Vinson Valega Group – 8PM & 10PM

Harry Appelman – piano

Anton Denner – alto sax & flute

Chris Bacas – tenor & soprano saxophones

Joe Fitzgerald – bass

Vinson Valega – drums

Bio: Vinson Valega grew up in a musical family near Washington, D.C., studying classical piano from age seven until switching to the drums when he was 12. He played drums for three years in the All-County Jazz Ensemble during high school and subsequently held the drum chair in the University of Pennsylvania Big Band during college. After graduating from UPENN with a B.A. in Economics, Vinson moved to New York City in the early 90’s to study music at the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan, where he studied with Marvin “Smitty” Smith (of The Tonight Show Band), Vernel Fournier, and Norm Freeman (of the New York Philharmonic).

Vinson has performed in clubs throughout the New York Metropolitan area, including the Blue Note, Smoke, 55 Bar, Birdland, Jazz Gallery, and Smalls, in addition to other clubs and festivals across North America and Europe. An avid composer, Vinson also teaches privately and served on the staff of the Stanford Jazz Workshop in California from 1999-2001. He has four CDs out as a leader on his not-for-profit label, Consilience Productions: [email protected], Consilience, Awake, and Biophilia.

In addition, Vinson has also worked with or played alongside with many of the great musicians in jazz, such as Grover Washington, Jr., Dakota Staton, Clarke Terry, James Williams, Donald Brown, Harold Mabern, Jr., Jamil Nasser, Ron McClure, Bob Mintzer, Russell Malone, Peter Bernstein, Mark Turner, Terell Stafford, Eric Alexander, Jim Rotundi, David Hazeltine, Joel Frahm, Dena DeRose, and Vincent Herring, and Candido Camero, among others.