Topic: Vinnie anybody

[Doug Tann]

Hello all....

Bart has been kind enough to invite me over and so far I like what I'm seeing and reading.

Anybody up for some substantive Vinnie talk?

Look forward to hearing from anybody interested.

Cheers

Doug

[Bart Elliott]

I'm all for it! For those that may not know, we are talking about Colaiuta, who has earned the right to be known just by his first name.    Typically, when a drummer just says "Vinnie" ... he means Colaiuta ... not Appice or Barbarino.

Anybody up for some substantive Vinnie talk?

You're not going to start drinking a bunch of caffeine to achieve this now are you? 

Yeah Doug, start us off. I know we have a number of people, including myself,  who would enjoy learning more about Vinnie's playing approach, style, sound, etc.

[Chip Donaho]

You're not going to start drinking a bunch of caffeine to achieve this now are you? 

Come on over. The coffee is always on here. 

[Mister Acrolite]

Vinnie would be cool if he'd only put some work into getting his technique together.


 

[Doug Tann]

Lovely then,

Let's start at the beginning...

I have spent a lot of time on the  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001O3MSJ8?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001O3MSJ8]Nightwalker  (Gino Vannelli) and the Pages albums.  In both cases Vinnie was brand new to the L.A. scene and these are amongst the earliest documentations of his studio career in it's most fledgling state.

The Pages album in Particular is interesting as Vinnie was subbing for Jeff Porcaro on the session and actually, at producer Jay Graydon's insistence, used Porcaro's drums.

Both of these sessions are from 1980-81.

The Vannelli album is exquisite in it's production and the Gadd influence is apparent especially in the sextuplet hi-hat snare sticking on Nightwalker.

According to Vinnie himself..here is his ENTIRE pre-1981 recorded output.

1981   Pages    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005M6IA?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00005M6IA]Pages
1981   Perry, Richard    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FY5F14?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FY5F14]Swing
1981   Okoshi, Tiger    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000007UBR?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000007UBR]Tiger's Baku
1980   Aaberg, Philip    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000000NHO?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000000NHO]Upright
1980   Vannelli, Gino    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CBCAJ?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000CBCAJ]Nightwalker
1979   Ritenour, Lee    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000001RI?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000001RI]Collection
1979   Zappa, Frank    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000009SY?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000009SY]Joe's Garage
1977   Christopher Morris Band    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UWVECQ?ie=UTF8&tag=drummercafe-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000UWVECQ]Christopher Morris Band

The Christopher Morris Band was a Berklee thing.

Anyway...here's a start.  I'll find my transcriptions of the Nightwalker Album and post them, with Bart's o.k.

[Jon E]

I had no idea he had done so much drumming! 

Up your nose with a rubber hose!!

What?....  Oh, a different Vinnie?  (nevermind)

[Steve "Smitty" Smith]

Well, I don’t know how substantive this is, but my best memory of Vinnie was the time I saw him at a small club in L.A. nearly 20 years ago (I believe he was playing with John Patitucci, but I’m not positive).  There was a table of huge African-American guys up front – all in sweat suits and appearing to be members of a basketball team.  They were obviously familiar with Vinnie, and throughout the set they repeatedly called out, “Let Vinnie go.” Well after several tunes, the bandleader humorously relented and “let Vinnie go.” Vinnie played a solo that just lit up the place.  That was the first time I’d seen those kind of chops up close.  I spent the rest of the gig watching Vinnie from the side of the band area – about five feet from his hi-hat.  Unreal.

[Doug Tann]

I've seen Vinnie up close several times, but the best experience was unique.  I managed the Drum Shoppe in Toronto in the late 80's and we had Vinnie and Alex Acuna come up for a Yamaha day.  I had a great chance to hang with Vinnie for 3 days and play with him.  I think there's a shot of the clinic up on my  http://www.drummercafe.com/featured-musician/drummer-percussionist/doug-tann.html]drummer page .

I picked Vinnie up from the airport and he didn't stop playing on my dashboard until I got him to the hotel...and it was a red-eye from L.A.

The clinic was amazing, as can be expected....Happy to provide details if there is any interest.

Thanks for the reply's...I could go on for days

Cheers


Doug

[Bart Elliott]

I picked Vinnie up from the airport and he didn't stop playing on my dashboard until I got him to the hotel...and it was a red-eye from L.A.

Hence my comment about the caffeine earlier. 

I was fortunate to play with Vinnie back in 2004 and got to hang with him, one-on-one, in the green room. He was extremely relaxed and at peace that night; no tapping on items or evidence of approaching spontaneous combustion ... as per the norm in the past. 

[eardrum]

Awesome, keep it comming. I can't contribute much here but I'm listening with big ears.  Vinnie is truely one of those phenomena...

[Zappa-fan]

Love all those Vinnie anecdotes, especially the one Steve Vai made on him, watching him play Mo 'n Herbs vacation.

I saw Vinnie only ones. It was in 1996 when he was on tour with Sting. It amazed me how much he was smoking during the concert. I've read somewhere that not so long ago he quit smoking.


Most of you probably no this one. John Smuthers on VC, long ago. But you know what they say about the fox ......

 ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPuMnhRn4QQ

..... that d**n drummer with that weird hair on his face

[lrac3]

I got to first see Vinnie @ PASIC 98 in Orlando. It was my 2nd year of college and my first PASIC experience (what a way to be introduced to PASIC, eh?) Anyway, the night before his clinic, I was hangin' in the hotel lounge for the after-hours hang, when I spot Vinnie hangin' with Steve Smith of all people! I was freakin', man.  As the night went on, I finally got up the nerve to say hello to the man himself.  I must say that the dude was one of the nicest cats in the world, takin' the time to chat & pose for a quick photo. And as Doug pointed out earlier, the man can't stop tappin'! It was amsuing to see Vinnie pull a stick out of his coat pocket, play some triplets, and casually put the stick back during our encounter.
 The next day at the clinic, he showed us all how its done.  Its hard to describe a Vinnie clinic...the word NUTS comes to mind.  It was awesome!  Halfway through the clinic, Vinnie remembers to call a friend of his & wish her a happy birthday, with the audience participation of course.  Totally random, but classic Vinnie humor!

[Doug Tann]

I got to first see Vinnie @ PASIC 98 in Orlando. It was my 2nd year of college and my first PASIC experience (what a way to be introduced to PASIC, eh?) Anyway, the night before his clinic, I was hangin' in the hotel lounge for the after-hours hang, when I spot Vinnie hangin' with Steve Smith of all people!

Do you remember, if you stayed long enough, the hang in the lobby.  Steve Smith was there with Vinnie, but Vinnie and I were sitting on the couch doing the one handed roll thing.  He was playing right and I was playing left and Steve Smith was hanging in the back...that's one of my best memories...and I know there are pictures of it out there. Joel Rosenblatt was there as well as Terry Bozzio and El Negro...quite a night!!

[lrac3]

...I do remember at one point Steve was sitting in Vinnie's lap! Hilarious! I was on the couch adjacent to Vinnie's for awhile, so I'm sure you were there as well..wild!

[Todd Norris]

Wow, those are priceless interactions!  I've never seen Vinnie live, just on video. 

Doug, thanks for the pre 81 recording list.  I imgaine a lot of that stuff would be hard to find.  Keep the lists coming.  I'd also be interested in hearing what folks consider to be his most innovative recorded performances. 

The funniest Vinnie thing I saw was a clip of him and Zappa and they were just goofing around.  V played a bunch of cool licks and then he started making seal or walrus sounds.  Totally hilarious. Of course, with Zappa, that might have actually been a real song. 

[Doug Tann]

Essential Vinnie (in my humble opinion and not in order of importance...also..taking for granted Sting & Zappa)

This is the really out there blowing stuff..I'll cover the groove stuff later

Cavemen/Cavemen..Listen to 5 for Eddie
Allan Holdsworth/Secrets
Bunny Brunnel/Dedication
Buell Nedlinger/Big Drum
Jeff Babko/Mondo Trio
All Of The Jing Chi Stuff
Chick/Live At The Blue Note Tokyo
Warren Cuccurrulo/Thanks to Frank
All Of the Jeff Richman Tributes/Royal Dan/Visions Of An Inner Mounting Flame, Miles, Weather Report et al.
The Baked Potato 2 Disc Set
Mathieson, Laboriel, Colaiuta, Landau
Scott Kinsey Solo CD
Karizma/Document
The Randy Waldman Stuff (UnReel/Wigged Out/Timing Is Everything)
The Brian Bromberg Stuff (Downright Upright/Wood II)
Los Lobotomies (All Blues)
Jeff Beck/Appearing This Week At Ronnie Scott's

I think we're all waiting to see if the 5 Peace Band release anything

I'm not in my studio right now, so this is all the stuff that comes to mind.....I'll probably post more titles but this is a decent start.
Have Fun


Doug

[Matt Self (Gaddabout)]

Doug, over on the Vinnie worship board, I've got people using a new term: "drum porn." I first passed that one around in describing Vinnie's playing on Patitucci's "Scophile." It's one of the few times I think Vinnie crossed the line from playing out to just going way over the top. Still, you have to hear it to believe it. It's just ridiculous what he's doing.

Mr. A and I have agreed in numerous threads that the first three Patitucci's CDs are "essential" Vinnie listening. I always send people there first, because I think those cuts he plays on are good anchors to really understand the unusual perspective Vinnie takes in his playing. There's metric modulation and there's over-the-bar phrasing, but on those cuts he seems to live in a perpetual state of both without imposing on the meter or the music. Personally, I love the stuff he did on GRP Super Live and Karizma's "Document" album, even though I sort of cringe at some of the music and the dated sounds. My favorite off-the-beaten path recording is the stuff he played on Jeff Beal's "Three Graces." It's stellar music and composing that brings out some of the most nuanced, subtle "Vinnie" stuff I've ever heard. It's also Weckl's first re-introduction post-Gruber (if I have my timeline straight) and I've said many times it's difficult to tell the difference between the two on their cuts (and I pride myself on being able to pick those two guys out based on their phrasings!).

[Matt Self (Gaddabout)]

This is my favorite Vinnie take from the Document album. Just Vinnie going for it, raising everyone's game.



I should also mention on the off-the-beaten-path stuff, Vinnie wrote a song for one of Brandon Fields' first CDs called "Face On Mars." It starts out curious enough, but they segue into a blowing section, and Vinnie's tasty fill to that section will melt your face of it. It's not highly technical, it's just one of those classic Vinnie musical moments, particularly as he's leading into an incredibly challenging section. Amazing left-foot hi-hat work there.

[Doug Tann]

How could I forget Steve Tavaglione-Blu Tav..I'm getting old.
Also..Wishful Thinking, Bob Malach/Mood Swing/Brandon Fields...the list goes on and on.

If you haven't got these titles sometimes the hunt itself is fun!

Cheers

Doug

[David Crigger]

I don't think anyone's mentioned his 1994 self titled solo release... wonderful CD... actually one of my favorites for that era period.

dc