Steve Smith brings his NYC Edition of Vital Information into the studio and delivers a highly grooving album that is both traditional and inspirational. His drumming skills are perfectly recorded here, and you feel like you’re sitting right next to him, taking in a workshop on how to make the traps sizzle. The core unit of Smith with Baron Browne/b, Mark Soskin/p-key and Vinny Valentino/g is augmented on a handful of tunes by Andy Fusco/as and George Brooks/ts-as making the palate a complete set of colors The quartet percolates with bop heaven on an irresistible read of “Mr. PC” where Smith rides the whip on the horses like Walter Brennan while the team does the funky chicken in the aptly titled “Bugalulu” featuring Browne’s palpable bass. Smith himself delivers some Indian vocal konnakol singing during the CTI soulful “Open Dialogue” and Browne adds some voice to the funky “Eight + Five”” while Valentino is nimble on “I Love You.” Smith does a couple solo tricks on drums and cymbals on a pair of “City Outskirts” and the team gives a tip of the hat to Sonny Rollins on the Way Out West inspired “I’m An Old Cowhand.”
If you want to know what a drummer is supposed to accomplish in a jazz setting, this set is worth a semester at Berklee or Manhattan, and you don’t have to move there!