SFBAYou.com
Providing Cajun & Zydeco information on the Web since 1995
©Andrea D. Rubinstein, 1995-2007
Visit my new Amazon Store for Cajun, Creole & Zydeco music, book & video recommendations (and help support this website).
Bay Area Calendar
(maintained by Ellen Papper)
This website is created and maintained by Andrea Rubinstein.
I've been taking Juice Plus+ since 1996.
|
SFBAYou WebSite Design Services and Consulting for Cajun & Zydeco websites |
(Dec. 8, 2000) Jimmy Breaux of Beausoleil played the first of 3 Bay Area shows at Ashkenaz last night and brought to bear his syncopated accordion playing to a wonderful evening of traditional Cajun music. In the Bay Area this week visiting Gerard Landry, Jimmy is a virtuoso accordionist. In Lafayette, I've had people tell me they think he is THE greatest Cajun accordion player performing today. For Jimmy, accordion playing is in his blood, going back 4 generations to his great-great grandfather, Auguste Breaux. He is also related to Cleoma Breaux, who with her husband, Joe Falcon, were the most influential Cajun recording artists and live performers during the 1930s.
The two sets, which Jimmy played accompanied by the California Cajun Orchestra (in which Danny Poullard played triangle and shared vocals with Suzy Thompson), continued the Cajun dance-hall tradition of alternating two-steps and waltzes. Jimmy has a reserved stage presence, probably due to years of sharing the stage with the legendary Michael Doucet. He said not a word to the audience for the entire show, but smiled a lot. Interestingly, during the break Jimmy told me he intentionally tries to blend in with the style of the musicians he is sitting in with, rather than try to take them in new directions, because the music works better that way. Nonetheless, by the second set, his strong, distinctive accordion playing dazzled the crowd on some incredible two-steps.
Jimmy kicked it up a notch at Bobby's Back Door on Thursday. Accompanied by Billy Wilson on slide guitar, Richard Chon on fiddle & vocals, Steven Straus on bass guitar & David "Killer" Hymowitz on drums, Thursday night's band, with its more energetic pace, let Jimmy's accordion playing come through front and center. The music was lively, more in the Beausoleil tradition than the Wednesday night set. Richard fiddle playing and French vocals were a delight. And Jimmy's creativity in playing and then revisiting the phrasing of riffs on his accordion was breathtaking. It was a fine evening of music-making.
Jimmy returns on February 1 with his regular band, Beausoleil, at Great American Music Hall.
Nothing But Smiles, Geno Delafose and French
Rockin'
Boogie 
(11/4/00 Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie
returned to Eagle's Hall in Alameda on Friday night and once again, the hall was
filled with smiles: of the dancers, of the audience and biggest of all, of Geno.
Always gracious and appreciative of his audience, the energy flows both ways
when Geno is in town, and Friday night was no exception. Geno opened with
a new song to my ears that urges everyone to get out on the dancefloor, but
really, we needed no encouragement. Throughout the evening, which started
at 9 and ended at 1, when the neighbors started complaining and they had to turn
up the house lights, Geno played a mix of familiar favorites that span the
traditional Creole and nouveau zydeco repetoire. It's interesting to see
how songs float to the top of the current zydeco hit parade. For the first
time that I can recall, Geno included a cover version of Boozoo Chavis's
"You Talk About Your Baby (But You Should See Mine)". This
song has recently been repopularized by Horace Trajan, who is the one of
the most talked about bands in SW Louisiana these days. (see my story on Geno's
Fan Appreciation party for more on Horace.) For a local touch, Geno
succeeded in embarrassing Dana DeSimone in the middle of some
on-stage
announcements by breaking into a long rendition of "happy birthday" to
Dana - the more Dana protested, the longer the song became... it was very
cute... (Happy Birthday, Dana...) Finally, at the end of the evening, Geno announced that
this was the last week bass-player, Cookie Chavis, will be playing with French
Rockin' Boogie. Thanks Cookie for all the good times... we will miss you.
Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic's East Coast Tour
A review by Doug Olds (excepted with Doug's permission from a longer article originally posted to the "Twistlist," a DC/Baltimore list devoted to roots music and dance.)
(10/23/00) Thursday's gig by Andre Thierry at Relay was well-attended, and the band sounded tighter than at Glen Echo the previous Saturday. ...
