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Take Five With Tommy Vig

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Courtesy Csaba Deseo

By AAJ Staff
October 24, 2011
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Meet Tommy Vig:
Born to a musical family in Budapest, Tommy Vig was internationally recognized as a child prodigy by the age of six, playing drums with his father, clarinetist Gyorgy Vig. His sense of improvisation, rhythm and energy at that young age made him unique, and he performed live concerts on radio, at the Budapest City Theatre, the Academy of Music in Budapest, and even the National Circus. At the age of eight, he made an album, called The World Champion Kid Drummer (Elite Special, 1946), with the best Austrian jazz players in Vienna, including

Hans Koller

saxophone, alto
b.1921

" data-original-title="" title="">Hans Koller,

Ernst Landl

b.1914

" data-original-title="" title="">Ernst Landl and the Hot Club of Vienna. At the age of nine, his drumming won him the 1947 MGM-Jazz Competition in Budapest. As a result, he made several recordings with the legendary Chappy's Mopex Big Band (on His Master's Voice Label).

Vig completed his studies at the B��la Bart��k Conservatory in 1955 and the Ferenc Erkel Music High School in 1956. Following the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, he fled to Vienna, where he played concerts with

Fatty George

b.1927

" data-original-title="" title="">Fatty George and

Joe Zawinul

keyboards
1932 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Zawinul. After moving to the United States, he was given a scholarship at Juilliard School of Music. Since then he has been writing and conducting his own concerts. Vig has worked with

Red Rodney

trumpet
1927 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Rodney,

Don Ellis

trumpet
1934 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Ellis,

Cat Anderson

trumpet
1916 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Cat Anderson,

Terry Gibbs

vibraphone
b.1924

" data-original-title="" title="">Terry Gibbs,

Art Pepper

saxophone, alto
1925 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Pepper,

Milcho Leviev

piano
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Milcho Leviev,

Joe Pass

guitar
1929 - 1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Pass, and the

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis-

Gil Evans

composer / conductor
1912 - 1988

" data-original-title="" title="">Gil Evans Big Band, amongst many others. In 1961 he settled in Las Vegas, where he performed with

Frank Sinatra

vocals
1915 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Sinatra,

Sammy Davis Jr.

vocals
1925 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Sammy Davis Jr.,Tony Curtis,

Woody Allen

clarinet
b.1935

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Allen,

Judy Garland

vocals
1922 - 1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Judy Garland, and

Tony Bennett

vocals
1926 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Bennett. He was the percussionist on many of

Rod Stewart

vocals
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Rod Stewart's albums.

In 1970, Vig moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in Warner Brothers, Fox, Universal, CBS, Columbia, ABC, Disney, Goldwyn, MGM, and Paramount studios. He participated in about 1500 studio sessions in Hollywood, including two Academy Awards, and produced, directed and conducted the official 1984 Olympic Jazz Festival for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee (LAOOC). He also organized and conducted the annual Las Vegas Caesars Palace Mini-Jazz Festivals for many years. He has written the music for 30 films and television shows, including They Call Me Bruce? and The Kid With the Broken Halo. As a percussionist, Vig participated in the recording of

Quincy Jones

arranger
1933 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Quincy Jones' soundtrack to the Roots television miniseries. He played on the Jazz Festival M��nster 1986 (album Mistral) with Lajos Dudas, and participated with the HR Jazzensemble and Martin Breinschmid.

Vig has given master courses at California State University, Northridge, and at the famous Tatab��nya Jazz Academy. Over the past fifty years, his classical pieces were performed by symphony orchestras in the United States, Germany, and Hungary. He was the Vice President of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC). Vig was awarded the Hungarian Grammy by the State Radio in Budapest in 1994. The Hungarian Jazz Federation awarded him First Prize in Musical Arrangement in 2006, while the Budapest Jazz Orchestra commissioned and performed his piece, "Budapest 1956," in front of U.S. Ambassador April H. Foley and a capacity audience at the Museum of Fine Arts.

