Based in New York City, Vinny tours extensively, playing concerts, festivals, and club engagements around the world. Currently in addition to performing with his own bands Vinny is performing with Bill Evans as well as Steve Smith and Vital Information. Vinny and his trio On 3 (www.on3music.com) were selected by the Kennedy Center and the Department of State to represent the United States in the U.S. Jazz Ambassadors Program. He and the trio, featuring bassist John Benitez and percussionist Gilad, toured 7 countries (Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, and Brazil) in South America for six weeks playing concerts and giving music master classes. “Vinny and the group provided an eclectic combination of new rhythms and sound mixed with old Ellington Classics that, by the end of the evening, had the entire audience clapping along in admiration and accompaniment.” (AMERICAN EMBASSY MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY) “The extremely talented and eminently likeable On 3 gave new meaning to jazz in Ecuador.” Vinny is constantly working intensively on his own new sounds, new compositions and new recordings. His CD, “Color Funk” brings the organ trio into the 21st century, combining pop, hip hop, and rock elements in a classic jazz setting. “My favorite musicians have always been the cats that never look back. You can pick them out of any recording by the sound of a few notes. Innovation is the key to original creativity. A significant part of this innovation is Vinny’s new Play Along Jazz website (www.playalongjazz.com) where aspiring musicians can download various jazz standards minus the track for the instrument they play. Only in this environment can one experience playing with world-class artists as if they were actually sharing the stage, learning to groove and improvise, to converse with other musicians, to add their musical voice to the whole. www.playalongjazz.com is the necessary next step in any musician’s development. This is the official page of guitarist Vinny Valentino