John Viviani

Guitar ace, John Viviani, a.k.a. the Viv, sent us his delectable new CD entitled Tasty Licks. Bringing together all his favorite styles including funk, jazz, and blues, Viviani finds the groove and doesn't let go. Also a member of popular act, Filthy Funk, Viviani explores stylish instrumentals on his solo effort, with a couple guest vocalists lending their talents to shake it up a bit. Check out the more than proficient Viviani at his upcoming CD release party at High Fidelity on Saturday, August 25th.

- Michelle Picardo - Freetime Magazine

John Viviani is the leader of local trio Filthy Funk. When he's not imploring audiences to observe the hand of a great, funky robot spirit in all things, he brings the soul to the people as a guitar teacher. "Tasty Licks," his first solo release, stems mainly from a recent period of flux in the Filthy Funk camp. Recorded largely with players from the band's stable, "Licks" sees Viviani mining similar territory, albeit with a more laid-back, jazzy feel. Thankfully, he doesn't overwhelm the album with guitar, which keeps things, well, tasty. - BY SABY REYES-KULKARNI - City Newspaper

It's not every day you hear an album that celebrates influences from The Meters, John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery.
But that and more can be found in this aptly named CD from a home-grown guitar-playing talent who deserves recognition both here and abroad. The album opens with music that I'd tag as the Meters (the masters of New Orleans funk) if I heard it in a blindfold test.
But then there's Trane's "Mr. P.C.," Montgomery's "4 on 6" and several originals that range freely between funk and jazz, never losing the feel of one or the other.
Viviani is aided by various combinations of rhythm and horn players, including his cohorts in his Filthy Funk band, but his guitar forms the solid center of this first-rate music.
- Jack Garner
- Democrat and Chronicle

If you really want to know what John Viviani and The Filthy Funk are about, all you have to do is visit their studio.

Located in the basement of a building on Sager Drive, it's the definition of chill — with its dimmed lights, wall of pictures paying homage to the art of jazz and background music of soulful instrumentals playing from a computer.

"It's the Filthy Funk World of Music," says 30-year-old Viviani, jokingly describing the production team/band he and friend Nick Murray, 30, started back in 2000.

The duo, along with drummer Devon Tramell, produce a versatile mix of funk and jazz that's helped them work with wide range of local musicians, from rap artists Hassaan Mackey and Ric Rude to pop-rock singer Matthew James.

"Together, we've played every type of music," says Tramell, 24. "We have an understanding of every type of music you can think of, and we can fit into anything."

Viviani and Murray (who've known each other since kindergarten) created Filthy Funk after years of playing together in a variety of bands, but eventually the live music thing fizzled out and the duo decided to form a production team, creating beats on their MPC 2000 for local MCs such as Many Styles and Raks One.

"Sometimes when you play an instrument your whole life, you start to focus in on the technique of it," says Viviani. "Then you want to learn about songwriting and the actual feel of music. I'm more into the feel of a song and the pocket of a song rather than how complicated the riff is."

However, after a while Viviani and Murray began to explore ways to transform what they were doing in the studio into a live act.

"We missed playing out live," says Murray, 30. "The point of music to me is to share it with other people. We started thinking of ways we could take what we do, change it a little bit and morph it into a live project."

Since insider last talked with Filthy Funk in 2004, the team added Tramell, released its first album, Gotta Say, and the compilation Beats of Fury. The team also co-produced jazz musician Jimmy Highsmith Jr.'s latest album as well as Viviani's solo album, Tasty Licks, which the band has been performing live since its release.

"The CD I made was sort of a culmination for us," says Viviani. "All of what we have learned went into that album — beat making, live production, jazz and funk. People that heard that CD were like, 'These guys know what they're doing.'" - Troy L. Smith
- Insider (November 2007)