Genre(s): Dixieland Jazz; Swing; Blues.
URL: http://thebluevipersofbrooklyn.com

When the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn sing “Happy Trails” at the end of their new album “Permanent Magic,” it doesn’t come across as an ending; rather, it’s merely the beginning.

Although they’ve been winning awards left and right and receiving accolades from music legends like Willie Nelson since 2007, the Blue Vipers have the kind of stuff that stardom is defined by. The group’s percolating soup of swing, New Orleans jazz, vintage jazz, and country is not only timeless but actually revolutionary in a sense; to a younger generation this will be seen as new, freshly scrubbed.

Let’s forget the swing revival that catapulted bands like the Squirrel Nut Zippers into the mainstream in the late ‘90s. That was a short-lived fad, and much of it felt forced, a deliberate attempt to repackage the past in glossy, commercialized units. The same can’t be said for the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn.

These cats aren’t in it for the buck. Listen to how vocalist/guitarist Billy Nemec sings “Georgia” with the weathered, sentimental ache of a bluesman. Savor the raw soulfulness of Tom Abbott’s saxophone on that same track. Let yourself be carried away by its four-part harmonies. This is no ordinary cover; it’s a vivid portrait of how street musicians in Georgia probably sang the song back in the day, their voices cracking from the whiskey and cigarettes. “Don’t Pretend” shoves the grit back into the blues with its stinging guitars and seedy trumpets. David Langlois’ jumpy percussion and Chris Pistorino’s throbbing bass on “Some of These Days” pack a wallop.

It’s startling at how the Blue Vipers are able to resurrect the sounds of the past and make them feel so alive without any contemporary touches. For purists of Dixieland jazz, the Blue Vipers are a true wonder. (The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn will have a CD release party at Tammany Hall in New York City on Wednesday, February 23rd from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.)