VINNIE'S TRIBUTE SONG TO RINGO LISTEN TO IT, FANTASTIC!

VINNIE ZUMMO's BLOG HEAR LOTS OF HIS MUSIC RIGHT HERE!

TOP MUSICIAN VINNIE ZUMMO DOES WORLDWIDE ONLINE TRIBUTE TO RINGO STARR BEATLES DRUMMER!

#1 musician Vinnie Zummo does a Ringo Starr Beatles tribute that is taking the web by storm. He is best known for his 7 year stint  with the  Joe Jackson Band. The very eclectic Zummo has released three very different solo CDs."Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America", "Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America Volume 2" (the latest) and his perennial best seller "Retro Cool Bossa Nova Christmas". He also can be seen at NYC's famed Blue Note club performing with his bop trio. In keeping with his electic nature Vinnie is also known for his best selling N.Y.Cutz series of  Hip Hop sample DVDs for Zero G,  Zummo also does a lot of cyber sessions and artist production online. He plays all types of music genres & is becoming an online Youtube Favorite.


Top musician VINNIE ZUMMO has got it going on with his many music projects, one being a tribute to drummer from the BEATLES RINGO STARR! Check out Vinnie Zummo and his music and projects, he is sure to be an up and coming sort of guy, already THE BEATLES ARE TRENDING!


Though best known for his 7 seven year stint as a featured soloist in The Joe Jackson Band. Vinnie has also recorded with Art Garfunkel, Mike Manieri Shawn Colvin, Paul Carrack, Marti Jones, Dee Carstensen, Paul Stanley, etc....... 

He’s also written songs for the films Must Love Dogs & The Weathermen as well as for Guiding Light, CNN, MTVs Can’t Get a Date, Oprah, Dr. Oz, and many other TV shows. In NYC, he is a first call session player on guitar, accordion, chromatic harmonica, and custom sampling. 



  • I'm a guitar player by trade and I was with the Joe Jackson Band for about 7 years. Also, I'm a writer, producer, I create Hip Hop drum loops and sample cds for Zero G, and put out my own CDS the latest one being "Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America". Some have said the CD causes "Genre Whiplash". My current thing is adding "icing" to people's songs. Little lo fi touches and odd little touches to make a trak come alive. Of course I love adding a guitar solo as well if the song seems to want it. I LOVE all kinds of music and I'm a vampire for playing diffferent styles of it on a daily basis. I crave the variety.
  • Check out VZ's new CD! 
  • Swinging Guitar Sounds of Young America. 
  • "There's something sort of touching about how many songs are obvious tributes to specific people... and also how there is no obvious connection between them (Earth, Wind and Fire and Les Paul?!) In the end it kind of makes me chuckle. It comes across very much as a musician doing something from the heart rather than thinking like an A&R man. And of course there's great playing."
  •  Joe Jackson, pop genius, played with his band professionally.
  • Influences


    Beatles..Charlie Parker ..Charlie Christian..John Scofield..Jeff Beck..The Shaggs.. Schoenberg.. Pat Martino.. Paul Revere and The Raiders..Tony Williams.. Trane'.. Bob Wills.. Lovin Spoonful.. Herbie.. Chick..
  • Sounds Like


    Vinnie Zummo..Beatles.. Esquivel..Bob Wills..Ringo Starr..Jeff Beck..John Scofield..Pat Martino.. Toots Thielman.. Clapton..BB King..Chicken Pickin..Bebop..African....Funk ..Earth Wind and Fire..Beach Boys!


    HERE ARE SOME QUOTES FROM FAMOUS ARTISTS WHO HAVE WORKED OR ARE WORKING WITH VINNIE ZUMMO:


    "I can appreciate all the stylistic detail in the playing and the production. I like how you are mixing the elements of all of those things to express where you came from as a player." Dweezil Zappa

    "Vinnies record makes you feel as though you are part of a good time party while listening to it. It creates an uplifting nostalgic atmosphere". Steve Vai, guitar giant


    "Zuum- Zuum- Zummo- Just one of my favorite guitarists on the planet, that's all folks!" Mike Mainieri


    "I loved playing on Vinnie's new recording. He is a super talent....not only as a multi dimensionally talented guitarist but he's a fine drummer that swings hard! Check out Vinnie Zummo!" Mark Egan, jazz bass phenom

    "
    Vinnie Zummo is one of the most talented musicians I know.  The broad range of styles and incredible musicianship on this record is mind blowing... An amazing record by an amazing musician." Shawn Pelton, groove doctor and long time SNL drummer.



