what the Freedman means to them and to the broader jazz scene in Australia.
With some colourful street art as a backdrop, The Vampires give a dimly-lit alleyway and a small group of passers-by a special performance of ‘All […] Read More