"A real zoot suit hoot"

Dan Willging (Dirty Linen, December '07 / January '08 Issue #133)

With the wretched aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans lost a lot of its invaluable cultural resources as flocks of musicians, chefs, artists, and writers sought refuge in other cities. It's a frightening situation because those remaining realize that civic culture is the city's biggest asset and one that's paramount in the modern reconstruction era. So bully for the Jazz Vipers, who address that sentiment on the beautiful, breezy title track, "I hope You're Comin' Back to New Orleans." The song, destined to become a modern-day classic of the post-Katrina era, extols the virtues of New Orleanian life (where people still say hello) and concludes with the end-all line: "There's just nothing more than New Or-l-e-a-n-s."

While that's an unusually positive outlook to a nightmarish chapter of American history, the Jazz Vipers just happen to be an unusual swing group. They're configured differently than other ensembles of their ilk in that they don't rely on a massive drum kit to support the impeccably played trumpets, saxes, and clarinet. Instead, their rhythmic pulse comes solely from chugging guitarist John Rodli and bassist Robert Snow, who steadily outline the complex chord progressions. Fiddler Neti Vaan rounds out the Vipers distinctive sound that's one part Parisian Hot Club and one part New Orleans trad jazz.

Through hops, bops, honks, chirps, wails, swoons, and croons, the Vipers manage to keep the fun meter pegged into the red. They sing about body-slamming whales for line ("I Would do Anything for You"), the latest madcap dance craze ("Zonky"), and instilling rhythm within your lowest appendages
("Get Rhythm in Your Feet"). "Bread and Gravy" is particularly amusing, with guest vocalist Miss Sophie Lee belting about how grand life is with nothing to worry about. In between verses, the Vipers get their jam thing on, playing wonderful extended solos that are consistently grooving. A real zoot suit hoot, this one.