Jimmy Vivino Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

It had been six long, 4 1/2 COVID years since last I sat down with my old friend, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, and long-time musical director for Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Vivino. It was like coming home. Almost the same age, we have many shared (unbeknownst to us at the time) memories of concerts at The Filmore East, Watkins Glen, the glory daze of the NY club scene, and a bounty of mutual friends. Talk about being in one’s comfort zone.

Jimmy talked growing up in New Jersey, his carpenter trumpet-playing father, his talented brothers, Jerry and Floyd, and how they began and evolved - he talked Conan, Laura Nyro, Phoebe Snow, Donald Fagen, John Sebastian, Al Kooper, Levon Helm, The Allman Brothers, Albert King, Tom Petty, Prince, Bruno Mars, Michael McDonald, Johnny Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Stevie Wonder, Muddy Waters, Pinetop Perkins, John Sebastian, The Dead, The Band, Harry Shearer, Paul Shaffer, whom he credits as his mentor, Leader of the Pack, Broadway, Ronnie Spector, Felix Cavaliere, The Rascals, Frankie Valli, Slash, Sly Stone, The J. Geils Band, Elvis Costello, and the James Brown and Friends Set Fire To The Soul with Aretha, Robert Palmer, and Joe Cocker, that he orchestrated. Incredible stories all around, and this special is available on YouTube… wow - Snuff and I just watched it. Spectacular.

We talked about COVID and Jimmy joining Canned Heat, currently touring with them, and Bill Murray, as well as still doing shows with Will Lee and The Fab Faux. His first all-original album, Gonna Be 2 of Those Days, is due to drop in February, signed copies are available for pre-sale at jimmyvmusic.com He treated us to a track to close the show.

Life is busy, busy. busy… just the way Jimmy likes it. And so do we who follow and adore him. I so enjoyed every second of this. Jimmy needs to write a book and get all these stories down. He knows and has played with everyone. Such fun!

Jimmy Vivino Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson

Wednesday, 12/11/24, 5 PM PT, 8 PM ET

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

https://bit.ly/49vuRwT