New Orleans Jazz Vipers

The Jazz Vipers and guest musicians playing in the French Quarter in October 2005; some of the first live music to return to the city after the Hurricane Katrina disaster

The New Orleans Jazz Vipers are a seven-piece swing band from New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. The band's repertoire comes from the likes of Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong as well as lesser-known artists.

Amplification is rarely used and they are part of a growing number of bands on the Frenchmen Street music scene who trust that the audience will eventually quiet down enough to enjoy the music.

History

Founding members Joe Braun (saxophone), John Rodli (acoustic guitar) and Jack Fine (cornet)first met in 1995 on the music scene in Jackson Square. Robert Snow (acoustic bass) completed the rhythm section when the band was formed in 1999. Gradually the band evolved to its present formation. Charlie Fardella (trumpet), joined in the summer of 2002. Tom Saunders (bass saxophone), whose extensive knowledge of the traditional jazz repertoire has been honed by years as a DJ at WWOZ, joined the band soon after. The most recent additions to the band are Bruce Brackman (clarinet) and Matt Rhody (violin). Lead vocals are handled by Braun, Rodli, Saunders and Fardella. All the members of the band provide backing vocals.

In 2009, six members of the Vipers formed the New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings. The Cottonmouth Kings include John Rodli, Robert Snow, Bruce Brackman, Charlie Fardella, Matt Rhody, and Tom Saunders. As of 2010,the current line up includes Joe Braun and Jack Fine plus Craig Klein (trombone), Jason King (Acoustic guitar) and Joshua Gouzy (bass}.

Achievements

• Their CD Live on Frenchmen Street won Offbeat Magazine's 2004 Best of the Beat Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album.
• They were named Best Traditional Jazz Band at the 2005 Big Easy Awards.
• In 2001 and 2003 they won the Best of the Beat Award for Best Emerging Traditional Jazz Band.
• The band was voted one of the top three jazz bands in the 2004 reader's poll in Where Y'at Magazine.
• The Band’s newest CD, “Hope You’re Comin’ Back”, has been featured on CBS Evening News, an episode of Emeril Live.
• In 2010, the New Orleans Jazz Vipers were featured in the HBO series "Treme", with Joe Braun playing himself as a featured character.
• Later that same year, the "Treme" soundtrack compilation, which includes the Vipers playing Joe Brauns' original composition "I Hope You're Comin' Back To New Orleans", was nominated for a Grammy award.

Discography

Albums

• The New Orleans Jazz Vipers (2002) recorded in New Orleans at Truck Farm Studio with Andrew Gilchrist as the engineer.
• Live on Frenchman Street (2004) recorded live at The Spotted Cat located on Frenchmen St. in New Orleans.
• Hope You're Comin' Back (2006) recorded in New Orleans. Includes the band's first self-penned number "Hope You're Comin' Back To New Orleans", a post-Katrina plea for people to come back to New Orleans to live or visit.