Steve Smith’s Vital Information – New Perspective (Drum Legacy Records, 2025)
Steve Smith’s Vital Information presents a fabulous lineup on its latest album, New Perspective. The trio features outstanding instrumentalists who deliver dazzling solos and interplay. The drums, keyboards, and bass format works out perfectly. They treat songs from rock band Journey and jazz fusion compositions from Steps Ahead, as well as earlier versions of Vital Information, as raw material, pressing familiar themes into present-tense statements.
The spark for New Perspective came when Smith heard inventive keyboardist Manuel Valera reshape Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” into a brisk jazz-rock vehicle. That idea proves durable.
“Open Arms” turns into a lilting 3/4 ballad built on acoustic piano voicings and light-on-its-feet pulse, while Janek Gwizdala’s overhaul of “Who’s Crying Now” lands as the record’s boldest swing: counter-melodies and reharmonized lines pull the tune away from arena rock catharsis toward sleek dialog between bass, piano, and drums.
The past beyond Journey gets equal weight. Michael Brecker’s “Sumo,” a piece Smith once drove with Steps Ahead, strides with quiet authority, an elegant groove, synth colors in orbit, and improvisations that prize shape over flash. Earlier Vital Information material receives fresh angles: “The Perfect Date” highlights crisp call-and-response between keyboards and rhythm team; “Charukeshi Express” threads masterful South Indian konakol vocal percussion through piano and synth lines; while “Eight + Five” leans into its knotty meter without sacrificing lift.
Valera, a gifted keyboardist deeply inspired by Joe Zawinul, contributes two originals that anchor the set’s forward gaze. “Three Of A Kind” rides a buoyant, blues-tinted feel and invites an irresistible swing from the trio. On the other hand, “Josef The Alchemist” is a nod to Joe Zawinul. It combines lyric synth writing with pliant electric bass and Smith’s unshowy, elegant authority.
The playing rewards close listening. Smith shapes phrases with tuned cymbals, dancing snare figures, and concise set-ups. Valera moves easily from pristine acoustic touch to electric bite. Lastly, Gwizdala’s electric bass speaks in sentences, firm intonation, melodic intent, and a composer’s feel for contour. No one grandstands; everyone converses.
Steve Smith, who became well-known as the drummer with rock band Journey, grew up playing jazz. He has led one of the world’s top jazz-rock fusion bands, Vital Information, for over 40 years.
Steve Smith grew up in the Boston area. He began playing drums when he was nine. After high school, he attended Berklee College of Music. Later, Smith two years playing with the Lin Biviano Big Band, studied with Alan Dawson, and worked with violin wizard Jean-Luc Ponty during 1976–77. Smith played on Ponty’s essential album Enigmatic Ocean.
His seven years as the drummer with Journey (1978–85), which was followed by two later stints, made him world-famous. In addition to leading several versions of Vital Information during the past 41 years (Time Flies was their 40th anniversary recording), he has been part of several Buddy Rich tribute bands. Furthermore, Smith also worked with Steps Ahead, and played with jazz musicians as Wadada Leo Smith, Dave Liebman, Ahmad Jamal, Larry Coryell and Hiromi among many others.
Musicians: Steve Smith on drums and konnakol; Manuel Valera on acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes and synthesizers; and Janek Gwizdala on electric bass.
Buy New Perspective.