A Pattern of Collaboration: Vinx by Paula Flack

As an independent artist, Vinx carved his own path in music. From his first summer job, performing with Oleta Adams in the pop-soul era that introduced him to the most eloquent lounge singer he’s ever been around to touring and performing with Sting, Stewart Copeland, Cassandra Wilson, Carmen Bradford, N’Dea Davenport, The Spin Doctors, and Chaka Khan, his collaborations reflect his love of all styles.

Vinx wrote songs with Cher, Allyson Williams, Beth Nielsen Chapman, and Tracy Chapman. His song Touch My Heart was recorded by Tom Jones. Vinx collaborated on several Grammywinning projects like Ernie Watts’ Musician and Cassandra Wilson’s Blue Light ‘Til Dawn. For Vinx, “working with Cassandra was a match made in Jazz heaven and I was not arrested by the Jazz police.”

His debut album Rooms In My Fatha’s House featured Taj Mahal, Herbie Hancock, Sheryl Crow, Branford Marsalis, Sting, the late Roscoe Brown and Mother’s Finest. Vinx said he “loves to collaborate with fluent artists who love a great musical conversation.”

Vinx collaborated with Patrice Rushen on his recording of Touch My Heart, where Vinx’s voice and Patrice’s keys created an extensive conversation piece. “She finished my sentences like she knew the punchline,” Vinx asserted. Cassandra Wilson recorded a duet with Vinx on his song I Will Always Care, and Stevie Wonder played that song on Chick Corea’s Bösendorfer piano.

Vinx worked with Stevie Wonder and Herbie Hancock on piano, but Patrice Rushen taught him that the sexiest part of a woman is her heart. “No artist connected me to my feminine side the way Patrice did on Touch My Heart,” said Vinx, who writes songs for women, acting as a translator for men. Porchlight and I Should Have Told Her are examples of this.

Vinx was a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston. His college curriculum is the centrepiece of his creativity workshops. Vinx organizes workshops, clinics, and festivals for audiences to discover young and upcoming artists. At his Soul Kitchen Creativity Workshops, he mentored American singer and Grammy winner Anna Wise, who wrote songs for Kendrick Lamarr; saxophonist Grace Kelly; and rising star at European Jazz Festivals, Amma Whatt. He teaches students the craft of songwriting, inspiring them to give themselves permission to be themselves by writing and performing their own songs.

In summer, Vinx will ignite the passion for song in Southern Italy at a week-long retreat in Calabria. In the Fall, Vinx will collaborate with the Apollo Theater in Harlem to bring the Soul Kitchen Creativity Bootcamp to New York City for the first time in many years. Vinx gathered the world’s greatest pop percussionists for this new collaboration, a live show to support the future of live music as the challenge of AI grows. He’s commissioned percussionists from the world’s biggest touring artists, including Janet Jackson, Prince, Michael Jackson, Shakira, James Taylor, and Shakira to join him for concerts and a documentary.

Vinx said, “Repeating what others have done has never been my calling. My goal is to be the spice that has its own bottle and can only be consumed by a chef who can nurture a gourmet table.” www.vinx.com | Facebook & Instagram: Vinxmusic | Contact: paulaflack55@gmail.com