Bio
Vinny Valentino
Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader.
Vinny Valentino is a Grammy-nominated jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader based in River Edge, New Jersey, with more than 40 years on stage. George Benson, who became his mentor and friend, called him a “young genius with a brilliant tone and fresh ideas.”
Born in Virginia, Vinny picked up the guitar at six and was touring with a progressive rock band while still in high school. Hearing George Benson in concert at sixteen turned him toward jazz for good, and he went on to earn a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies at Howard University.
His international debut, The Distance Between Two Lines (1993), reached No. 2 and spent more than fourteen weeks on the national charts. Now and Again followed in 1996.
From 2007 to 2020 he was the guitarist in drummer Steve Smith's Vital Information, starting with the album Vitalization. With Smith and the organist Tony Monaco he recorded the organ trio album Groove: Blue, and with drummer Joel Rosenblatt and bassist Baron Browne he leads VRB. His newest single, Project Hail Mary, pairs him with Gavin Harrison and Will Lee.
He has shared stages with Chick Corea, Dennis Chambers, Dave Weckl, Steve Gadd, Randy Brecker, Tom Scott, Peter Erskine and Jimmy McGriff, performed in duo with the vocalist Mark Murphy, and appeared as a guest and guest host on BET on Jazz. The Kennedy Center and the U.S. Department of State chose him for the U.S. Jazz Ambassadors program, and he led his trio through six weeks of concerts and master classes across Latin America.
His stages include Birdland, the Blue Note and Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, Ronnie Scott's in London, the DC Jazz Festival and the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta. Away from the clubs he performs for clients such as Tiffany & Co., Rolls-Royce, the Smithsonian Institution and the American Museum of Natural History.
Off the bandstand, he founded PlayAlongTunes in 2008, a library of play-along jazz tracks recorded with artists including George Benson and Steve Smith, and he leads Groove Class learning sessions as Musical Director.
Facts
Vinny Valentino at a glance
- Experience
- 40+ years performing as a jazz guitarist and bandleader
- Recognition
- Grammy-nominated. Mentored by George Benson.
- Bands
- Steve Smith & Vital Information, 2007 to 2020; VRB; the Groove: Blue organ trio
- Recordings
- Seven releases from 1988 to 2026
- Education
- Bachelor of Music, Jazz Studies, Howard University
- Honors
- U.S. Jazz Ambassador (Kennedy Center and U.S. Department of State); National Endowment for the Arts grant
- Venues played
- Birdland, Blue Note, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Ronnie Scott's, DC Jazz Festival, Java Jazz Festival
- Clients
- Tiffany & Co., Rolls-Royce, Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Hackensack Meridian Health
- Based in
- River Edge, Bergen County, New Jersey. Travels worldwide.
- Contact
- (347) 618-9667 · vvsaid@gmail.com
On stage and on record
Played and recorded with
- George Benson mentor; PlayAlongTunes
- Steve Smith Vital Information; Groove: Blue
- Mark Murphy duo
- Chick Corea
- Dennis Chambers
- Dave Weckl
- Steve Gadd
- Randy Brecker
- Tom Scott
- Peter Erskine
- Gavin Harrison Project Hail Mary
- Will Lee Project Hail Mary
- Mark Whitfield guitar duo
- Tony Monaco Groove: Blue
- Baron Browne VRB; Vital Information
- Joel Rosenblatt VRB
- Tom Coster Vital Information
- Jimmy McGriff
Clients include
Trusted by brands, institutions and great rooms.
- Tiffany & Co.
- Rolls-Royce
- Smithsonian Institution
- American Museum of Natural History
- Hackensack Meridian Health
- Birdland
- Blue Note
- Jazz at Lincoln Center
- Ronnie Scott's
- DC Jazz Festival
- Java Jazz Festival
Young genius with a brilliant tone and fresh ideas.
Stay close
Subscribe for updates
New music, videos and public dates, a few times a year. Nothing else.