Vital Thoughts
by Steve Smith

Greeting, and thanks for stopping by. 2007 was quite a year for me…

Vitalization, the new Vital Information recording, was released and we toured all over the USA as well as England, France, Russia, Turkey and India. Steps Ahead had a fantastic summer tour of the USA, Japan and Europe.

Adam Nussbaum and I co-produced - along with Paul Siegel and Rob Wallis - the DVD called The Art Of Playing With Brushes, which features the brush mastery of Joe Morello, Eddie Locke, Charlie Persip, Billy Hart and Ben Riley.

I taught and performed at the first annual Drum Fantasy Camp along with Dave Weckl, Jason Bittner and Horacio Hernandez and did numerous clinics and special guest appearances at various events.

In September, I worked once again with Hudson Music to film and edit my newest DVD, Steve Smith Drum Legacy – Standing on the Shoulders of Giants. The double DVD/CD package, from Hudson Music, will be released sometime before the Summer of 2008.

So, 2007 was a busy year. In fact, I worked so much in ’07 that I ended up in the hospital needing a double hernia operation, followed by being laid-up with an inflamed disc in my lower back.

Getting over-tired on tour and carrying heavy suitcases and cymbal bags finally did me in. I’m now taking less work and booking more time off to recover in order to find a better balance in my life between work and rest.

That being said, 2008 will have quite a bit of musical activity for me. It all starts in February with some NYC dates with Steps Ahead, featuring Mike Mainieri (vibes), Donny McCaslin (sax),
Tony Levin (bass & Chapman Stick), and Mike Stern (guitar), followed by a couple of gigs with Jazz Legacy.

2008 is the year of the 25th anniversary of the recording of the first Vital Information album. We’ll be doing some touring to celebrate this landmark.

In April, Vital Information will perform an extensive European tour followed by some NYC dates in May. I look forward to playing in May with Summit, featuring George Brooks and Zakir Hussain. Zakir has booked me for a concert at Carnegie Hall in NYC for April 27, 2009! Talk about planning ahead.

I’ll also be teaching at two great events this Summer. In July, I will be at the rhythm percussion camp in Marktoberdorf, Germany. Then, in August, I will be at the second annual Drum Fantasy Camp in Cleveland, OH.

In other news...Sonor announced the release of my 30th anniversary Steve Smith Artist Series drum kit at the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. Sonor will be shipping the kits later this year and I will do extensive clinic tours of the USA, Canada, Asia, and Europe.

My band, Jazz Legacy, will tour the USA in October in support of the Drum Legacy DVD/CD. Click here to view current tour dates.

Hopefully, I will be performing somewhere close to where you live in 2008 so that you can enjoy a gig or educational experience. Thanks for all of your support and I wish you all the best in 2008.

-- Go to page 2 --