Continuing a string of NYC performances in support of its imminent release - 'A New Song', Vampire Suit will perform at the Tea Lounge, 837 Union St., Brooklyn on May 29th at 9:00 pm. The ensemble includes leader/guitarist Jay Vilnai, Skye Steele on violin, Greg Heffernan on cello, Gary Pickard on saxophone and clarinet and percussionist Rich Stein.
'The music has enduring beauty that touches on the heart of the Middle East's musical culture while exhibiting western flair. Open improvisations and the spirit of the belly dance coexist, encouraging the traditional undulated hip movements as a supplement to the solid instrumentation....' --Frank Rubolino Cadence Magazine
'A New Song' continues the concept that is at the heart of Vampire Suit's music - to forge musical materials from around the world into a new, unique whole - a new tradition for a generation that draws upon so many traditions - and to create music that taps into our collective unconscious, while being unmistakably new. The texture of the music defies definition, owing as much to Balkan and Middle Eastern rhythms, as it does to forms and harmonies of contemporary chamber music, with extended emotional improvising rooted in jazz and blues. The fire and spirit of folk dance music underlies everything, while the contemporary touches make the music a joy to the mind as it is to the body.
'Vilnai and his vampires get high marks for their utter unpredictability from track to track, their sheer joy they get from and give to the music and the various textures and sounds that emerge.' --Budd Kopman, All About Jazz
It has taken Vampire Suit over three years to record an album of new material. The time was necessary to develop in every aspect, from composition to performance to improvising. Now that it has arrived 'A New Song' stand as an powerful and original testament of the global reach of musical language and of the strings that connect us all. While it is immersed in the music of past cultures, Vampire Suit's music is a also product of its time, a time that can incorporate all these traditions into music that truly is 'A New Song'.
'If Bram Stoker's imaginary Transylvania had a jazz scene, the music might sound something like this.' --Jazz Review
'The music has enduring beauty that touches on the heart of the Middle East's musical culture while exhibiting western flair. Open improvisations and the spirit of the belly dance coexist, encouraging the traditional undulated hip movements as a supplement to the solid instrumentation....' --Frank Rubolino Cadence Magazine
'A New Song' continues the concept that is at the heart of Vampire Suit's music - to forge musical materials from around the world into a new, unique whole - a new tradition for a generation that draws upon so many traditions - and to create music that taps into our collective unconscious, while being unmistakably new. The texture of the music defies definition, owing as much to Balkan and Middle Eastern rhythms, as it does to forms and harmonies of contemporary chamber music, with extended emotional improvising rooted in jazz and blues. The fire and spirit of folk dance music underlies everything, while the contemporary touches make the music a joy to the mind as it is to the body.
'Vilnai and his vampires get high marks for their utter unpredictability from track to track, their sheer joy they get from and give to the music and the various textures and sounds that emerge.' --Budd Kopman, All About Jazz
It has taken Vampire Suit over three years to record an album of new material. The time was necessary to develop in every aspect, from composition to performance to improvising. Now that it has arrived 'A New Song' stand as an powerful and original testament of the global reach of musical language and of the strings that connect us all. While it is immersed in the music of past cultures, Vampire Suit's music is a also product of its time, a time that can incorporate all these traditions into music that truly is 'A New Song'.
'If Bram Stoker's imaginary Transylvania had a jazz scene, the music might sound something like this.' --Jazz Review
For more information contact All About Jazz.
