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I have been saying it for the last 25-30 years, and I still believe it. Vinnie Colaiuta is the greatest living drummer in the world. And it is a very short list before his name shows up as greatest of all time. He has power, speed, groove, finesse, technique, and probably the greatest sense of when to use his skill for the song, the section, the groove, or the flash of a song. Just a drumming/musical genius.
@@bengough6772 Weckl is a contender but to put Donati and Lang in the same category is just absurd. Dennis Chambers, Peter Erskine & Gadd are obviously in that group with Vinnie... but Vinnie is that goat
Yeah.... No. He's definitely not the greatest living drummer in the world. You need to expand your horizon by A LOT! There are waaaaaaaay too many great/amazing drummers living now that are amazing in there respective musical styles or in general.
Don’t forget that Vinnie may also be the best sight reader ever. Steve Vai’s story of watching Vinnie simultaneously play, read, turn the page, eat sushi and adjust his glasses without missing a note is a classic.
Watching the Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, and Vinnie Colaiuta drum off at the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert Performance, my dad was most blown away by Vinnie.....and dad Played with Steve in the US Army Studio Band. Vinnie is definitely one of a kind.
Agree with all being said. In addition: he is a great guy to hang out with. Had Vinnie play drums on my album "Burning" for the titles "Burning", "Cicale", "Double Threat", "Flap", "Slam" and "Get that lick, Attig!" - and he absolutely nailed it. On the first take of "Double Threat" he played some beat displacement in the sax solo - just fantastic. Nils Gessinger
Gino Vannelli - Nightwalker; is the best record Vinnie ever recorded. Seek and You Will Find will be on repeat in your headphones for at least 3 weeks.
He did one track, Negative Girl, on Steely Dan's 1999 record, Two Against Nature (which won the Grammy for album of year), and it's immediately apparent how he just plays at another level. Been a fan ever since.
What impresses me particularly about Vinnie is his fills which are generally placed where nobody else would ever think to put them. He rarely plays what you would expect, but it invariably sounds 'right'.
I’m almost 55 and I still try to figure out things Vinnie was doing from back in the 80s. His drumming to me has always been about musicality and not a technical demonstration. My favorite drummer for shure!
A doctoral dissertation could be written about what Vinnie does on Seven Days. I think it is the single greatest drum track on a pop recording ever made.
@@kmb1 far from Vinnie's best. It's a simple 5/4 groove. I never understood why some people think that it's so difficult or amazing. I can assure you Vinnie has done much better.
@@jonasandezekiel1109 Alright buddy. Upload your version of it and let's see just how simple this 5/4 groove is. I stand by my initial statement. And to what Vinnie "has done better," that has nothing to do with Seven Days. He took an odd meter "Pop" song and made it feel NOT odd for the casual listener that doesn't understand odd meters. It's a masterpiece of Pop perfection. And let's not forget the rest of the song and band.
@@kmb1 that being said, I love Vinnie. I think he's the greatest drummer I have personally ever heard, and one of the most talented musicians to play anything. But this is not his best.
Go and find Warren Cuccurullo's CD Thanks to Frank. Vinnie Colaiuta's drumming on that release is amazing and what is cool is that the album was recorded live without any overdubs.
He is truly an amazing player and there are few equal... Great references to his outstanding ability! I always get a sense he is one cool cat to play and hang with!
100000% spot on on every point you hit ... I started drums in 1990 and remember reading or seeing his name in Modern drummer ,all the time ads etc. a good frined of mine showed me the Buddy rich memorial concert vhs .... and rest is history i had to research and listent to just about every recording
He changed my life, it was the first drumfill in Pick Me I’m Clean (Zappa). I know, just quads between hands and feet, but the power/balance/speed/musicality/melody…blew my mind
Vinnie is to the point where he can put to drums anything and everything that's in his head.Thats,alot of stuff. But he once said to practice the most basic kick, snare and hat groove until it sounds so good that its all you want to play. Thats really solid advice.
Always loved his snare sound. I was first exposed to him when I was in high school, on Sting's 10 Summoners Tales, which honestly didn't really tell me much about how he totally kicks ass. Then I watched him on TV live with Sting on Syncronicity 2...look out!!! Eye opening to find out just how extensive his resume was.
