EP 112 - Roberto Vally (George Benson, Christopher Cross, Bobby Caldwell, Boz Scaggs)

The Bass Shed Podcast

Roberto Vally’s accomplishments within music date back to his formidable years in New York where he was awarded his Junior High School’s Music Honor Award. It was clear that Roberto was destined to pursue an education in music. From 1974-1978 he attended New York City’s legendary High School of Music and Art-depicted in Fame (1980 film). Continuing his education in music theory and classical bass he attended the highly acclaimed Julliard School from 1976-1978. There, most notably, he was mentored by the prominent professor and classical bassist, Homer Mensch.

Roberto loved every minute of his bass education, but the “itch” to perform and take his bass skills on the road eventually took hold of him. In 1979 he auditioned for a show band that toured in the US and Canada, and off he went! His ferocious playing and charismatic stage presence were extraordinary. There was no stopping him. His skills and thirst for fun and adventure brought him overseas to France, where he not only gigged, but mastered surfing and skiing. Perhaps unbeknownst to him at the time, in the midst of his playing on stage, on slopes and on surf boards, Roberto was building a remarkable set of diverse “chops” that come only with countless live stage experiences.

Years of honing live performance skills really paid off when he auditioned with Spyro Gyra. Thru 1987 and 1988 Roberto toured and recorded with Spyro Gyra, performing in over 150 concerts in the US and around the world. With Spyro Gyra he recorded “Stories Without Words”, which is to date, one of the group’s most popular albums. Touring continued for Roberto in 1990 when he joined Michael Franks on his Blue Pacific Tour-once again taking him on tour worldwide.

Westward bound. While Roberto was on tour with Michael Franks he took a leap of faith and invited Bobby Caldwell to one of the California shows with Michael, and as fate would have it, Bobby showed up and immediately asked Roberto to join his band. So in 1991, he moved to Los Angeles and started rehearsing with Bobby, To date, Roberto is playing with Bobby for an astonishing 29 year tenure!

In 1993 he took stage with Randy Crawford as her bassist, but his adept demeanor and impressive musicality led Randy to appoint him as Musical Director where he headed tours encompassing the US, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia for over 15+ years.

Since moving to Los Angeles, Roberto has performed and/or recorded with the following artists: George Benson, Christopher Cross, Jeffrey Osborne, Bob James, Al Jareau, Hillary Duff, Diane Schuur, David Benoit, Boz Scaggs, Kirk Whalum, Bobby Caldwell, Patti Austin, Arturo Sandoval, Larry Carlton, Marion Meadows, Jeff Golub, Peter White, Norman Brown, Paul Brown, Boney James, Ric Braun, Michael Lington, Richard Elliot, Joan Sebastian, Johnny Rivers, Euge Groove, Eric Darius, Anna Barbara, Alvaro Torres, Los Trio, Ricardo Arjona, Nils, Banda Blanca and more.
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