We need to talk about VINNIE!! Vinnie Colaiuta, that is. But you already knew who I was talking about (and not just because of the title of this blog is ‘How to Play Like Vinnie Colaiuta’) because Vinnie, like Ringo and Buddy, doesn’t need a surname. OK, he’s not a household name but you probably own an album featuring him on drums. Vinnie is one of the most in demand session drummers on the planet. He’s recorded with Frank Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Beck, Sting, the Pussy Cat Dolls (can you blame him?) and err…. Megadeath, to name but a few. Yes, Vinnie’s status as the ‘go to’ L.A. session drummer, the ‘one take wonder’ with the ability to sight-read the most complex of charts, means he shows up in some very surprising places. To view Vinnie’s complete discography, visit his website.
I first saw Vinnie perform at a drum clinic in London in the 1987. I don’t remember much about it, but I came away feeling inspired, in awe and inadequate in equal measures. The Jazz drummer Gary Husband, who most famously played with Level 42, bravely served as the warm-up act. I remember thinking he was pretty good, but Vinnie was in a different class.