Vinnie on Dominic Miller's Fifth House is mind blowing. Listen to it with headphones, try to understand the intense subtleties of his very intentional playing. Hearing it and then trying to play with that kind of control and creativity...mind bendingly hard.
His work on Allan Holdsworth’s Secrets is beyond compare. It’s also amazing to know he can also pull off playing on Megadeth’s The System Has Failed. Obviously this man has so many dimensions of drumming covered that he can play such a diverse array of music…he’s definitely one of the best out there.
Secrets is beyond a masterpiece. Allan and Vinnie had unmatched chemistry on that album, both absolute masters of their instruments. It’s a shame that’s the only album they did together, I feel that Vinnie and Gary Novak were the perfect drummers for Holdsworth’s sound.
I'm glad you mentioned Vinnie's ability to "dial that back" because it's a very interesting point. If you listen very closely when he does this, there's always something special and simply, musically spectacular that he will do, even when it's the straightest thing he plays. His groove is so deep it simply defies all logic. Everyone, myself included, went crazy over the Chaka Kahn soundcheck video. But listen to the opening instrumental tune the band plays on the concert video. It's not just a lesson in playing a ballad with style but he'll also demonstrate how to musically get away with murder. There are little technical things he will place in the most perfect moments that will curl your hair and make you wonder what planet he's really from. The insane in your face stuff is one thing but to be able to pull things off in such a subtle manner takes even more control and discipline and there are none who can do that better than Vinnie.
Vinnie is a monster. I mean, the dude even played on a *Megadeth* record? Just listen to his metal chops on a song like Kick the Chair. What can't he play??
Wow. Nice tribute. Vinnie's influence on modern drumming can't be overstated and he continues to set the bar on virtually every style he plays. His playing transcends the instrument.
I haven’t seen him in years, but I always considered him a buddy, I met him after I did some work for Frank Zappa before he passed away, then he was a client of mine for a short bit, the man is phenomenal….
Have you ever heard the album Secrets by Allan Holdsworth? Vinnie's playing there (along Allan of course) is extraterrestrial, also the track "Against the Clock", Vinnie's solo on it is my fav. All the Allan's drummers are beasts: Vinnie, Chad Wackerman, Gary Husband, Gary Novak, Virgil Donati...
You've got A LOT of good music to listen to lol Joe's Garage by Frank Zappa is some of his most well known work as well as his work with Sting. But he's played with literally everyone
The thing I like the best is that he is a busy drummer. I play with that ideology. Vinnie is one of my favorites and he is a real genius drummer. I have total respect for him.
Huge Vinnie fan from my mid teens. Joe's Garage was a game changer for me. I got to see Vinnie play with Sting in 93. Definitely the best sounding concert I'd been to. I don't think anyone can play odd times the way he does. It seems so smooth compared to what we usually hear with the crash hitting on the 1 over and over. For me though, I don't consider him a 'powerful' player in the sense of hitting the drums hard by sort of default. Vinnie can play all that double bass fast stuff but it's always on the delicate side. Most drummers fall into either category of being able to play rock/metal well but bad with Jazz because the hands and feet are just too heavy and not enough dynamics (delicate ghost notes).... or the other way around. Great dynamics and can play pretty much every style well, but just doesn't cut it with the heavy hitting required to be a convincing Hard Rock metal drummer. I look at say Steve Smith or Anton Fig as being able to play either really well.
Thank you for this great synopsis of the ever-elusive Vinnie! I find it difficult to convey to students what you greatly describe here. Now I have more homework to do on the tunes you mention here! ❤
Ahhh, Seven Days... parts are as easy as candy, and then parts are as tough as a brick... I so love this because the groove is so smooth. My heart and my brain got that poly-7/8-3/4-rhythm that instant. But my hands and feet? Some of them cooperate, some don't. - Checking the beat and rhythm with my hands and body (moving away from sticks and kit) helps a lot to figure out the initial rhythm. - But still: "The Vinnie takes it all!" (freely interpreted of a famous Swedish band). ♪♫♫♪♫
A very hard to find Cd - called Big Drum by Buell Neidlinger - avant garde jazz - Vinnie is right at home - my favorite Vinnie, chops and imagination in equal measure
I know this is a basic example but the grove in seven years is nuts. The way he sets the grove in five pit moves the 1 every few measures. I’m just in awe that groove is literally drunk. He’s so good that he can get away with that
Hey Stephen, talking about Vinnie´s skills as a session drummer: take a listen to "Traeme la Noche" by Gustavo Cerati, an argentinian artist (Soda Stereo´s singer/guitarist). He called Vinnie and Andy Summers to reversion Bring on the Night by The Police, and Vinnie just slays the track with his sound and fills.
