In the great tradition of the three Louies -- Armstrong, Prima and Jordan -- Jerry Vivino is a jazz musician at heart with an eye on the entertainment factor. ”My live show is pretty much Louis Prima meets Sonny Rollins meets Louis Jordan,” says the [+]In the great tradition of the three Louies -- Armstrong, Prima and Jordan -- Jerry Vivino is a jazz musician at heart with an eye on the entertainment factor. ”My live show is pretty much Louis Prima meets Sonny Rollins meets Louis Jordan,” says the tenor sax and flute doubler. “I try to make people leave the gig feeling happy. I get a great feeling of accomplishment when people listen because they’re digging the tunes. And I hope that people feel that they’re having a good time when they’re listening to my records.”
Walkin’ with the Wazmo is definitely a good time. From the jivey title track (which would’ve been a natural for Louis Prima) to his inventive, second-line interpretation of Sonny Rollins’ “Pent Up House” and his Latin flavored take on Herbie Hancock’s “Dolphin Dance” to his vocal cover of Louis Jordan’s “Knock Me A Kiss,” it entertains in upbeat fashion as it swings. Add in the slamming B-3 fueled funk of “The Fried Piper,” the boppish romp “Cats ‘R’ Us,” the Latin son groove on “Dorado Beach” and the alluring samba of “Bellissima” and you’ve got Vivino cutting a wide swath stylistically while having a ball in the process.
“I play all different styles of music and respect all of them,” says the busy New York City session player who has also been a fixture on the Conan O’Brien show for the past 13 years as a member of the Max Weinberg 7. “I wear many hats and I do many different things musically. I play everything from Dixieland clarinet to King Curtis styled rhythm ‘n’ blues. I’ve played with Bruce Springsteen, James Taylor, Bette Midler and Bon Jovi, but I’ve also played with Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett and Dr John. I’ve done Latin dates with Ruben Blades and Marc Anthony, and I toured with Frankie Valli and Buster Poindexter. I love many types of music, and it all tends to come out in my playing.”
On tenor sax, Vivino flaunts a big, robust tone in the tradition of his honking heroes Sam Butera, Red Prysock and Willis “Gatortail” Jackson. “I admire so many different tenor players, but those are the three who really hit home with me and helped mold my style,” says the New Jersey native.
One of Jerry’s ongoing gigs for the past six years has been with singer Keely Smith, the former partner of Louis Prima from their wild heyday togethe
|
 |
Genre/Tags: 
Ringtones
Full Tracks
