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| STEVE SMITH AND VITAL INFORMATION 40th Anniversary Tour TIME FLIES West Coast & East Coast Dates New CD STEVE SMITH AND VITAL INFORMATION 40th Anniversary Tour TIME FLIES Featuring Steve Smith (drums) Manuel Valera (keyboards) Janek Gwizdala (bass) WEST COAST DATES Wednesday, March 29, 2023 Grizzly Peak Winery 1600 East Nevada Street Ashland, OR 97520 https://grizzlypeakwinery.com Thursday, March 30, 2023 The 1905 830 N. Shaver Street Portland, OR 97227 https://the1905.turntabletickets.com/#/shows/400?date=2023-03-30 Friday, March 31, 2023 The Jazz Center of Bellingham Sylvia Center for the Arts 207 Prospect St. Bellingham, WA 98225 https://www.jazzcenterofbellingham.org Sunday, April 2, 2023 Musical Instrument Museum 4725 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85050 MIM.org EAST COAST DATES Saturday, June 17, 2023 Long Island Drum Center 86 Tec Street Hicksville, NY 11801 516-694-5432 www.lidrum.com Sunday, June 18, 2023 The Newton Theatre 234 Spring St. Newton, NJ 07860 973-940-6398 https://skypac.org Monday, June 19, 2023 Sellersville Theater 24 W Temple Ave Sellersville, PA 18960-2421 215-257-5808 www.st94.com Tuesday, June 20, 2023 Blues Alley 1073 REAR Wisconsin Ave. Washington D.C. 20007 202-337-4141 www.bluesalley.com Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Loft 129 129 Baltimore St. Cumberland, MD 21502 301-268-3970 https://loft129.org Friday, June 23, 2023 Rochester Jazz Festival Temple Theater 14 Franklin St. Rochester, NY 14604 www.rochesterjazz.com Saturday, June 24, 2023 Tri-C Jazz Festival 1407 Euclid Ave., Playhouse Square Cleveland, OH 44115 216-987-4444 www.tri-c.edu/jazzfest/ Sunday, June 25, 2023 Manchester Craftsmen's Guild 1815 Metropolitan Street Pittsburgh, PA 15233 412-322-0800 www.mcgjazz.org Tuesday, June 27 Mickey's Black Box 101 Rock Lititz Blvd. Lititz, PA 17543 717-723-8463 www.mickeysblackbox.com Wednesday, June 28, 2023 The Falcon 1348 Route 9W Marlborough, NY 12542 845-236-7970 www.liveatthefalcon.com Friday – Sunday, June 30-July 2, 2023 Birdland Theater (Downstairs) Birdland Jazz Club 315 West 44th St. New York, NY 10036 www.birdlandjazz.com NEW CD New Release From Drummer Steve Smith and Vital Information Time Flies (Wounded Bird Records WOU 9998) Street Date: May 5, 2023 2 CD Set includes BONUS CD: A Prayer For The Generations Featuring Tenor Saxophonist George Garzone Steve Smith - drums Manuel Valera - keyboards Janek Gwizdala - bass Special Guests: George Garzone - tenor sax on "Time Flies, " "Inception, " and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Mike Mainieri - vibes on "No Qualm." Drummer Steve Smith has led his jazz group Vital Information since 1983, making his new release TIME FLIES the 40th Anniversary recording. Smith, the former drummer for the iconic rock band Journey, has won multiple Modern Drummer Magazine readers polls including Top 25 Drummers of All Time, #1 All-Around Drummer for five consecutive years, and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. TIME FLIES debuts the new Vital Information with Manuel Valera on keyboards and Janek Gwizdala on bass. Artist: STEVE SMITH AND VITAL INFORMATION Title: TIME FLIES Artist Website: www.vitalinformation.com Release Date: May 5, 2023 Label: Wounded Bird Records Catalog Number: WOU 9998 UPC Code: 664140999824 steve smith drum pic by steve khan Produced by Steve Smith Recorded and Mixed by Kostadin Kamcev at Mozart Studio LLC, Little Falls, NJ Recorded Nov. 29–Dec. 4, 2022 Mike Mainieri's vibes recorded by Scott Petito at W. 72nd St. Studio, NYC "Emergence" kicks off TIME FLIES with a powerful and intricate composition by keyboard player Manuel Valera, a Grammy nominated artist and Guggenheim Fellow. Steve Smith's drum performance invokes the spirit of Tony Williams during his "Believe It" period. Bud Powell's "Tempus Fugue-It" requires a high degree of technical facility to play the up-tempo piece in a relaxed, swinging way and the new incarnation of Vital Information has the chops to play this classic with ease. "Time Flies" is an improvised groove piece featuring saxophone guru George Garzone. Manuel Valera's sophisticated reworking of "Darn That Dream" is a showcase