VIVO, the latest band for Warren Wiegratz, Milwaukee’s dean of smooth jazz, is decidedly Latin American. Their sophomore album, This is the Time, is all original material, rich in samba and tango. As might be expected from his history with Streetlife and Sweetbottom, Wiegratz flaunts his multi-instrumental prowess, though staying lower key in consort with VIVO’s more subtle approach.
Pam Duronio, vocalist on the set’s five vocal compositions, however, vies with him for the spotlight. On songs of her own co-composition, she maintains a honeyed balance between seduction, yearning and reassurance. At least a couple of tracks could easily be re-imagined as equally suave adult R&B. On the whole, This is the Time excels at artful mellowness.
