Australian quartet the Vampires is a talented instrumental group using jazz as a springboard to leap into other music forms from around the world that broadens the appeal of their music. If that all sounds a little bit like how one might describe the Necks, well it probably isn’t coincidental.
From the get-go at their 2005 formation, The Necks has been the Vampires’ north star, providing a template for an instrumental group freed from the constructs of jazz even as they draw heavily from that genre. Fronted by primary composers Jeremy Rose (reeds) and Nick Garbett (trumpet), Noel Mason (bass) and Alex Masso (drums) complete this chordless quartet that has occasionally brought in a fifth member for a single album. That time has come again with their 2023 release Nightjar, and this time the temporary addition is none other than the Necks’ keyboardist Chris Abrahams.
Perhaps the main takeaway the Vampires get from their idols is that music isn’t a race, there are no awards for getting across the finish line the fastest. Thus, a track like “Game Changers” is unhurried but not for the sake of being slow. It instead affords the chance to actually feel the song unfold, and the purity in how the harmony develops calls to mind classic ECM Nordic jazz acts such as Jan Garbarek. The same could be said about “Sun Gazers,” which simmers and unfurls at a measured pace.
That all said, the Vampires – even with Abrahams sittin’ in – is no Necks clone, as their songs lack the minimalist incremental layering that is the distinguishing feature of that celebrated trio, as they put their own world fusion twist on it. Even though the opening horn motif of “Khan Shatyr” is actually lifted from a Necks tune from their 1990 sophomore release Next, the whole song gracefully wears reggae regalia and is keyed by Abrahams’ even-tempered piano development. Reggae and dub figure into a several other tracks here, such as “Ortigara” and “Nightjar.”
Abrahams’ subtle synth backdrops almost imperceptibly smooth out “Waves,” and Garbett’s trumpet harmonizing with Rose’s bass clarinet goes together just right. With the drums-free “High Plains,” it’s Abrahams’ fragile piano accompaniment that frames the precise framework for Rose and Garbett’s vulnerable expressions.
“Na Pali” is one of the few up-tempo tunes, but even here it’s a flow-oriented song, flowing right from one motif to another. Even more energetic is “Evergreen,” a song with Middle Eastern tonal colors over a happy, galloping beat and Abrahams facing off a synthesizer against his piano.
Since members of the Vampires have previously collaborated with each member of the Necks, Chris Abrahams’ inclusion in the former group is about as fluent as if he was with the band at its inception. That’s why Nightjar is an attractive entry in the Vampires’ catalog: it’s addition by addition.
Nightjar is out on May 12, 2023 from Jeremy Rose’s Earshift Music. It can be acquired from Bandcamp.
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