Tune In, Turn On
A sure sign that summer is in full bloom (and, might we add, not a moment too soon!) is the annual kickoff of Tony Mart Presents Concerts on the Beach in Somers Point every Friday night starting at 7 p.m. Now in its 32nd year, not only does it present national-caliber performers, but all the shows are free.
This Friday, June 13, the first Concerts on the Beach show of the year features two renowned guitarists on one bill: Jimmy Vivino and GE Smith.
Each is known as being bandleaders for long-running successful late-night television shows. In Vivino’s case, Conan O’Brien; Smith led the “Saturday Night Live” band. The two, not surprisingly, are friends.
“Myself and GE never got to play together,” Vivino, 70, told me in a wide-ranging phone interview last week. “We were both guitar players and bandleaders. He’s a hero to me.”
Vivino happily identifies with the Garden State’s rich musical heritage, as he’s from Point Pleasant and first started performing, like so many other now-famous musicians, in the Asbury Park club scene.
“I’m part of the New Jersey ‘Music Mafia,’” said Vivino, laughing. “Bruce (Springsteen), Southside Johnny, ‘Miami’ Steve Van Zandt. You don’t get to see this great music all the time.”
If you’ve made it to this point, you’re probably wondering about the “3rd Blood Brother” reference in the article’s headline. That’s in reference to Vivino, who is of Italian descent, performing with blues guitarists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, who also both happen to record for the label.
Vivino released his latest solo album, “Gonna Be 2 of Those Days,” Gulf Coast Records (in the case of Zito, he’s a Gulf Coast Records co-founder).
Having played some shows with Zito and Castiglia, as well as comedian Bill Murray, Vivino has cleverly coined the quartet, “The Rat Pack of the Blues.”
“I looked him (Zito) up and I liked the records he was putting out,” recalled Vivino. For his part, Zito is also a Vivino fan.
“Jimmy Vivino has been a hero of mine for over thirty years,” said Zito. “His incredible musicianship, passionate vocals and powerful songwriting have always made him stand out. Jimmy is the consummate sideman, making everyone look and sound great.”
“I wrote eleven songs during COVID, and had another handful leftover,” Vivino said. “Canned Heat (the longtime famed rock-blues group who Vivino plays guitar in) helped get me back into the recording (aspect). They opened up a lot of old doors that were (previously) closed.”
And let’s not forget TV host, Conan.
“It was the greatest,” Jimmy says of his time spent as O’Brien’s band leader, leading Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band.
Fun fact No. 1: Jimmy’s older brother, Jerry Vivino, also played saxophone and woodwinds in Conan’s band the entire time Jimmy did.
Fun fact No. 2: Jimmy’s other brother is beloved New Jersey cable television host Uncle Floyd, who’s had such great bands as The Ramones and The Smithereens on his show. But we happily digress.
“I got to meet a lot of people along the way, and (Conan) brought a lot of blues people on the show,” Jimmy said.
Vivino is excited to return to the Jersey Shore, as he’s well aware of its storied music history, Tony Mart included.
“It’s so much fun to play in front of people,’’ Vivino adds.
Come out this Friday night to Somers Point Concerts on the Beach on Bay Avenue and watch these two guitar masters at work.
Doug is the owner/operator of Doug Deutsch Publicity Services, which since 1995 has been servicing nationally touring acts, and working record release campaigns for clients. Doug can be reached at ShoreLocalDoug@gmail.com
