Steve Smith & Vital Information

“jazz with splashes of edgier sound sensations” – All About Jazz

Drummer Steve Smith has been touring and recording with his group Vital Information since 1983, making 2023 the Fortieth Anniversary of the group. The band celebrates the occasion with a newly recorded double CD, Time Flies. 

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, 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 and recording artists with multiple recordings to their names. 

The new trio version of Steve Smith and 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 and 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.” 

Smith, the former drummer for the iconic rock band Journey, has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has won numerous Modern Drummer Readers Polls including being named one of the Top 25 Drummers of All Time.

Recommended for Fans of Journey, Terry Bozzio, Steve Gadd and Peter Erskine.

Learn More: https://vitalinformation.com/