Holy shit I was just about to look up some Vinnie Colaiuta drumming on youtube because I wasn't too familiar with his work, I opened youtube and I saw this video right at the top! Perfect timing.
In another life, I would gladly give my right one to be Vinny. Glad to hear that funky beat he did on Seven Days be the first song noted. It was that beat that stopped me and twisted my hands around trying to duplicate. He is without a doubt the drummer I most revere. Dave Weckl, Bonham, & Buddy Rich fill out my Rushmore. The fact that Rolling Stone has him at #49 tells you what a joke that rag is more than anything else.
1:43 That excerpt from "I'm Tweeked / Attack of the 20 lb. Pizza" is an example of displacement, not metric modulation. Vinnie always makes my head explode, although sometimes his soloing is a little too aggressive for my taste (Buddy Rich Memorial, for example, where it seemed like he was trying to play as many notes as possible). I loved all of his solos on his first solo album though. And I'm still trying to make the groove on "Private Earthquake: Error 7" feel as good as he did.
Hey, yup I was going to say the same, "I'm Tweeked" is a deceptively tricky example of beat displacement. Metric modulation is the use of various polyrhythmic pulses to establish a new superimposed tempo.
You have to do a video on Virgil donati he is another great Musican that also writes a lot of songs and also played with the best musicians in th business. And a master of odd time Signatures and metric modulation and polymeter and polyrhythms.
Vinnie has insane facility, but the way he can string together musical phrases on the fly in pressure situations is otherworldly. Who hears broken quarter quints and can drop them improv on a brisk 4/4 Sting tune during a recorded concert? Who does that musically, with perfect execution, like he worked that lick out for weeks? He also has crazy - CRAZY - groove. His pocket is tasty, which is so uncommon for drummers with his facility. Just that slushy left foot hi hat and busy RH ride while doing impossible things between left hand and right foot is signature Vinnie and feels so much better than “flashy” drum fills.
He is the greatest, or one of them! He played metal briefly with Megadeth's album: "The System Has Failed" His double bass work was excellent! also his work with Alan Holdsworth is unparalleled!
I think we all (or most of us) agree on Vinnie’s talent to hit plastic surfaces covering wooden shells to create rhythmic sound waves. 😊There is a whole other level though when it comes to expressing his thoughts in language. When I listen to his podcast “Breakfast with Vinnie” I am astonished how well he can talk, his thoughts he shares and the professionalism in podcasting. Does anyone know any other drummer doing this? He really has something to say outside of the music universe.
One of my favorite bits on Zappa's Joe's Garage album is the outro for Little Green Rosetta, when Vinnie goes into maniac mode and Frank starts needling him with quips like: "-And we've flown in, at great expense, triple scale no less ladies and gentlemen, Steve Gadd's clone... he's really outta sight, in spite of the fact that the click track is totally irrelevant to what he's doing right now... I'm listening to the click, yes, I'm suffering with the click track right now... Ok Vinnie, where's FIVE?"
Vinnie is hands down the greatest drummer ever. Zappa's wet dream. I just wish that Rick Beato would take advantage of HIS chops and knowledge and friendship with Vinnie and make epic music with him.
Vinnie, the drummer that makes 9/16 sound like 4/4, Neil Peart, the drummer that makes 4/4 sound like 9/16. I know polls are subjective and all, but anyone who knows something about drumming and what it takes to be a real hero (and let’s not forget his track record), I think it’s safe to say that Vinnie is most probably the GOAT.
I'd argue that the 19/16 beat from Keep it Greasy as shown here around 1:30 is not what makes the song so good. Listen to the intro from 1978 live version available on YT. It's ridiculous how DANCEABLE the intro is when he plays it with bell of the ride and open hi hats. It shouldn't be legal to groove so hard in odd times like this.
Nope. "Mary" says his name in Catholic Girls & he's mentioned again in A Little Green Rosetta. Better go listen to it "one... more... time..." reen toot teen toot teen toot teenoo neenoo neee.
