Ο Vincent -«Vinnie»- Colaiuta, είναι ένας από τους πιο καταξιωμένους σύγχρονους ντράμερ. Γεννήθηκε το 1956 στην Pennsylvania και έχει βάση του το Los Angeles. Από το 1978 υπήρξε ο κύριος ντράμερ του Frank Zappa και έπαιξε στα πιο πετυχημένα άλμπουμ

(Tinsel Town Rebellion, Joe’s Garage, Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar). Οι ερμηνείες του Colaiuta στα άλμπουμ του Zappa, θεωρούνται από τις εκπληκτικότερες που έχουν ηχογραφηθεί ποτέ. Ειδικά το Joe’s Garage χαρακτηρίστηκε μια από τις κορυφαίες drumming performances όλων των εποχών.

Μετά τον Zappa, ο Colaiuta συνεργάστηκε με πολλούς rock και pop καλλιτέχνες (Joni Mitchell, Barbara Streisand, Sandy & Junior, Clannad, Wang Chung, Chaka Khan, Jeff Beck), αλλά και με ονόματα της jazz (Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Haslip, Quincy Jones, the Buddy Rich Big Band).

Ήταν για επτά χρόνια (1990-97) μέλος της μπάντας του Sting και ηχογράφησε μαζί του τα άλμπουμ Ten Summoner’s Tales (1993) και Mercury Falling (1996).

Κυκλοφόρησε ένα σόλο με το όνομά του το 1994 και παραμένει ένας από τους πλέον περιζήτητους μουσικούς στούντιο παίζοντας σε πολλά άλμπουμ, soundtracks ταινιών και jingles. Η αφοσίωσή του στη συνεχή αυτοβελτίωση και μελέτη είναι θρυλική. Το ίδιο και η δεξιοτεχνία του και η ικανότητά του στο prima vista.

Χαρακτηριστική είναι η αφήγηση του Steve Vai στο περιοδικό Drum! (την παραθέτω στο πρωτότυπο μετά τα videos, αξίζει να την διαβάσετε).

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Drum solo σε live με τον Frank Zappa (1978)

Nite Sprite

Live με τον Herbie Hancock (Actual Proof)

Space Booggie, με Jeff Beck και Tal Wilkenfeld (Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, London 2007)

Maharina, με John McLaughlin – Gary Husband – Matthew Garrison

κι άλλο live με Jeff Beck και Tal Wilkenfeld

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Ο Steve Vai για τον Vinnie Colaiuta, στο περιοδικό DRUM! to 2003:

«I was just enamored with Vinnie. Back in the Frank days, his whole approach, when I heard Vinnie play, his phrasing – it satisfied something in my heart. It was easy to get certain rhythmic gratification from straight up-and-down-type players. Playing grooves, alternate grooves here and there. But Vinnie just came in and threw a wrench into the works. The guy is an alien. He was able to touch buttons with his sense of polyrhythms that no one has ever done. Frank’s band was the perfect soundboard for that. I started transcribing his playing for The Frank Zappa Book. I mean, there’s five to six different notations for the hi-hat!» [laughs] «I’ll tell you a really great Vinnie story. He’s one of the most amazing sight-readers that ever existed on the instrument. One day we were in a Frank rehearsal, this was early ’80s, and Frank brought in this piece of music called «Mo ‘N Herb’s Vacation.» Just unbelievably complex. All the drums were written out, just like «The Black Page» except even more complex. There were these runs of like 17 over 3 and every drumhead is notated differently. And there were a whole bunch of people there, I think Bozzio was there.» «Vinnie had this piece of music on the stand to his right. To his left he had another music stand with a plate of sushi on it, okay? Now the tempo of the piece was very slow, like «The Black Page.» And then the first riff came in, [mimics bizarre Zappa-esque drum rhythm patterns] with all these choking of cymbals, and hi-hat, ruffs, spinning of rototoms and all this crazy stuff. And I saw Vinnie reading this thing. Now, Vinnie has this habit of pushing his glasses up with the middle finger of his right hand. Well I saw him look at this one bar of music, it was the last bar of music on the page. He started to play it as he was turning the page with one hand, and then once the page was turned he continued playing the riff with his right hand, as he reached over with his left hand, grabbed a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth, continued the riff with his left hand and feet, pushed his glasses up, and then played the remaining part of the bar.» «It was the sickest thing I have ever seen. Frank threw his music up in the air. Bozzio turned around and walked away. I just started laughing.»