Steve Smith
(Journey/Steps Ahead) - drums
Manuel Valera
(Dafnis Prieto/John Patitucci) – keyboards
Janek Gwizdala
(Peter Erskine/Mike Stern) - bass
Drummer
Steve Smith has been touring and recording with
his group Vital Information since
1983 making 2023 the 40th Anniversary of the
group. Steve Smith and Vital Information
celebrate the occasion with a newly recorded
double CD release entitled 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, in their own right, 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
have 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.”
As part of the 40th
Anniversary celebration, Wounded Bird Records
has recently released Steve Smith and Vital
Information: The Complete Columbia Recordings, a
four CD set combining the first four Vital
Information albums into one package. Steve
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.
"Vital Information is one of improvised
music's best-kept secrets, the tunes are
adventurous and they always groove. The
musicians shoot for, and achieve, real emotion
rather than soulless fireworks." -
Felix Contreras, JazzTimes