Because Vinnie is playing drums on another plane of musicial existence and understanding we can't comprehend. The rest of us are just sitting at the table reading the back of a cereal box.
Nope. Get with a good teacher or a step by step online program. Over 70% of my students are over the age of 45 and many just starting out. If you need help, swing by my site at www.stephensdrumshed.com It's never too late
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Leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts!
Here’s my take on the 15/8 masterpiece “New Blues, Old Bruise”. I made it into a shuffle: enjoy! ✌🏻🤩
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I have been saying it for the last 25-30 years, and I still believe it. Vinnie Colaiuta is the greatest living drummer in the world. And it is a very short list before his name shows up as greatest of all time. He has power, speed, groove, finesse, technique, and probably the greatest sense of when to use his skill for the song, the section, the groove, or the flash of a song. Just a drumming/musical genius.
Vinnie Weckl Donati Lang...a but different but I can't think of anyone else that melts my brain like those 4
There is a strong possility that this is true.
@@bengough6772 Weckl is a contender but to put Donati and Lang in the same category is just absurd. Dennis Chambers, Peter Erskine & Gadd are obviously in that group with Vinnie... but Vinnie is that goat
Greatest..in the WORLD? You're a funny fanboy.
Yeah.... No. He's definitely not the greatest living drummer in the world. You need to expand your horizon by A LOT! There are waaaaaaaay too many great/amazing drummers living now that are amazing in there respective musical styles or in general.
Don’t forget that Vinnie may also be the best sight reader ever. Steve Vai’s story of watching Vinnie simultaneously play, read, turn the page, eat sushi and adjust his glasses without missing a note is a classic.
Vinnie can read charts,play odd meter shift styles seamlessly- legend
He was probably having a smoke at the same time too lol
Don’t forget Steve Gadd may also be....:)
@@velibor1234
Gadd isn't close to Colaiuta's level.
😂👍
Watching the Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, and Vinnie Colaiuta drum off at the Buddy Rich Memorial Concert Performance, my dad was most blown away by Vinnie.....and dad Played with Steve in the US Army Studio Band. Vinnie is definitely one of a kind.
That drum off is quite possibly the greatest piece of drumset music ever.
Iconic performances by all of them
That concert was the soundtrack of my high school years.
the crowd were hearing the chops and Vinnie was sparking their ear drums...Gadd does a good kick hi hat thing....but across the kit Vinnie is king.
I was 15 rows back. At the time, we had no idea we were watching history. I'm old now and that was the number one drum show of my life. Vinnie killed!
Agree with all being said. In addition: he is a great guy to hang out with. Had Vinnie play drums on my album "Burning" for the titles "Burning", "Cicale", "Double Threat", "Flap", "Slam" and "Get that lick, Attig!" - and he absolutely nailed it. On the first take of "Double Threat" he played some beat displacement in the sax solo - just fantastic. Nils Gessinger
Great story!
Gino Vannelli.. Nightwalker... Vinnie's first pop record... a masterpiece in drum mastery
Gino Vannelli - Nightwalker; is the best record Vinnie ever recorded. Seek and You Will Find will be on repeat in your headphones for at least 3 weeks.
He did one track, Negative Girl, on Steely Dan's 1999 record, Two Against Nature (which won the Grammy for album of year), and it's immediately apparent how he just plays at another level. Been a fan ever since.
What impresses me particularly about Vinnie is his fills which are generally placed where nobody else would ever think to put them. He rarely plays what you would expect, but it invariably sounds 'right'.
@@SwappingIsSaving it's called syncopation
I’m almost 55 and I still try to figure out things Vinnie was doing from back in the 80s. His drumming to me has always been about musicality and not a technical demonstration. My favorite drummer for shure!
I guess Vinnie is the only drummer who plays on both a Michael Bublé album as well as a Megadeth album.
And also with Joe Satriani
Pinnacle of musicality : Live at Ronnie Scott with Jeff Beck & Tal Wilkenfeld, song Because we ended as lovers.
A doctoral dissertation could be written about what Vinnie does on Seven Days. I think it is the single greatest drum track on a pop recording ever made.
It is exquisite
@@kmb1 far from Vinnie's best. It's a simple 5/4 groove. I never understood why some people think that it's so difficult or amazing. I can assure you Vinnie has done much better.
