There’s a logic to reviewing these CDs together in that four out of seven of the musicians on each of them are the same—Joe Braun, alto sax, Bruce Brackman, clarinet, Robert Snow bass, and John Rodli, guitar. There are certainly differences in the sound and format of these two recordings, but the similarities are more important. Both are post-Katrina productions and both deal musically with the impact of the storm in their title songs. Both also pay tribute in their notes to relief organizations ranging from the New Orleans Musicians Hurricane Relief Fund to Common Ground, who have helped them directly and the city in general in the aftermath of the disaster.

This is the second CD for the Palmetto Bugs and the third for the Jazz Vipers, and it’s fair to say that both these groups now reflect a genuine musical direction. I’d call it funky Dixieland except that many people object to the use of “Dixieland” to describe a type of jazz, so let’s settle for funky trad. Saxman Joe Braun deserves a lion’s share of the credit for the sound, although at this stage all of the musicians present have played a significant role. Both bands feature hard driving rhythm sections—Tom Saunders bass sax is a really outstanding feature of the Jazz Vipers group—and both bands are reminiscent of a 1930s outfit known as Billy Banks and his Rhythmakers.

None of these musicians play quite as well as a Henry “Red” Allen or a Pee Wee Russell or a Fats Waller on the Rhythmakers sides, but on the other hand, almost everyone on these CDs sings at one point or another and all of them sing better than Billy Banks. The bottom line: This is good stuff that reflects the current mood in our city. As New Orleans writer Rex Rose put it, “Asking if New Orleans will go on is like asking if mold will go on.” The same holds true for the Jazz Vipers and the Palmetto Bug Stompers.