Since 2006, Vig has lived with his wife Mia (of the famous Kim Sisters) in Hungary, where they have been performing live concerts, appearing on radio and television, and recording several albums, including ?ssDob ("Beat It!") (Tom Tom), Now and Then (Pannon) and, most recently, Welcome to Hungary! The Tommy Vig Orchestra 2012 Featuring David Murray (Klasszikus Jazz). They have one son, Roger, who has already appeared on television in Los Angeles playing the drums with Vig's big band at the age of three.

Vig invented Non-Subjective Valuing (TM)—U.S. Patent 6038554.

Google reveals more than 800,000 entries for Tommy Vig.

Instrument(s):
Vibes, drums, arranger.

Teachers and/or influences?

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie,

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk,

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler, Beethoven, Lutoslawski.

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...
I was five, and watched my father play lead alto in a big band

Your sound and approach to music:
Influenced by

Gene Krupa

drums
1909 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Gene Krupa on drums,

Lionel Hampton

vibraphone
1908 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Lionel Hampton on vibes and Bart��k as a composer.

Your teaching approach:
Understanding and inspiring.

Your dream band:
I had my dream band in real life on the Milestone Sound of the Seventies album, featuring

Victor Feldman

multi-instrumentalist
1934 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Victor Feldman,

Shelly Manne

drums
1920 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Shelly Manne,

Red Mitchell

bass
1927 - 1992

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Mitchell, Louie Valizan,

Bud Brisbois

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Bud Brisbois, Charlie McLean,

Bill Perkins

guitar
1924 - 2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Perkins,

Frank Rosolino

trombone
1926 - 1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Rosolino,

Al Porcino

trumpet
1925 - 2013

" data-original-title="" title="">Al Porcino and

Carl Fontana

trombone
1928 - 2003

" data-original-title="" title="">Carl Fontana.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:
Was playing marimba in the Gil Evans-Miles Davis big band, and

Tony Williams

drums
1945 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Williams was late for a rehearsal for a concert in Berkeley. The music for a brand new chart was put on the stands and Miles, without a word, simply pointed at me, so I sat down at the drums and played the new arrangement, which was written in 5/4 time, swinging the hell out of it; after all, how often does one get to play drums with Miles Davis?

In the break, Tony finally showed. By that time I was back behind the marimba. They called the new 5/4 chart again and Tony had a very hard time reading the music. Finally he got up and waving his part said to Miles, "The music is wrong!" Miles pointed at me and said, "That kid just played it; he had no trouble." Tony said, "Then let him play it!" But, of course, he finally learned his part, but I will never forget the thrill of playing with Miles and the fact that he liked me and my drumming.

Favorite venue:
Having my compositions performed at the Pavilion of the Music Center, Los Angeles, by

Stan Kenton

piano
1911 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Stan Kenton's Neophonic Orchestra.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?
Welcome to Hungary, my most recent album, because I am happy with my compositions and because

David Murray

saxophone, tenor
b.1955

" data-original-title="" title="">David Murray played the solos so well .

The first Jazz album I bought was:
Miles Davis, At Carnegie Hall with the Gil Evans Orchestra.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?
New notes and new harmonies, but which are based on music I like—Dizzy, Monk, Mozart —in other words, creating a brave new world in a good and natural and swinging sense.

Reading this I just decided to title my next album, Tommy Vig: A Legend in His Own Mind :)

Did you know...
that I have a brown belt in Karate? This got a few people in trouble—including me sometimes—me especially when, after I kicked somebody, they did not go down.

CDs you are listening to now:
Lutoslawsky Cello Concerto, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

How would you describe the state of jazz today?
Disturbing. To me, jazz-rock, fusion, ethnic jazz, world music, cross-over and so on are not following Hamp, Bird, Hefty, Trane, Ayler. The musical quality is low, and making money is confused with making music.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?
Dizzy for President !

What is in the near future?
I was asked to write and perform in 2012 a Concerto for Vibraharp and Orchestra (my second) by the Duna Symphony Orchestra. The event will take place at the beautiful concert hall of the Duna Palace in Budapest.

By Day:
I was often told "not to give up my day job," especially by

Buddy Rich

drums
1917 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Buddy Rich, when I told him that, to me, he was one of the best drummers in the world. :). Luckily I never had a day job. :)

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:
I am drawing a blank here...

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