    "It's great. Great stuff!" Billy Hinsche, member of the Beach Boys

    "You wear your influences well!  I liked Human Touch a lot -really great singing. The song I like best is "It's Amazing".And Bitter Cream was strong and funny. Great guitar playing, great feel. You've got a strange brew of songs going here. Must have been fun to make it. Good luck with the project!"  David Kahne, genius producer


    "Each trak is it's own musical adventure!" 

    Songsmith, DJ from SCRUB radio


    "The disc spans the ages and spans the genres. A tour de force!"Sparky from Scrub Radio

    "We all know that Vinnie is an ace guitarist, but on this album he gets to show off so much more. Great melodies and arranging with many tipped hats to the greats.  I had the pleasure of singing on the fabulously composed Wilsonesque acapella track "Brian's Room". "Homicidal" is a great rocker in the Lennon/Spector mode. "Don't Wait Too Long" featuring Janice Zummo, makes me long for the good old days when songs were romantic, and female singers had the right amount of sweetness and chops without ramming themselves down your throat. There's jazzy vibes by Mike Mainieri, Zydeco,  a lovely Lennon tribute song, a fun  60's track with great harmonica by John Sebastian, the aptly titled, "Bitter Cream" giving Clapton a wake up call, then it's 50's swing, a Django nod (not easy to do) and a wonderful girl group song etc.... If you love music as much as Vinnie clearly does, you will have a great time listening to "Swinging Guitar Styles of Young America Vol. 2" Scott Bennett (Brian Wilson Band)


    "I'm crackin' up listening to " The Moment" on your new CD. GREAT take on Zally's solo work and the general musical mood of my bro's illustrious band. Bravo! Bitter Cream rules, too. My fave is the Dennis WIlson take. Now, if only I could inspire a soundalike!"
    Mark Sebastian, famed songwriter and composer of "Summer In The City"


    EXTENDED MUSIC INFORMATION ON VINNIE ZUMMO:


    To say that Vinnie Zummo is eclectic is an understatement. His credits read like a who’s who of rock but he spends hours a day playing be bop, producing new artists or, making hip hop drum loop CDs. His N.Y.Cutz line for Zero G is a best seller all over the world and Kocktail Kollection, the ultimate collection of Lounge Music loops, has just been released to great acclaim. 


    Every album he’s done has been a completely diferent style of music. VZ, as his friends call him, is just as comfortable playing serious jazz, & shred metal as he is playing authentic western swing, chicken picking, African, Blues, or Slide guitar.  Vinnie is one of the few people who is as delighted to hear a song by The Shaggs or Paul Revere and The Raiders as he is hearing music by John Coltrane, Death Cab For Cutie or Arnold Schoenberg. He recently played to a packed audience at new York city’s famed Blue Note club then the next day worked on some hip hop drum loops for a sample project as well as composing music for the Oprah show. 


    Vinnie Zummo is famed for his amazing grasp of the many styles of guitar playing and writing he’s mastered. To quote VZ: “Amazing things happen when a Beatle fan is introduced to Be Bop, finds that he loves it equally, then plays with the Joe Jackson Band for more than 6 years!” Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America marks the first time all aspects of Vinnie’s playing can be heard on one album. He’s well known for his quirky soloing but on this album, he takes it to new heights of musical schizophrenia. His loving tributes to George Harrison’s unique slide style on the songs "Fab Gear", "Ringo", and "Without You Here" are astonishing & will bring a smile to any Beatle fan’s face. His drumming on the song "Ringo" is so dead on U can almost see the real Ringo in your mind’s eye swaying back & forth in that unique Ringo way. An accomplished drummer, Vinnie plays drums on many of the tracks. His song "Kool Bop", a free form guitar drum duet, is supposed to be kind of an imaginary encounter between Elvin Jones & a John Scofield / Pat Martino genetic splice clone! A big fan of all three this song is his tribute to them. The CD even features a song called Pancakes that is a Western Swing tribute to the late great musical pioneer Bob Wills. 

    In addition to all the guitar styles on this CD, check out his accordion playing on SPJ and Waffles as well as his languid chromatic harmonica solo on "Quantes Vezes". U have never heard an album like this before. 
    The transition from track to track is sometimes startling but it all kind of works together somehow to make up a cohesive album. VZ plays most of the instruments but has some special guests on several cuts. Joe Jackson plays a burner of a solo on "SPJ" . Barry Miles & Terry Silverlight play scathingly on the song "Retro Fuso". The song really captures the early fusion mojo from the late 70’s early 80’s. Graham Maby and Marshall Crenshaw add some Beatley vocals on "Fab Gear". 


