Jimmy Vivino - Viv Bro. Review

by Quabidt

First off, the Vivino Brothers Blues Band is a misnomer. "The Vivino Brothers Rock-Blues-Jazz -R&B-Soul Band is more like it.

Fat Burns is an upbeat jazzy funk riff featuring some wailing sax by Jerry. It sounds like an extended version of your basic "Go to commercial" fade on Saturday Night Live or (fill in the blank) late night talk show. Pleasant little solo tradeoffs between Jimmy, Jerry and Brian Charette on organ.

Slippin & Slidin starts off like a blues number but the vocals are pure pop harmonizing. I'm a fool for this type of singing. Jimmy doing the high range and Jerry in the middle - the sound is richer than either might produce alone. The boys are great at it. I could listen to this all day. Fred Walcott adds a bunch on conga as he does on much of the album.

Pusher Man: But, I mean JAZZ . Traffic circa John Barleycorn Must Die (Glad, to be precise). For those of you who werent around that album was an early foray into Fusion from the rock & roll side of the equation. It didn't go much farther from the rock side over time. Jerry expands on Chris Wood and Ian Anderson influences with some of his own neat flute and flute-vocals. Its NICE, especially set off by Jimmy on subtle Wah-Wah guitar chords. Anybody remember a band called Compost?

Knockin Myself Out : Basic blues with a clarinet touch. It would be pleasant enough if the lyrics werent so god-damned depressing. A number with the same theme as "Ain't Nobodys Business But My Own" but without the humor and playfulness. A major downer of mixed messages. Guess you cant blame the brothers for the lyrics but they did put it on the album.

P. D. Bop Swing-influenced basic Jazz. Reminds me of Les Pauls music from the 50s. It's the kind of thing I couldnt deal with as a kid. Sorry, I know the playing is great but I just cant relate. And soft low-key minimalist drum solos . . . Ack! . . . don't get me started. This is subtle stuff. Maybe in another 15 years.

A word on the CD in general. In case you havent noticed it is a real mixem and matchem of various styles and influences. If you want a consistent presentation of predictable numbers this aint it. Does it fit together? You be the judge. I tend to think the parts are better than the whole. And there are a lot of parts an hours worth of music. Certainly a bargain on the blues to buck ratio.

Jealous Kind: pleasant pop. Nice rhythm. It doesn't go anywhere but the base line and back beat keep it shufflin along. They provide a simple foundation for the others to play off. A little piano and some neat organ riffs keep it going. Jerry plays sax all the way through and takes off toward the end. Its his number.

Feedback Out on Highway 101 Can you say FUNKIFIED? (this is from Van Morrison?) Jimmy does some wailing vocals. Jerry does some of his best sax work. Nice low sax accents midway through. Jimmys trademark record-stuck -in-a-groove multiple bounce ending for Feedback accompanied by one last extended scream for all he's worth.

Come to think of it by this time in the CD I'm thinking about Jimmy's easy going live performances - a mix of styles that sends you off if different directions with plenty of opportunity for soloists to shine.

Prejudice Alert: I'm not a big fan of sax for saxs own sake. (did I say that right?) Theres just a bit too much sax on this album for my taste. Sax draws so much attention to itself that I prefer it understated in a combo. Some guys can soften the hard edge but most don't. And then there's the Coltranesque experimental long solo stuff that sends me, but thats another story entirely.

Livin In Vain: Blues with some pop flashes. A nice slow rolling shuffle. Vibrant solos and stronger rhythm get it moving into another level midway through.

Itchin & Scratchin: Funkified riff with a catchy hook. An opportunity for Jimmy to shine. A little different guitar sound. Tiny bit of fuzztone & distortion. ? Is that it? Somebody tell me where that's from.

Sinners Prayer: Starts out like another blues shuffle but transitions into more soul underpinnings and expands with a heavier beat midway through.

I can't tell whether I really like all the instrumentation on the album or not. It may or may not be overdone. Having sax, guitar, piano and organ on so many songs tends to bring them into the same kind of sound at some point. Again, I'm thinking of a club sound with more and more instrumentalists coming on stage. It's strong and exciting and fun live but it tends to lose that effect in a recording.

Family Affair: Jimmy & Jerry sure know how to pickem; Slippin & Slidin, Pusher Man and Family Affair. How can you not love these guys? Family Affair goes uptempo into a happy handclap-butt-shake zone. This is a great platform for Jerry to launch into a soulful sax solo. Jimmy brings it back down with a soft lyrical guitar solo at the end. (I said "lyrical". Did ya catch that?)

This CD is way dif from Jimmys Do What Now? Its less a total concept. It's less integrated. It's more like a bunch of musicians getting together for some fun and seeing what comes out. You can count on excellent playing from everyone involved here. Its all professional but also kind of all over the place reaching out in different directions for inspiration. There are hits and misses with bits of brilliance and when it's good it's great.

But what you really wanted was the fashion report. Both Jimmy & Jerry are in basic black for the cover art. Jimmy, with a flair for the fashion-forward, bares his forearms on the inside.

In the words of Kelly: Oh SWOOOOOOOOON!

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