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Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14.
After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, Colaiuta relocated to Los Angeles and made a mediocre living playing with lounge bands. His break came in April 1978 at the age of 22, when he auditioned for Frank Zappa, an audition that involved performing the notoriously difficult piece entitled "The Black Page". The audition was successful and Colaiuta went on to work with Zappa as his principal drummer for studio and live performances. Colaiuta's performances on Zappa's albums Tinsel Town Rebellion, Joe's Garage and Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar are considered by many drummers to be among the most astounding ever recorded. Joe's Garage was named one of the top-25 drumming performances of all time in a 1993 Modern Drummer article.
After leaving Zappa, Colaiuta went on to work with a long list of notable rock and pop artists, including Gino Vannelli, Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand, Sandy & Junior, Clannad, Wang Chung, Chaka Khan, and Jeff Beck. He has also appeared with many notable jazz musicians, including Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Haslip, Quincy Jones, the Buddy Rich Big Band and Buell Neidlinger.
In 1990, Colaiuta successfully auditioned for the drum spot in Sting's touring band in support of his album The Soul Cages. Colaiuta remained as a member of Sting's band for the next seven years. He declined the offer to go out on the road for the Brand New Day tour in 1999 due to the unusually grueling amount of time that Sting prefers to cover the globe. Colaiuta's studio work with Sting can be heard on Ten Summoner's Tales (1993), Mercury Falling (1996), three songs on Brand New Day (1999) and two songs on Sacred Love (2003). In September of 2003, Vinnie returned to Sting's touring lineup in a brief promotional tour of Sacred Love, but once again declined the offer to participate in the world tour.
Colaiuta released a self-titled solo recording in 1994, and still remains one of the most in demand studio musicians playing on countless albums[2], film soundtracks, TV and radio jingles. His dedication to self-improvement is legendary: Dom Famularo, a famous drum educator and Colaiuta's friend, once told a story about Colaiuta opening his door while practising on a drum pad; after a few minutes of a chat on the door step, Colaiuta said: "I'm such a bad host, I haven't offered you anything! Do you want a pad?"
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Todd Mosby: Land of Enchantment
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by Jack Bowers
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by Jim Worsley
XYZ could perhaps reference any number of things. Sparing us that rabbit hole, in this case it references boundaries pushed to their fullest extent with some exceptional new music from fusion guitarist Jeff Richman. Richman's previous release, Sizzle (Nefer Records 2017) was/is a record that lives up to its name. There is something to be said about not putting out a record every eighteen months, twenty-four months, or any other calendar-driven period. It would seem that Richman threw away the ...
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by Edward Blanco
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read moreHappy Note Records Sampler 2016 Compilation Album Feat. Vinnie Colaiuta, Sam Riney, Warren Gayle, Tony Newton & Others
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Glass Onyon PR - William James
Charles Xavier, aka “The Xman,” is a visionary producer, composer, electronic musician and percussionist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a work ethic matched only by his creative madness, Xavier is releasing his sixth full-length album, Happy Note Records Sampler 2016, on October 14, 2016. This powerful new compilation spans 20 plus years of The Xman’s releases, featuring contributions from Satori, The Messengers, and genres including Jazz, Electronic, New Age and Ambient music. In the past 30 years, ...
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New CD Release By Indonesian Guitar Virtuoso Dewa Budjana Featuring Jimmy Johnson & Vinnie Colaiuta Now Available On MoonJune Records
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Glass Onyon PR - William James
New York, NY - Dewa Budjana, Indonesian iconic guitar my Johnson & Vinnie Colaiuta Now Available On Moonune Recordslegend of Balinese ethnic heritage, is releasing his 3rd album (his 7th solo effort on his parallel jazz-fusion career) on MoonJune Records; the New York City independent label of progressive music that explores boundaries of jazz, rock, avant-garde, ethno & the unknown, run by its cosmopolitan honcho and executive producer Leonardo Pavkovic. Recorded in Los Angeles by the world renowned engineer Robert ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta
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Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Vinnie Colaiuta's birthday today!
Vincent Colaiuta is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, Colaiuta relocated to Los Angeles and made a mediocre living playing with lounge bands. His break came in April 1978 at the ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/21fa1aa27a9ef3534d50392e49fb675d.jpg)
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Vinnie Colaiuta's birthday today!
Vincent Colaiuta is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, Colaiuta relocated to Los Angeles and made a mediocre living playing with lounge bands. His break came in April 1978 at the ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta
![Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/profile/musician/21fa1aa27a9ef3534d50392e49fb675d.jpg)
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All About Jazz is celebrating Vinnie Colaiuta's birthday today!
Vincent Colaiuta is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14. After attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston for a year, Colaiuta relocated to Los Angeles and made a mediocre living playing with lounge bands. His break came in April 1978 at the ...
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One Track Mind: Kermit Driscoll with Bill Frisell and Vinnie Colaiuta, "Great Expectations" (2011)
![One Track Mind: Kermit Driscoll with Bill Frisell and Vinnie Colaiuta, "Great Expectations" (2011)](https://s3.amazonaws.com/allaboutjazz/photos/2010/helpinghands100x100.jpg)
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Something Else!
By S. Victor Aaron Pardon me as I continue on the topic of Bill Frisell The Sideman on an interpretation of a Miles Davis fusion deep cut. In the back of a Paris taxicab, probably sometime in the mid 1970s, three aspiring musicians were gobsmacked from the music playing on the radio. It was the early fusion side-long jam Great Expectations" recorded by Miles Davis shortly after Bitches Brew. For one of these musicians, Big Fun, the album that this ...
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Michael Bloom Media Relations
Like That (August 17 release/Nefer Records) is guitarist Jeff Richman's 15th solo release and delivers 10 hard-hitting, playful compositions with catchy melodies and a refreshingly modern sound. Richman continues to shine in his ability to write music with creative intricacy and sophistication, articulating his individual point of view. This time around, his guitar tone is deeper, more resonant, robust, and alive. Richman's style of playing complex changes fluidly over these infectious grooves will satisfy over many listenings. Like a musical ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Vinnie Colaiuta
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Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Vinnie Colaiuta's birthday today!
JAZZ MUSICIAN OF THE DAY Vinnie Colaiuta
Vincent Colaiuta is a highly regarded drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14... more
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XYZ
From: XYZBy Vinnie Colaiuta
Unzip
From: The LandscapeBy Vinnie Colaiuta
Noble Savage
From: Uncommon MeasuresBy Vinnie Colaiuta
West Orange (feat. Steve Tavaglione)
From: ARC TrioBy Vinnie Colaiuta