for the brush mastery of the Vital Information bandleader. Another inventive arrangement by Valera, "Un Poco Loco, " uses the rhythm of the cowbell beat Max Roach played on the original recording, applied to the melody, to breathe new life into this Bud Powell masterpiece. Steve Smith performed Mike Mainieri's "Self Portrait" many times as a member of Steps Ahead; after a breathtakingly beautiful piano intro by Valera, the group has their own interpretation of this "stadium size" jazz/rock ballad. George Garzone sits in on tenor sax for McCoy Tyner's "Inception" and inspires the group to dizzying heights. "Choreography in Six, " a new jazz/rock anthem co-written by Valera and Smith explores rhythmic, harmonic and melodic variations in 6/4. "No Qualm, " a Valera original, is the perfect setting to feature Steps Ahead bandleader Mike Mainieri sitting in on vibraphone. On Monk's "Ugly Beauty, " the trio takes an odd-time (5/4) and electric approach with Valera featured on Fender Rhodes. Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love?" starts with a sax & drum duet and morphs into a 7/4 vamp, setting up a highly original take on the melody. The song ends in classic Vital Information style with a tour de force drum solo from Smith. The album concludes with a mysterious and moody composition by bassist Janek Gwizdala, with Smith using his 34" Zildjian gong as a ride cymbal and probing solos by all three band members. Companion Bonus CD "A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS" During Steve Smith's formative years at the Berklee College of Music in the early 70s, he often played with saxophonist George Garzone's group The Fringe. Steve reached out to George and invited him to play a few tunes on the TIME FLIES recording. When that session was finished the group decided to continue recording together and explore stellar regions. George called Coltrane's "One Down, One Up." They played one high-energy take and decided to enter a space of "collective group composition." George suggested: "Let's play as if we are offering a prayer." The result is A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS Parts 1–8. Each piece was improvised and performed one time in the order presented on Disc 2. The players connected in a telepathic zone creating an acoustic/electric sonic landscape infused with question/answer, discovery and surprise, with pieces ranging from mid-tempo groovers, rubato ballads, 3/4 blues to up-tempo burners; A truly innovative chapter in the ever-evolving musical output of Steve Smith and Vital Information. CD ONE: TIME FLIES Steve Smith and Vital Information Featuring Steve Smith - drums, Manuel Valera - keyboards, Janek Gwizdala - bass Special Guests: George Garzone - tenor sax on “Time Flies, ” “Inception, ” and “What Is This Thing Called Love?”, Mike Mainieri - vibes on track “No Qualm.” TIME FLIES Tempus fugit is a Latin phrase, usually translated into English as “Time Flies.” I was curious about the definition after playing the Bud Powell composition “Tempus Fugue-It” and was at once inspired. TIME FLIES launches Vital Information’s latest incarnation and marks 40 years since the recording and release of the first Vital Information album in 1983. With this album Vital Information emerges with a completely new approach as a piano trio; but not a traditional piano trio. I envisioned a trio with a big sound and a wide conceptual range, from high-energy jazz-rock, “stadium” ballads, grooving odd-times to burning straight-ahead swing. For that I need two virtuoso musicians who could rise to the challenge of this demanding setting. Enter keyboard dynamo Manuel Valera and electric bass master Janek Gwizdala. Manuel is a creative and prolific composer/arranger and a powerhouse improviser. Janek has an orchestral approach to music, a deep pocket and the soloing ability to carry one-third of the solo space. Both Janek and Manuel are composers, recording artists and bandleaders. TIME FLIES presented a golden opportunity for collaborations with two of my favorite musicians, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri, the bandleader of Steps Ahead, a group I’ve had the pleasure of working with since 1986, and saxophonist George Garzone, who