I’m an incredibly picky person and artist, sometimes to a fault. Marimba One has spoiled me by creating a vibraphone that finally keeps up with the demands I need from an instrument. Precision, reliability, robustness, sensitivity, clarity, intelligence, great tone, versatility, dynamic range, are all traits that describe the ideal musician in my world, and fortunately also describe the One Vibe perfectly. On top of all that, the folks who run the company and the factory are so kind and helpful and they demonstrate the utmost precision, attention to detail and heart in the work that they do. I’m grateful and proud to represent Marimba One going forward.
Dillon Vado
As comfortable laying down Brazilian grooves on drum set as he is improvising with poets and dancers on vibraphone, Dillon Vado is a multi-instrumentalist/producer who makes music that is honest and inspired. Dillon is most known for co-leading the vibraphone-forward indie-jazz project Heart Matter with vocalist Amy D, who just celebrated their first sold-out show at the SF Jazz Center in Spring 2025. Heart Matter is preparing to release their debut album in Summer of 2026. Pursuing an almost spiritual obsession with the trio sound, Dillon is constantly exploring the “vibes trio” format with many esteemed colleagues including Dave King (The Bad Plus) and Kanoa Mendenhall, and drumming/composing for Never Weather, who released their debut album, Blissonance, on Ridgeway Records in 2020.
Dillon draws inspiration from his many musical heroes and mentors whom he has had the good fortune to share the stage with many times including Brazilian composers/bandleaders Marcos Silva and Jovino Santos Neto, fiercely committed improvisers like Art Lande, Hafez Modirzadeh and Ben Goldberg, and recording and engineering/pedal steel guru Bruce Kaphan (David Byrne, American Music Club).
Photo credits: Mark Anenberg, Nick Woldesalasie