The title
Chitlins Parmigiana
is a humorous acknowledgment of the fact that
the Vivino Brothers
(
Jimmy Vivino
on guitar, piano, organ, and lead vocals;
Jerry Vivino
on sax) are Italian-Americans who specialize in music created by African-Americans: urban blues as well as jazz (mostly jazz-funk along with a straight-ahead tune), soul, and funk. You won't hear
playing
"O Sole Mio,"
"Come Back to Sorrento,"
or any other famous Italian songs on this CD; their turf is music that has some connection to the blues. Most of the tunes were written by
themselves, including the moody blues/soul number
"Soul Revival"
and soul-jazz and jazz-funk instrumentals such as
"Peanut Boss,"
"Cornell Knowledge,"
and
"Capetown Fear."
Meanwhile,
"Jerry Boy Blues"
is a dusky post-bop instrumental that features
Ronnie Cuber
on baritone sax and finds him quoting
Oliver Nelson
's
"Stolen Moments."
(which employs
Al Kooper
on organ) isn't a five-star masterpiece, but it's an enjoyable effort that illustrates the
Vivino
siblings' diversity. ~ Alex Henderson