@@jonasandezekiel1109 Alright buddy. Upload your version of it and let's see just how simple this 5/4 groove is. I stand by my initial statement. And to what Vinnie "has done better," that has nothing to do with Seven Days. He took an odd meter "Pop" song and made it feel NOT odd for the casual listener that doesn't understand odd meters. It's a masterpiece of Pop perfection. And let's not forget the rest of the song and band.
@@kmb1 a "doctoral dissertation"? LMAO the"single greatest drum track on a pop recording ever made"?? You dont get out much.
@@kmb1 that being said, I love Vinnie. I think he's the greatest drummer I have personally ever heard, and one of the most talented musicians to play anything. But this is not his best.
Go and find Warren Cuccurullo's CD Thanks to Frank. Vinnie Colaiuta's drumming on that release is amazing and what is cool is that the album was recorded live without any overdubs.
He is truly an amazing player and there are few equal... Great references to his outstanding ability! I always get a sense he is one cool cat to play and hang with!
100000% spot on on every point you hit ... I started drums in 1990 and remember reading or seeing his name in Modern drummer ,all the time ads etc. a good frined of mine showed me the Buddy rich memorial concert vhs .... and rest is history i had to research and listent to just about every recording
The way vinnie plays challenges us to study. Nobody plays and will not play like him on drums. He is unique!
Yes it does.
He changed my life, it was the first drumfill in Pick Me I’m Clean (Zappa). I know, just quads between hands and feet, but the power/balance/speed/musicality/melody…blew my mind
That's his deal...taking the simple and just blowing it out of the water
Vinnie is to the point where he can put to drums anything and everything that's in his head.Thats,alot of stuff. But he once said to practice the most basic kick, snare and hat groove until it sounds so good that its all you want to play. Thats really solid advice.
Love it, Stephen. Great work and info! Vinnie will always be my favourite drummer.
I saw Vinnie with Sting on his "Back to Bass" tour a few years ago. It was unbelievable to see him play live. Definitely one for the books!
I love his drumming. I’m a big Sting fan and his playing with Sting is just amazing imo.
Always loved his snare sound. I was first exposed to him when I was in high school, on Sting's 10 Summoners Tales, which honestly didn't really tell me much about how he totally kicks ass. Then I watched him on TV live with Sting on Syncronicity 2...look out!!! Eye opening to find out just how extensive his resume was.
There are two drummers who are primarily known by their first name, BUDDY Rich and VINNIE Colaiuta, that is proof how great he is
This video was really hard for us to edit lol...because we would just get sick of seeing how amazing he is in the playing clips
@@StephenTaylorDrums I can imagine, he is a drumming phenomenon. And like Simon Phillips, he makes it look so easy
That’s because they don’t have super normal first names, not because they are the best 2.
@@tjgadner8896 not to mention that there is no such thing as the best drummer. But it is a sign of respect for their skills as musicians
There's also Max, Art, Elvin, Tony...
Vinnie on Dominic Miller's Fifth House is mind blowing. Listen to it with headphones, try to understand the intense subtleties of his very intentional playing. Hearing it and then trying to play with that kind of control and creativity...mind bendingly hard.
Vinnie's diverse range of methods to drum with different situations and genres is something I aspire to do. Thank you for this!
I think we all do! He's just so fantastic
New blues old bruise hell yeah glad someone finally mentioned that track in regards to vinnie
His work on Allan Holdsworth’s Secrets is beyond compare. It’s also amazing to know he can also pull off playing on Megadeth’s The System Has Failed. Obviously this man has so many dimensions of drumming covered that he can play such a diverse array of music…he’s definitely one of the best out there.
some people don't believe me when I say Vinnie played on a Megadeth album lol
His playing on The System has Failed is so good.
@@t3hgir I'm a Drummer & MegadetH Fan and had NO idea. Thanks4That info
@@t3hgir Once you learn he played on that album..you recognize his playing when you listen to the album!
Secrets is beyond a masterpiece. Allan and Vinnie had unmatched chemistry on that album, both absolute masters of their instruments. It’s a shame that’s the only album they did together, I feel that Vinnie and Gary Novak were the perfect drummers for Holdsworth’s sound.
Love the fact that you mentioned his cross stick sound. You can always hear it's him just by the sound of that cross stick. 🎵
The Jeff Beck @ Ronnie Scott show was effin insane! 😊
Wow, this is awesome. Thanks for the great video. Your playing is fantastic!
