Vinnie Colaiuta (b-1956)
My first introduction to Vinnie Colaiuta was in Tampa. Vinnie was playing a clinic for Simmons Drums. (Duo with Tim Landers) I had to research this to make sure I wasn’t imagining a flash back. Vinnie’s web site does mention he was involved with the Simmons SDS9 and SDS7. This is from a 1987 Modern Drummer interview. My best guess is that clinic was approximately 1985.
I was not in the music business as a sale representative. I was employed as a musician at Walt Disney World and EPCOT.
I’ve seen him -live in person- on 3 other occasions. The first time was with Dave Grusin, Lee Ritenour and Tim Landers. They played a popular club in Winter Park called Cheek to Cheek. I’m guessing this was 1987. My attendance to that concert was more curiosity. The “Smooth Jazz) fashion became very popular on FM Radio Stations. In Orlando we had a station with the call letters WLOQ. Kenny G, The Crusaders, Bob James and others dominated the airwaves. It attracted and created a new listener audience. I’ll leave it at that.
The next two times I saw Vinnie…he was playing with Allan Holdsworth. I traveled to Gainesville with my friend Joe Skinner. We got there early and waltzed in for sound check. We sat front row as they played and discussed---why they had no monitors. I had seen Allan before with Gary Husband and was familiar with the music. Jimmy Johnson played bass. If there was a keyboard player, I don’t remember. It may have been Alan Pasqua.
It was a fantastic event. Allan was smiling every time Vinnie pulled off some sort of extraterrestrial fill. I’m guessing this concert was a tour to promote the 1989 Secrets record, which Vinnie played on. This group played another night in Orlando…the University of Central Florida area. That was the only time I ever attended an event there. It always seemed like a Sports Bar. It was an unusual venue…but the music was excellent. It may have been the following night…after the Gainesville gig.
The Orlando seats were not as intimate as the Gainesville gig, which was like VIP seating. Joe Skinner may have had some previous communication with Vinnie to arrange something. Joe was in the retail music business, booking agent, drummer and all around connected dude. RIP Joe Skinner
During the pandemic, many drummers have reevaluated their revenue situation. I’ve heard many drummers talk about zero tours for 12+ months.
Some of those drummers learned more about audio and started-home recording-drum tracks for clients. Several audio and video podcast streams have become part of my entertainment resource.
Vinnie created “Breakfast with Vinnie” his own audio podcast. I’ve also enjoyed his interviews on the John DeCristopher stream. It can be found on Youtube, Facebook, Modern Drummer and LinkedIn. (Live From My Drum Room)