    Joe Jackson, Gary Burke, Joy Askew, Will Lee, and more all add their unique talent to the CD.  Every cut on SGSOYA is radically different than the one that precedes it. A Beatle like song is followed by a bebop guitar/drum duet followed by a country pickin’ song, Jeff Beck like blues, Beach Boys ballad, Earth Wind & Fire deep groover, bluegrass mandolin pickin’ tip, etc... The songs sound remarkably like the groups they are supposed to honor. ("Fab Gear" sounds like an undiscovered rhythm track left off a Sgt. Pepper era Beatle’s LP. ) That being said, the songs always manage to branch out into unique territory . The Earth Wind & Fire tribute "EWF" is similar to their kind of groove but it features a fretless guitar vocal unison melody which is decidedly un -Earth Wind & Fire- like! 

    The Cream tribute song "Take The Cream" featuring heavyweight players Graham Maby and Shawn Pelton, is so similar to a late 1960’s era live Cream track that U will start to get flash backs but it too veers off into a unique place. Those of U who are hard core Cream fans will fall over laughing when they hear the band introductions at the end. Graham Maby does the vocal as well for this song. 

    "Wilson Beach" has a Beach Boys flavor and features a stunning accapella performance by Graham Maby with a Jeff Beck flavored guitar line from Vinnie. 

    Let Vinnie tell U himself: 


    “Most songs on this album pay homage to artists who have shaped my music: Beatles, Beach Boys, Elvin Jones, Earth Wind & Fire, Cream, Jeff Beck, John Scofield, Ringo Starr, Pat Martino, Bob Wills, Charlie Christian, Freddie King, ... The list could go on forever. I’ve peppered the songs with their little trademarks plus some unexpected twists. 

    On "Fab Gear" the intro is not real studio chatter. I assembled it sound by sound to resemble a faux Beatles’ session and the piece is riddled lovingly with Beatle touches. 

    "SPJ" & "Take The Cream" were recorded live “Guerilla” style. No rehearsal. Just a quick talk through and one take. I love the energy this created. Joe Jackson contributes a burning Hammond organ solo on "SPJ" as well. 

    In fact, most of my solos were first takes. "Kool Bop", "EWF", "Photograph", "So Relaxed"... all first takes. Some editing, but first takes. 

    "Without You Here" is for my Mom who we lost recently. Moments after my wife Janice Zummo and I wrote the song, we recorded a rough vocal & knew we’d never get a more emotional take, so that’s what you’re hearing, the rough vocal. It’s the only time we ever sang the song. If you’ve ever suffered great loss, we hope U get some comfort from it. I originally meant it to sound like a Beach Boys song but it turned into what it became. This cut has my favorite guitar solo I’ve ever played. 

    For "Aloo Bobbily", I sent ruff mp3 guides out & got vocal mp3s via e mail, from fans and friends all over the world to create a “Global Chant Choir.” Over 80 voices! 
    I don’t think anyone has ever assembled a choir from emailed mp3s before. 

    On "Retro Fuso", I was lucky enough to get Barry Miles and Terry Silverlight to play with me. This is a HUGE thing for me as their groundbreaking Fusion work thrilled and inspired me. 

    "Ringo" deals with my obsession with Ringo Starr’s playing. More Beatle touches abound. WIll Lee and Frank Agnello from the Fab Faux, were nice enough to add some backup singing here. Check out the Beatle touches in the end. I had a great time doing my best Ringo impersonation on the drum track. 

    My tastes in music are eclectic and this CD is meant to show many sides of my playing. I hope U enjoy it and can hear the fun I had in making it. it was written as an expression of love and admiration for the groups that are emulated.” Peace, Vinnie Zummo 


    SOME MORE BACKGROUND 


    Last year Vinnie produced and directed four guitar demo videos for Steinberger Guitars that feature his wide ranging styles. View them at: 
    http://www.steinberger.com/multimedia.aspx 

    Read an interview with Vinnie Zummo at: 
    http://www.steinbergerworld.com/ 

    Check out Vinnie’s site at: 
    www.vinniezummo.com 

    Vinnie also has several videos on You Tube from a recent appearance at NYC's famed Blue Note with with his Jazz trio. Just do a search of his name there. 






















































































    #1 musician Vinnie Zummo does a Ringo Starr Beatles tribute that is taking the web by storm. Vinnie is best known for his 7 year stint with the Joe Jackson Band. The eclectic Zummo has released 3 extremely different solo CDs, "Swinging Guitar Sounds Of Young America Vols. 1 & 2" & "Retro Cool Bossa Nova Christmas". He performs at NYC's famed Blue Note club with his bop trio, does cyber sessions & artist production online and is becoming an online Youtube Favorite. 

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