Steve Smith & Vital Information
Live performance at The Falcon, NY,The newest line-up of Vital Information features two virtuoso musicians with vast experience. Keyboardist Manuel Valera is a Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy-nominated artist, born and raised in Havana, Cuba, now living in NYC. Manuel plays and records with many of the New York jazz elite like Antonio Sanchez, Dafnis Prieto, and John Patitucci. Electric bassist Janek Gwizdala, originally from London and currently living in Los Angeles, records and tours with Peter Erskine, Mike Stern, and Randy Brecker and is one of today’s most in-demand bass players. Both new members of Vital Information are bandleaders in their own right and recording artists with multiple recordings to their names. The new trio version of Steve Smith & Vital Information collectively creates a powerhouse sound. Although the band is rooted in the straight-ahead swing of bebop, at times the group explores exotic time signatures from the world of South Indian Carnatic music and has arranged adventurous, funk-driven renditions of jazz standards. Seeing Steve Smith & Vital Information live in concert is a perfect opportunity to experience their high-level musicianship, sense of joy onstage, and collective virtuosic improvisation. Steve Smith had this to say about Vital Information’s philosophy: “Our music allows for individual expression and re-invention. We thrive on swing, groove, and creativity. We want to surprise each other every night on the bandstand with new ideas and, in the process, keep our audience ‘in the moment’ with us.” Steve Smith began playing drums when he was nine, growing up in the Boston area. After high school, he attended the Berklee College of Music, studied with Alan Dawson and Gary Chaffee, and worked with Jean-Luc Ponty during 1976-77, playing on Ponty’s landmark album Enigmatic Ocean. His seven years as the drummer with Journey (1978-85) was the time the group recorded their enduring body of work. In addition to leading Vital Information during the past 41 years, he has been part of several Buddy Rich tribute bands, worked with Steps Ahead, and played with such adventurous jazz musicians as Mike Stern, Dave Liebman, Ahmad Jamal, Larry Coryell, and Hiromiamong many others. Steve Smith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2017 and has won numerous Modern Drummer Readers Polls, including being named one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time. On September 20, 2023, Steve Smith was inducted into the Zildjian Cymbal Hall of Fame as part of the Zildjian 400th Anniversary celebration.
