The Max Weinberg 7 !
(Top to bottom, left to right: Scott, Mike, Pender, Jerry, Labamba, Jimmy, and Max would be off to the side over there)

Max Weinberg

There is soooo much krunk about Max, and I am too lazy to type it up. So click on Max to get some info. He looks so refined and sophisticated...

James Wormworth

Drummer James Wormworth made his first "Late Night" appearance on March 2nd 1999 joining the "reconstituted Max Weinberg Seven" after Max Weinberg took a sabbatical to join the Bruce Springsteen on tour. "The Worm" (Officially the worst nickname in showbiz today) is a long-time "friend of the show" as far as Late Night With Conan O'Brien is concerned. He has worked alongside various members of The Max Weinberg Seven for many years, appearing on the 1992 Vivino Brothers album "Chitlins Parmigiana" so he was a natural choice to substitute Max. His sister is the bandleader on the "Rosie O'Donnell Show". James has also worked with respected musicians like John Sebastian, Slo Leak, Michael Merritt, the Vivino Brothers, Johnnie Johnson, Al Kooper, and Hubert Sumlin.

Labamba, A.K.A- "Richie Rosenberg"

La Bamba, loved by us all as "The Year 2000 Guy" was born and raised in Philadelphia and is known to his parents as Richie Rosenberg. As an original member of the Max Weinberg Seven, he can be heard playing the trombone as well as an array of percussion instruments. He tries very hard not to laugh during the Year 2000 skit. Richie got the nickname "La Bamba" because of his musical association with Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. For more than two decades his live performances and recorded work have become as famed to fans of the "Asbury Park Sound" as those of Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Southside Johnny. La Bamba has spent a large part of his professional career touring and recording with an array of musical talents including Southside Johnny, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Diana Ross, Joe Cocker and 10,000 Maniacs to name a few.

Scott Healy

MW7 keyboard player SCOTT HEALY was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He studied classical piano as a child at the Cleveland Institute for Music, we think this is where he discovered a penchant for wearing berets. Later, he continued his education at the Eastman School of Music studying composition and piano. It wasn’t until 1983 that Scott moved to New York City and began writing, arranging and producing music for film, television and recording dates. Healy has recorded with many well known jazz, rock and R&B artists including Randy Brecker, Dave Liebman. Like many of the MW7 he has played and recorded with Phoebe Snow and Hubert Sumlin albums. Healy, who cites Bill Evans and Herbie Hancock as influences on his playing, can be heard on the CD's 'Songs Without Words" and "Northern Lights," a collaboration with guitarist Glenn Alexander.

Jerry Vivino

Jerry Vivino, the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy, is a multi-talented saxophonist who has featured in the Max Weinberg Seven on the tenor, alto, baritone and soprano saxophones; flute, piccolo and alto flute; clarinet, recorder, ocarina and, of course, the Irish penny whistle. His touring and recording credits include stints with stars such as Frankie Valli, Dion, Ron nie Spector, Phoebe Snow, Dr. John, James Taylor, Donald Fagen, Al Kooper and of course, Jimmy Vivino with whom he recorded The Vivino Brothers album ‘Chitlins Parmigiana’ in 1992. Jerry's solo debut album entitled "Something Borrowed, Something Blue" was released in 1995.

Mike Merritt

Growing up in a household listening to the sounds of jazz and coining of age on 60's and 70's rock and soul, to a life on the road playing the blues has enabled Mike Merritt to mould his style to just about any kind of music. This is exactly what he does by relentlessly laying down the bottom with the Max Weinberg Seven every night on Late Night with Conan 0'Brien. The Philadelphia-born bassist is the son of noted jazz bassist Jyinie Merritt. At 15, after seeing his father play with such jazz legends as Art Blakey, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Rollins, he discovered his dad's electric bass and was instantly hooked. He quickly turned serious about his instrument and began to augment his 70's rock and R&B roots with classical string bass studies that led to a slot in his father's rehearsal band. Merritt's combined experiences gave him the confidence to head to New York City in 1980 where he established himself as an electric bass player on the blues circuit in an interesting continuation of the work his dad did in the mid-fifties with B.B. King. Merritt toured and recorded with the late Texas bluesman Johnny Clyde Copeland and has performed with Ruth Brown and pianist Johnnie Johnson, renowned for his early work with rock pioneer Chuck Berry.

Mark Pender

Piercing the Late Night opening theme with blazing high notes and cooling off with soul-felt improvisations, Kansas City trumpet man Mark Pender draws his inspiration from his experiences growing up around musical mentors like the great Jay McShann and Willie Rice, leading proponents of Kansas City jazz and blues. Moving to the New York area with famed organist Charles Earland, Pender found a musical home in the New Jersey Shore area scene with Southside Johnny, "Little Steven" Van Zandt, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Bringing the trumpet back to the front of a late night TV bandstand, Pender has found a perfect vehicle for his bluesy style. He has developed that approach with his boisterous performances in jump blues and rock and rhytltn & blues that really heat up NBC's Studio 6A. Some of Pender's other credits include stints with Diana Ross, David Bowie, Robert Cray, They Might Be Giants, Power Station and Albert Collins.

Jimmy Vivino

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Born in Patterson, NJ on Jan 10, 1955 Jimmy Vivino, guitarist/arranger and oftentimes, lead singer for the Max Weinberg Seven, also serves as associate music director for the show. His variety of musical experiences prior to joining the Max Weinberg Seven includes work in Hollywood on such movies as "Sister Act" and "Sister Act 2," "The First Wives Club," "Heart and Soul," "Boys on the Side," "Night and the City" and "George of the Jungle." Multi-talented, he has played, produced, arranged and/or orchestrated the music for artists as diverse as Laura Nyro, Phoebe Snow, Cissy Houston, Al Kooper, The New York Rock and Soul Review with Donald Fagen and Michael McDonald, Johnnie Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Shemekia Copeland, Joe Pesci, and Painted Blue (a blues tribute to the Rolling Stones). As a music director, his credits range from "Leader of the Pack" (Off-Broadway) to "Senator Joe," "Beehive," "Just Once" and "One Hot Minute" (Off-Broadway). On the small screen, his credits include "Deja View: A Soul Session with James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Wilson Pickett," "Legendary Ladies of Rock and Roll" and "The Uncle Floyd Show."

Thanks to "NEE-HA" and Linzi. She printed this info in the newsletter a while back, and I just decided to manifest my page with it. I bow to Linzi and "NEE-HA"...

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