I'm glad you mentioned Vinnie's ability to "dial that back" because it's a very interesting point. If you listen very closely when he does this, there's always something special and simply, musically spectacular that he will do, even when it's the straightest thing he plays. His groove is so deep it simply defies all logic. Everyone, myself included, went crazy over the Chaka Kahn soundcheck video. But listen to the opening instrumental tune the band plays on the concert video. It's not just a lesson in playing a ballad with style but he'll also demonstrate how to musically get away with murder. There are little technical things he will place in the most perfect moments that will curl your hair and make you wonder what planet he's really from. The insane in your face stuff is one thing but to be able to pull things off in such a subtle manner takes even more control and discipline and there are none who can do that better than Vinnie.
Vinnie is a monster. I mean, the dude even played on a *Megadeth* record? Just listen to his metal chops on a song like Kick the Chair. What can't he play??
It really ia sickening lol
Story has it - he recorded the megadeath album, straight jazz album with Herbie and a rock album with sting all in a 1 month period. WTHECK?
Thanks for all the help when i started and til today, the better or more understanding i get of the instrument the dude is so talented! Great video
Wow. Nice tribute. Vinnie's influence on modern drumming can't be overstated and he continues to set the bar on virtually every style he plays. His playing transcends the instrument.
I haven’t seen him in years, but I always considered him a buddy, I met him after I did some work for Frank Zappa before he passed away, then he was a client of mine for a short bit, the man is phenomenal….
Have you ever heard the album Secrets by Allan Holdsworth? Vinnie's playing there (along Allan of course) is extraterrestrial, also the track "Against the Clock", Vinnie's solo on it is my fav. All the Allan's drummers are beasts: Vinnie, Chad Wackerman, Gary Husband, Gary Novak, Virgil Donati...
I always really loved this 5/4 groove on Sting: Seven Days.
Quite possibly one of the greatest drumming on a pop song.
Joe's Garage was a game changer. "Wet T-shirt night" is insane! It came out when I was a senior in high school. (I'm old)
Same. It came out before my time but when I went back and first heard it it just blew my brain open
Since I come from heavy metal background my first discovery of Vinnie’s playing was Megadeth’s 2004 album “The system has failed” which blew me away!
As Chet Baker said: “It takes a pretty good drummer to be better than no drummer at all.”
Haha! I love that saying and ol Chet
One of the best and a joy to learn from! Thanks for sharing
OMG, how have I not heard of Vinnie Colaiuta?? Great video on an amazing drummer!
You've got A LOT of good music to listen to lol
Joe's Garage by Frank Zappa is some of his most well known work as well as his work with Sting. But he's played with literally everyone
Joe’s Garage! Keep it greasy, outside now, so many great tunes. Buy Joe’s Garage!
Jeff beck live at Ronnie Scott’s with Vinnie is mind blowing too
The thing I like the best is that he is a busy drummer. I play with that ideology. Vinnie is one of my favorites and he is a real genius drummer. I have total respect for him.
Huge Vinnie fan from my mid teens. Joe's Garage was a game changer for me. I got to see Vinnie play with Sting in 93. Definitely the best sounding concert I'd been to. I don't think anyone can play odd times the way he does. It seems so smooth compared to what we usually hear with the crash hitting on the 1 over and over.
For me though, I don't consider him a 'powerful' player in the sense of hitting the drums hard by sort of default. Vinnie can play all that double bass fast stuff but it's always on the delicate side.
Most drummers fall into either category of being able to play rock/metal well but bad with Jazz because the hands and feet are just too heavy and not enough dynamics (delicate ghost notes).... or the other way around. Great dynamics and can play pretty much every style well, but just doesn't cut it with the heavy hitting required to be a convincing Hard Rock metal drummer. I look at say Steve Smith or Anton Fig as being able to play either really well.
My fav album with Vinnie is The Works by Nik Kershaw. All things Vinnie are there for us to study and learn from. Epic!
Thank you for this great synopsis of the ever-elusive Vinnie! I find it difficult to convey to students what you greatly describe here. Now I have more homework to do on the tunes you mention here! ❤
This might just be the best dissection and analysis of one of the greatest drummers of our time.
