Frightening creatures of the night are actually the last things that come to mind when taking in Jay Vinai's Vampire Suit. Dramatic string sections mix with free-styling guitars, lively horn parts, and sparse percussion to create an airy, festive, free-formed atmosphere. The New York band pulls off the smelting of worldly styles with a beautiful touch.
Vampire Suit creates a highly personal musical texture that takes you from the tribal dances of North Africa to the marshes of the Balkans. The band’s unique sound comes from drawing on rhythms and forms of musical traditions from around the world and infusing them with ideas and harmonies from jazz, 20-century music, blues and other modern genres. The result is a musical journey that is at once personal and global, music that is at the same time unmistakably modern, yet feels old and familiar, a new tradition for a generation that hails from so many traditions.
Over the past 18 months Vampire Suit has been bringing its unique music to listeners all over New York. Whether it’s demanding jazz audiences in clubs like Sweet Rhythm, Cornelia Street Cafe or Barbes, or sophisticated rockers at places like CBGB, Vampire Suit has touched people in a profound way. Managing to avoid categorization, the band speaks to music that exists in our collective unconsciousness in its intensity, directness and beauty.
'If you are interested in Balkan/Middle Eastern New York Edition fusion, check out Jay Vilnai's Vampire Suit... it has been hitting the city with poly-cultural textures and sounds. Open your ears to something off the typical beaten path.'
- Gotham Jazz News