Steve Smith and Vital Information – NYC Edition

Drummer Steve Smith has been touring and recording with his all-star group Vital Information since 1983. The line-up of Vital Information NYC Edition incorporates players with vast experience. Bassist Kim May performed with Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and Alex Hutchings. Guitarist Vinny Valentino logged many miles with Hammond B3 groove-master Jimmy McGriff. The newest member of VI NYC Edition is keyboardist Manuel Valera, born and raised in Havana, Cuba now living in NYC and playing with many of the NY jazz elite like Antonio Sanchez, Dafnis Prieto and John Patitucci.

Since 2016 Smith started touring again with the iconic rock band Journey, the group in which he recorded nine albums with massive hits. In 2018 alone, Journey played for over 1,000,000 fans in arenas and stadiums across North America. Smith has won numerous Modern Drummer Readers Polls and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

With VI NYC Edition performing at Melbourne's premier jazz club, Bird's Basement, it's a perfect opportunity to see Smith with his jazz-fusion band in an intimate setting, with great sound, where you can appreciate the details of their high-level musicianship, their sense of joy onstage and experience their collective virtuosic improvisation.

"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." - JazzTimes