Jimmy Vivino - Three Guitars

by Dr. Zoet with a review by Kay Cordtz

Three Guitars: Jimmy Vivino with John Sebastian, Hubert Sumlin and a great set of musicians on August 19th, 2011 at MexiCali in Teaneck, New Jersey

Jimmy started the show with a solo and then brought out John Sebastian. Together they played some blues and folk standards. Then they brought out John Sebastian's son Benson, who played percussion and washboard. They were followed by Hook Herrara on blues harp, Ed Alstrom on bass and drummer Frank Pagano, who continued with great folk and blues sounds. And finally, the master, the man who played with both Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters: Hubert Sumlin entered the stage with a great ovation from the audience. At first I was worried that maybe Hubert's weakened state would negatively impact his performance - I heard him whisper to an aide and I wasn't sure he could even talk. But after the third song, he swung the microphone around and started singing in a deep, powerful voice and with each succeeding song, simply got better and better. If you closed your eyes, you could swear that you were back in a Chicago club in 1962. And then the band went on to play songs from the Howlin’ Wolf songbook. A great, great night.

In the film "Cadillac Records", Muddy Waters "steals" a very young guitarist from Howlin’ Wolf’s Band. Wolf shows up at a Muddy Waters gig and brandishes a gun, threatening to kill both the young guitarist and Muddy. That young guitarist was Hubert Sumlin. Wow! But when you hear Hubert play, you can readily imagine that he was worth killing over.

The great Chess Records guitarist Hubert Sumlin with John Sebastian

---Click on any pic to view a larger image---

Jimmy Vivino, groovin’ on a great night!

And here's writer Kay Cordtz' review of this great night:

He may be turning 80 this year and carrying an oxygen tank everywhere he goes, but what Hubert Sumlin put into the room was something older than time and more essential than air. One of the last direct links to the wellspring of the blues, Sumlin tapped that connection hard for his starring role in this trip through music history moderated by longtime friends and collaborators Jimmy Vivino and John Sebastian.

Through an impressive succession of Howlin' Wolf hits driven by Sumlin's instantly recognizable guitar riffs—“Back Door Man,” “Smokestack Lightning,” “Little Red Rooster,” “300 Lbs of Heavenly Joy,” “Goin' Down Slow,” “Who's Been Talkin’” and his signature “Killing Floor,” – the sharp-dressed legend showed off the patented style that has influenced nearly every blues guitar player for the past 50 years. Vivino, who calls him “Pop” and refers to him as his musical godfather, gave him the key before “Tell Me,” but didn't hesitate to also give him the most and longest guitar spots. And why not, Sumlin can still play the blues. His agile, long-fingered hands stroke the strings with that graceful motion we've grown used to seeing in performances by Keith Richards, who cheerfully acknowledges stealing it.

Wearing a guitar-print shirt and a cream-colored fedora, Sumlin sang the verses of “Sitting On Top Of The World” with dramatic flourishes – and occasionally, brand new lyrics – in a conversation style that encompassed the worlds of folk, blues, and rock 'n' roll that his music bridges. During his 30-minute performance, the crowd reactions ranged from standing-ovation enthusiasm for his continued presence on the scene to hushed awe at the perfection of his economical playing and breathless suspense during some of his high-wire, edge-of-the-cliff guitar lines.

Sumlin was not the only musical originator recognized on this night. Vivino started the show off with Woody Guthrie's “I Ain't Got No Home,” then Sebastian joined him for Laura Nyro's “And When I Die.” After the two swapped stories about finding and playing with blues mandolin man Yank Rachell a few decades ago, Ben Vita brought bongos, a collection of other percussion grooves, and background vocals to a rousing “K.C. Moan.” Ed Alstrom on standup bass, Frank Pagano on drums and Hook Herrera on harmonica/vocals showed up to complete the band, Alstrom howling Elmore James?s “You Know You Wrong,” and Herrera wailing on Mississippi Fred McDowell's “Write Me A Few Of Your Lines.” There was also a nod to the future in the show's opener, 15-year-old solo guitarist/singer Matt Roy from Vivino's hometown of Glen Rock, N.J., who sang a few original songs before delivering a rave-up Springsteen cover. But this was a Hubert Sumlin night. The reverence he inspired in the audience was no less apparent onstage, where the musicians were visibly delighted to be playing in his company.