Artist: Tommy Vig

Tommy Vig is a Hungarian percussionist, arranger, bandleader, and composer. 

Vig completed his studies at the Bartók 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 and Joe Zawinul.

After moving to the United States, he was given a scholarship to Juilliard School of Music. Since then, he has been writing and conducting concerts. Vig worked with Red Rodney, Don Ellis, Cat Anderson, Terry Gibbs, Art Pepper, Milcho Leviev, Joe Pass, and the Miles Davis-Gil Evans Big Band. In 1961 he settled in Las Vegas, where he performed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Tony Curtis, Woody Allen, Judy Garland, and Tony Bennett. He was the percussionist on many of Rod Stewart's albums. 

In 1970, Vig moved to Los Angeles, where he worked in the studios of Warner Bros., Fox, Universal, CBS, Columbia, ABC, Disney, Goldwyn, MGM, and Paramount. 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.

As a percussionist, he participated in the recording of Quincy Jones's soundtrack to Roots. He played at the Jazz Festival Münster 1986 with Lajos Dudas and participated with the hr-Jazzensemble and Martin Breinschmid. 

Vig gave master classes at California State University, Northridge, and at the Tatabánya Jazz Academy. Over the past fifty years his classical compositions were performed by symphony orchestras in the United States, Germany, and Hungary. He was vice president of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers.

Since 2006, Vig has lived with his wife Mia (of The Kim Sisters) in Hungary, where they have been performing concerts, appearing on radio and television, and recording albums, including ÜssDob (B'eat It!, Tom-Tom Records), Now and Then (Pannon Jazz), and Welcome to Hungary! The Tommy Vig Orchestra 2012 Featuring David Murray (Klasszikus Jazz, 2011). 

Further information about Tommy Vig is found at TommyVig.com.