Biography
Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Jimmy Vivino gained prominent exposure in recent years through his role in the Max Weinberg Seven for the television program Late Night with Conan O'Brien. His introduction to music came via trumpet, the same instrument his father Jerome played, and his first recollections involve listening to Louis Armstrong and Roy Eldridge recordings that his father played at the family residence in Glen Rock, N.J. During high school he performed lead trumpet parts and created arrangements for large ensembles.
Exposure to Al Kooper performing on organ with Blood, Sweat & Tears prompted Vivino to instruct himself on that instrument. Guitar entered his practice only in 1978, when he took lessons from Joe Cinderella and jazz guitarist Jack Wilkins. His longstanding admiration for Louis Armstrong naturally steered him toward blues, above all the sound of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band featuring guitarist Michael Bloomfield. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, friend Brian Bisesi, who occasionally supported Muddy Waters as an auxiliary guitarist during the blues legend’s appearances in the New Jersey and New York region, arranged several introductions between Vivino and Waters.
Allan Pepper, proprietor of New York’s Bottom Line nightclub, actively supported Vivino’s development as a guitarist and arranger, which soon led to collaborations with Phoebe Snow, Laura Nyro, Felix Cavaliere, and Dion. Vivino also performed alongside Jules Shear and Steve Holly in the New York ensemble the Reckless Sleepers.
Once Al Kooper requested that Vivino form a band for his New York engagements, primarily at the Bottom Line, Vivino began appearing regularly with him and later contributed to the MusicMasters/BMG releases Soul of a Man and Rekooperation. Beginning in 1990 he also worked with Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson while refining his fingerpicking technique in John Sebastian’s J-Band.
From the 1992 launch of Late Night with Conan O'Brien onward, Vivino has served as a core member of the Max Weinberg Seven, having previously shared membership with Weinberg in the regional R&B outfit Killer Joe. Despite the visible platform afforded by the house-band position on O’Brien’s program, he continues to approach the blues with the attitude of a dedicated student.
When the opportunity finally arrived to make his own record, Vivino chose to capture Do What Now? (MusicMasters/BMG, 1997) in the traditional manner, completing the sessions with his band over two days and without extensive prior rehearsal. The approach imparted an unrehearsed, performance-like quality to the album. Al Kooper, who produced the project, and bassist Harvey Brooks participated, while former Stevie Ray Vaughan keyboardist Reese Wynans, John Sebastian on harmonica, and Sam Bush on mandolin appeared as guests. Outside of taping commitments for O’Brien’s show, Vivino frequents New York’s blues venues in the evenings, occasionally joining the stage and at other times simply listening.
Exposure to Al Kooper performing on organ with Blood, Sweat & Tears prompted Vivino to instruct himself on that instrument. Guitar entered his practice only in 1978, when he took lessons from Joe Cinderella and jazz guitarist Jack Wilkins. His longstanding admiration for Louis Armstrong naturally steered him toward blues, above all the sound of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band featuring guitarist Michael Bloomfield. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, friend Brian Bisesi, who occasionally supported Muddy Waters as an auxiliary guitarist during the blues legend’s appearances in the New Jersey and New York region, arranged several introductions between Vivino and Waters.
Allan Pepper, proprietor of New York’s Bottom Line nightclub, actively supported Vivino’s development as a guitarist and arranger, which soon led to collaborations with Phoebe Snow, Laura Nyro, Felix Cavaliere, and Dion. Vivino also performed alongside Jules Shear and Steve Holly in the New York ensemble the Reckless Sleepers.
Once Al Kooper requested that Vivino form a band for his New York engagements, primarily at the Bottom Line, Vivino began appearing regularly with him and later contributed to the MusicMasters/BMG releases Soul of a Man and Rekooperation. Beginning in 1990 he also worked with Chuck Berry pianist Johnnie Johnson while refining his fingerpicking technique in John Sebastian’s J-Band.
From the 1992 launch of Late Night with Conan O'Brien onward, Vivino has served as a core member of the Max Weinberg Seven, having previously shared membership with Weinberg in the regional R&B outfit Killer Joe. Despite the visible platform afforded by the house-band position on O’Brien’s program, he continues to approach the blues with the attitude of a dedicated student.
When the opportunity finally arrived to make his own record, Vivino chose to capture Do What Now? (MusicMasters/BMG, 1997) in the traditional manner, completing the sessions with his band over two days and without extensive prior rehearsal. The approach imparted an unrehearsed, performance-like quality to the album. Al Kooper, who produced the project, and bassist Harvey Brooks participated, while former Stevie Ray Vaughan keyboardist Reese Wynans, John Sebastian on harmonica, and Sam Bush on mandolin appeared as guests. Outside of taping commitments for O’Brien’s show, Vivino frequents New York’s blues venues in the evenings, occasionally joining the stage and at other times simply listening.
Albums
Singles
Live
