Dillon Vado

As comfortable laying down Brazilian grooves on drum set as he is improvising with poets and dancers on vibraphone, Dillon Vado is a multi-instrumentalist/producer who makes music that is honest and inspired. Dillon is known for making music that is dynamic and complex but also memorable and relatable. Equally delighted by bringing a sense of vitality and spark to his friends' projects, or leading his own musical vision on stage, Dillon performs all over the Bay Area and West Coast, including a once a month residency at Keys Jazz Bistro in San Francisco’s historic North Beach. He can be found playing vibes with many of his own projects including Heart Matter with Amy D, vibes trio with many esteemed colleagues including Dave King and Kanoa Mendenhall, and drumming/composing for Never Weather, who released their debut album, Blissonance, on Ridgeway Records in 2020.

As a sideman, Dillon can be found performing with skillful singer-songwriters like Noaa Rienecker, Amy Dabalos, and Misner and Smith, Brazilian music with Marcos Silva, Jovino Santos Neto and Sandy Cressman, and many other projects including The Electric Squeezebox Orchestra, Silvestre Martinez and his Bad Hombres, The Michael Echaniz trio and the Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra. Other notable musicians Dillon has shared the stage with include Dave King (The Bad Plus), Sheldon Brown, Ben Goldberg, Art Lande, Bruce Kaphan (David Byrne, American Music Club), Claudia Villela, Glen Pearson, and Jeff Denson.