Ft. Manuel Valera (keys), Janek Gwizdala (bass), Steve Smith (drums).
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Drummer Steve Smith has been touring and recording with his all-star 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 virtuoso musicians with vast experience:
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Keyboardist Manuel Valera, a Guggenheim Fellow and Grammy nominated artist, was born and raised in Havana, Cuba and is 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 the most in-demand bass players in the world. 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 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.
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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.”
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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.