[Dixielandjazz] New Orleans Jazz Vipers

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

I met this group at the French Quarter Festival in April, and they were very 
good, all Jazz Societies should be interested in booking them to give your 
audience a taste of the real thing from New Orleans.  I listen to their CDs 
weekly and so far have not grown tired of them.

Listmate Tommy Saunders nephew plays Bass Sax in the group, these guys 
actually have a good time playing music and entertaining people, the key word in the 
article about them is DANCING.  No doubt one of the main reasons they are 
attracting attention and media coverage in New Orleans.  I saw folks dancing in 
the streets to them when they played on Bourbon Street, and they were playing a 
club on Frenchman Street the next day and they had a couple hundred of folks 
in the club and many more outside dancing on the street.

They emit what OKOM is supposed to be all about, catch them if you can, and 
if not order their CDs and keep OKOM alive and well, that is the best way to 
support OKOM if you can't travel to all the shows.  Just play the CD and pretend 
you are on Bourbon Street without the rain falling on your parade.  Also 
notice the wide range of audience they attract, but then again maybe jazz 
societies prefer to not have any of those Bywater Punks bringing their money to hear 
some real music.  Gotta remember folks that those jazz unwashed punks have not 
had much if any exposure to OKOM for their entire lives since we have had it 
hidden away.  Believe it or not they are the future of the music, and someday 
they will remove the needles from their noses and eyebrows, and other body 
parts they have pierced and grow up and discover real music, but they need our 
help.

Musical content:  "Bringing in the Sheeves"


Cheers,

Tom Wiggins


VIPERS AT THE MINT:
Led by the illustrious bassist/provocateur Robert Snow, the New Orleans Jazz 
Vipers are unique in that they perform hot jazz classics of the '30s and '40s 
("Them There Eyes," "I Wish I Were Twins," "If You're A Viper," etc.) without 
drums or electric amplification, resulting in swinging sounds that provoke 
flamboyant dancing between everyone from St. Bernard grandmothers to Danish 
tourists to Bywater punks. On Saturday afternoon, December 4, from 2 until 4 p.m., 
the Vipers will perform for free at the Old U.S. Mint, 400 Esplanade Avenue. 
For a digital byte of the Vipers, head to http://www.jazzvipers.com/index.html, 
where you'll find the band's excellent live CDs and Curtis Casados-designed 
t-shirts. GOING SOUTH: