viperHouse ::

Michael Chorney - alto, baritone saxophone
Rob Morse - acoustic, electric bass
Heloise Williams - lead vocals
P.J. Davidian - percussion
Brian Boyes - trumpet
Ray Paczkowski - hammond organ, keys
Dan Mallach - trombone
Phil Carr - drums
Karen Quinn - violin

 

    The sound of funk-jazz fusionites, viperHouse is defined by a controlled blend of jazzy sophistication, funk-laden viscerality, oddball charm, cool horns and hazy, warm sensuality. But at its core, viperHouse is essentially an immensely talented groove band. Band leader Michael Chorney has taken one of the larger ensembles in Vermont and honed its players into a creative force, one that has harnessed the inherent sensibilities of its members and done something with their talents instead of letting them die in too-often heard structures.

    viperHouse was formed in the spring of 1995. Saxophonist/composer Michael Chorney called together various players from the many groups he had worked with over the years. Diverse doesn’t even begin to describe the resulting crew. Burlington’s most in-demand veteran drummer is paired with a wunderkind bassist fresh out of high school. Classical violin meets the sound of the Hammond 3-D. Add to this a three piece horn section, Latin percussion, wah-wah spy guitar, and the smoking sounds of lead vocalist Heloise Williams and the resulting chemistry is very funky.

    The viper repertoire consists of a totally solid body of original works and a handful of arrangements of tunes from some wonderfully disparate sources. Chicago soul groups, jazz masters like Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington, pieces by Neil Young and Sly Stone all come under the Viper treatment and come out bearing the Viper flavor. A healthy dose of improvisation insures that no two performances are ever alike. The only constant is their irresistible blend of sophisticated arrangements and hot grooves - the hallmark of the viperHouse sound.

    The viperHouse experience is an inclusive one, whether you wish to dance all night or sit back and listen to some rich sonic explorations. The chemistry of this wildly eclectic group of musicians is sure to satisfy music lovers of almost any stripe.