Ahhh, Seven Days... parts are as easy as candy, and then parts are as tough as a brick... I so love this because the groove is so smooth. My heart and my brain got that poly-7/8-3/4-rhythm that instant. But my hands and feet? Some of them cooperate, some don't. - Checking the beat and rhythm with my hands and body (moving away from sticks and kit) helps a lot to figure out the initial rhythm. - But still: "The Vinnie takes it all!" (freely interpreted of a famous Swedish band). ♪♫♫♪♫
A very hard to find Cd - called Big Drum by Buell Neidlinger - avant garde jazz - Vinnie is right at home - my favorite Vinnie, chops and imagination in equal measure
He’s straight up the GOAT.
Allan Holdsworth, City Nights!!!! Damn the drums are insane!
I know this is a basic example but the grove in seven years is nuts. The way he sets the grove in five pit moves the 1 every few measures. I’m just in awe that groove is literally drunk. He’s so good that he can get away with that
100% agree. That's the thing...not all of his stuff is crazy complex. He is just so smooth with the parts
Perfectly said and shown.
Great breakdown my man!!
Hey Stephen, talking about Vinnie´s skills as a session drummer: take a listen to "Traeme la Noche" by Gustavo Cerati, an argentinian artist (Soda Stereo´s singer/guitarist). He called Vinnie and Andy Summers to reversion Bring on the Night by The Police, and Vinnie just slays the track with his sound and fills.
In my humble opinion, what makes Vinnie, Vinnie, is his huge intellect foremost, coupled with his natural ability and technique.
Holy shit I was just about to look up some Vinnie Colaiuta drumming on youtube because I wasn't too familiar with his work, I opened youtube and I saw this video right at the top! Perfect timing.
Vinnie is a virtuoso of the drums. Period
In another life, I would gladly give my right one to be Vinny. Glad to hear that funky beat he did on Seven Days be the first song noted. It was that beat that stopped me and twisted my hands around trying to duplicate. He is without a doubt the drummer I most revere. Dave Weckl, Bonham, & Buddy Rich fill out my Rushmore. The fact that Rolling Stone has him at #49 tells you what a joke that rag is more than anything else.
1:43 That excerpt from "I'm Tweeked / Attack of the 20 lb. Pizza" is an example of displacement, not metric modulation.
Vinnie always makes my head explode, although sometimes his soloing is a little too aggressive for my taste (Buddy Rich Memorial, for example, where it seemed like he was trying to play as many notes as possible). I loved all of his solos on his first solo album though. And I'm still trying to make the groove on "Private Earthquake: Error 7" feel as good as he did.
Hey, yup I was going to say the same, "I'm Tweeked" is a deceptively tricky example of beat displacement. Metric modulation is the use of various polyrhythmic pulses to establish a new superimposed tempo.
In addition to Vinnie's mastery of this, Virgil Donati is also super skilled with metric modulation.
The title of this has me literally laughing out loud…it’s perfect!
No, he truly is the master of everything!!!!
Greatest tribute to Vinnie
you guys didn’t even mention his work with allan holdsworth. hes the reason i love vinnie
Vinnie also makes the best seal noises
He is a true monster on the kit
Vinnie is great, you should make a vídeo about Dave weckl i saw him live Last year with Tom Kennedy and blew my mind
Oh New Blues old bruise.....what a tune!!
You have to do a video on Virgil donati he is another great Musican that also writes a lot of songs and also played with the best musicians in th business. And a master of odd time Signatures and metric modulation and polymeter and polyrhythms.
One of the greatest ever!
Vinnie has insane facility, but the way he can string together musical phrases on the fly in pressure situations is otherworldly. Who hears broken quarter quints and can drop them improv on a brisk 4/4 Sting tune during a recorded concert? Who does that musically, with perfect execution, like he worked that lick out for weeks? He also has crazy - CRAZY - groove. His pocket is tasty, which is so uncommon for drummers with his facility. Just that slushy left foot hi hat and busy RH ride while doing impossible things between left hand and right foot is signature Vinnie and feels so much better than “flashy” drum fills.
FUN FACT: Vinnie Colaiuta is one of the most humble drummers ever. Please do not underestimate that quality!
I've never had the opportunity to meet him but I have heard nothing but great things about him
Listen to : comfort of stangers,time code 1999 ! Beautiful sound as always and a superb shuffle!