I played with during my formative years at the Berklee College of Music in the early 70s. Enjoy TIME FLIES, a 60-minute, 12-track odyssey with one of the most potent versions of Vital Information ever assembled! —Steve Smith TRACK LISTING 1. Emergence (4:41) (Manuel Valera) VALERAMUSIC ASCAP 2. Tempus Fugue-It (5:23) (Earl “Bud” Powell) Embassy Music Corp BMI 3. Time Flies (2:40) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 4. Darn That Dream (6:10) arranged by Manuel Valera (Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange) Jerry Leiber Music ASCAP, Music Sales Corp ASCAP 5. Un Poco Loco (4:43) arranged by Manuel Valera (Earl “Bud” Powell) EMI Longitude Music BMI 6. Self Portrait (5:56) (Mike Mainieri) Red Eye Music Publishing ASCAP 7. Inception (5:49) arranged by Walt Weiskopf (McCoy Tyner) Aisha Music Co. BMI 8. Choreography in Six (4:51) Manuel Valera, Steve Smith) VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 9. No Qualm (5:02) (Manuel Valera) VALERAMUSIC ASCAP 10. Ugly Beauty (3:39) arranged by Manuel Valera (Thelonious Monk) Thelonious Music Corp BMI 11. What Is This Thing Called Love? (6:54) arranged by Manuel Valera (Cole Porter) Warner Bros Inc ASCAP 12. Erdnase (4:11) (Janek Gwizdala) JanekGwizdala BMI Total CD Time: 60 minutes Recorded Nov. 29–Dec. 4, 2022 BONUS CD: A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS Steve Smith and Vital Information with George Garzone Featuring George Garzone - tenor sax, Steve Smith - drums, Manuel Valera - keyboards, Janek Gwizdala - bass A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS occurred as a “happy accident” after reconnecting with saxophonist George Garzone. In the early 70s I had the good fortune to play often with George in the trio he is part of called The Fringe, subbing for drummer Bob Gullotti. I invited George to play McCoy Tyner’s “Inception” on our TIME FLIES album. Once we recorded “Inception” we looked at each other and basically said, “What shall we do now?” I had the idea to record something harmonically related to Bud Powell’s “Tempus Fugue-It” but with a half-time funk feel. We improvised one take and that’s “Time Flies.” Janek, Manuel and I had already recorded “What Is This Thing Called Love?” but since George wanted to record a sax and drums duet, he and I played two choruses of “What Is This Thing, ” then edited the performance onto the track. George suggested we play Coltrane’s “One Down, One Up.” He counted off the tune and, again, one take. At that point we all decided, “Let’s jam.” George said, “Let’s play like we are offering a prayer.” A PRAYER FOR THE GENERATIONS is the result of that suggestion as we entered a space of instant group composition. Each piece happened one time, in the order presented here. At the end of the afternoon with George we listened back and loved the results. We realized we had created an entire album in the space of a couple hours. George caught a ride to Newark airport for his flight to Boston and we were finished for the day, musically satisfied. —Steve Smith TRACK LISTING 1. One Down, One Up (6:41) (John Coltrane) Jowcol Music BMI 2. A Prayer For The Generations Part 1 (5:51) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 3. A Prayer For The Generations Part 2 (4:36) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 4. A Prayer For The Generations Part 3 (7:28) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 5. A Prayer For The Generations Part 4 (5:24) DIRECTIONS (Josef Zawinul) Zawinul Music BMI 6. A Prayer For The Generations Part 5 (4:08) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 7. A Prayer For The Generations Part 6 (7:28) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 8. A Prayer For The Generations Part 7 (5:18) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, George Garzone, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, GGarzone ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP 9. A Prayer For The Generations Part 8 (6:52) (Janek Gwizdala, Manuel Valera, Steve Smith) JanekGwizdala BMI, VALERAMUSIC ASCAP, Vital Information Publishing ASCAP Total CD Time: 54 minutes Recorded December 3, 2022 write your comments about the article :: © 2023 Jazz News :: home page |