He is the greatest, or one of them! He played metal briefly with Megadeth's album: "The System Has Failed" His double bass work was excellent! also his work with Alan Holdsworth is unparalleled!
Megadeth are no stranger to jazz drummers so he fit right in
so well said and sooo very true!!
Vinnie is that big boss in some computer games that you just can't beat. He's an absolute beast 👍👍💪💪
I think we all (or most of us) agree on Vinnie’s talent to hit plastic surfaces covering wooden shells to create rhythmic sound waves. 😊There is a whole other level though when it comes to expressing his thoughts in language. When I listen to his podcast “Breakfast with Vinnie” I am astonished how well he can talk, his thoughts he shares and the professionalism in podcasting. Does anyone know any other drummer doing this? He really has something to say outside of the music universe.
Seven Days. Sting from Ten Sumner Tales album. Great album.
One of my favorite bits on Zappa's Joe's Garage album is the outro for Little Green Rosetta, when Vinnie goes into maniac mode and Frank starts needling him with quips like: "-And we've flown in, at great expense, triple scale no less ladies and gentlemen, Steve Gadd's clone... he's really outta sight, in spite of the fact that the click track is totally irrelevant to what he's doing right now... I'm listening to the click, yes, I'm suffering with the click track right now... Ok Vinnie, where's FIVE?"
Vinnie is hands down the greatest drummer ever. Zappa's wet dream. I just wish that Rick Beato would take advantage of HIS chops and knowledge and friendship with Vinnie and make epic music with him.
I always felt Vinnie and Dennis are the GOATS
@Official_StephenTaylor. How do I get in touch with you?
Have you heard of Marco Minnemann? his mastery of everything is scary as well
Matt Gartska maybe the closet thing to Vinnie for the next generation.
@5:09 5:10 WHERE the heck are his sunglasses?
One of the greatest drummers ever.
Vinnie, the drummer that makes 9/16 sound like 4/4, Neil Peart, the drummer that makes 4/4 sound like 9/16. I know polls are subjective and all, but anyone who knows something about drumming and what it takes to be a real hero (and let’s not forget his track record), I think it’s safe to say that Vinnie is most probably the GOAT.
Neil who ?
@@tlcdc60 Diamond
His Groove is amazing 🙂
Ok 👌
Rolling ranked him #49!?!?! What in the actual fock? He’s easily top 10 al time, across all genres.
I tried to download the sheet music serval times. The file seems corrupted. Can you fix this?
Seems the settings are wrong for the download. My apologies. I'll get it fixed shortly
Should be fixed now!
Thanks it works now. I really appreciate your series on famous drummers.
I'd argue that the 19/16 beat from Keep it Greasy as shown here around 1:30 is not what makes the song so good. Listen to the intro from 1978 live version available on YT. It's ridiculous how DANCEABLE the intro is when he plays it with bell of the ride and open hi hats. It shouldn't be legal to groove so hard in odd times like this.
I thought Terry Bossio did Joe's Garage, how is 'keep it greasy' Vinnie's song ? They're both excellent, just wondering.?
Nope. "Mary" says his name in Catholic Girls & he's mentioned again in A Little Green Rosetta. Better go listen to it "one... more... time..." reen toot teen toot teen toot teenoo neenoo neee.
@@misterfunnybones hahahaha I know he mentions Vinnie. Okay. Cheers, I'll go check the album.
Vinnie confidently aced a Zappa audition as a young man. Talented and very well prepared .
The best drummer of all time. Period
5:10 he knocks his sunglasses off his face with his stick.
perhaps include a chief reason why Vinnie gets hired so much -- he's the best sight reader of music of all time, per Steve Vai.
He's known as 'Mr Metronome'. The best complement a drummer could ever receive.
"Thought is the enemy of flow," Vinnie Colaiuta.
Because Vinnie is playing drums on another plane of musicial existence and understanding we can't comprehend.
The rest of us are just sitting at the table reading the back of a cereal box.
Genuine question. I've been playing guitar for 20 years never really progressing. Is it too late at nearly 50 to start playing drums?
Nope...there has never been a better time to start...I'm 49 and starting Midi...
Nope. Get with a good teacher or a step by step online program. Over 70% of my students are over the age of 45 and many just starting out. If you need help, swing by my site at www.stephensdrumshed.com
It's never too late