I skipped Donna Angelle in Bethesda following Glen Echo in order to sup and wind down for the drive to the Cat's Eye Pub for Andre Thierry. Okay, I had intended to spare you all more of my cheerleading for this zydeco man, but he sounded better than I've ever heard him, which is to say that last night's was one of the top half-dozen zydeco performances I have ever attended. The Cat's Eye was a good place to catch Andre's musicianship, it perhaps being the best local venue for connecting fans with band. Except for one jarring decorative note, the place might almost be termed "intimate," though the dance floor is small and beveled between two slightly different planes, making for some hazard amongst the pre-midnight crowds of Fell's Point pubcrawlers.
Andre did some stuff last night that I find incredible. It's not just that he plays fast (though by the end of the night he was drilling the keys of the single-row). Other accordionists can play fast, while riffing on the tonic (running and mixing the dominant notes of the key). That kind of arpeggiated playing can get boring (and is what a lot of ROM harmonica players seem to do when bluesing). Andre instead uses his fast fingers and nimble mind to take melody farther afield within the diatonic structure of his instrument than other accordionists. He extends the melody within the 8- or 32-count phrase, withstanding the temptation to add a lot of "easy" resolutions, the dominant tones that build chords. He lets his sidemen fill in the harmony as needed. By this extension of melodic space (both in time and pitch), my perception is that he invests the diatonic accordion with its maximum of chromatic character. In this sense, he earns his sobriquet, "Baby Clifton," and closes the loop between Chenier's and John Delafose's instruments.
At the end of the night, I saw something I've never witnessed before. Andre ended his set with J. Paul's "Come Back Nikki." It's a very catchy song, and popular in Houston and Lafayette. I had heard him running snatches of this song between numbers during his other gigs, so it's clear he's had it in mind, waiting to give it a try. But his bass player June Barfield didn't know it. So on the fly and wearing his accordion, Andre reached over with one hand and tapped the bass strings to show June the progression. As he did this, I could hear the bass respond with the song's bones. He did it three times until June repeated it successfully, and then they were ready to go. What made this so interesting to me is that Andre tapped out this sequence by looking at the bass from the opposite perspective. Like playing an instrument in mirror image. And he tapped by pointing his index finger, rather than plucked, so he had to alter technique as well. And he tapped it out in rhythm.
I asked him later if he had ever played the song before. "No," he answered.
I left wondering if I had seen a form of genius...
Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic
==========================================================================
by John Nevola (New York)
[New York has 2 dances with Louisiana bands each month put on
by promoter Laura Selikson. Andre was the only band she's ever
booked from outside Louisiana. If you would like to be added to Laura's
e-mail list for New York dances, send an email to zydecolaura@hotmail.com]
On Sunday an extraordinary Zydeco Band appeared at La Belle Époque.
As a former professional musician, having seen nearly every Zydeco band,
which comes to NY, I have become rather critical. Many, including the
"star" bands, seemingly crank out streams of repetitive music,
suitable
as all Zydeco music for dancing, but musically often repetitive and
uninteresting.
As with the previous acts Step Rideau who was brought to NY by Laura
Selikson and Zydeco Express, Andre Thierry was remarkable. Surrounded by
a band of excellent seasoned Zydeco musicians, Andre looks completely out
of place. Just 21 years old, he stands there nearly invisible, wearing a
white shirt and beige plants, looking like someone who should be wholesomely
serving ice cream off the local Good Humor Truck.
The band having fun, kind of hangs around waiting to jump in as Andre
begins playing riffs which turn into terrific songs. Real songs. Not
excessively long burnt out Zydeco stuff that goes on until you get tired
of your dance partner and wait for it to end, but real, 4 or 5 minute,
great dancing, musically great songs. The band of good seasoned musicians
obviously realize what the audience realizes...this kid is a genius.
The songs are gems. I remembered that Zydeco is not just 3 or 4 chord
songs played at length by road bands cranking out the time of the gig, to
dancers only into the beat, but it is terrific MUSIC.
The crowd at La Belle Époque just kept dancing and applauding. How could
you not? The music was a tasty, and interesting, and delicious as the
food served at this beautiful establishment. You might say that this music
was like good sex. And it kept coming!!
Well, all I can say, as a professional musician, thank you Laura
Selikson. Andre Therapy and Zydeco Magic, is one of the best. And if you haven't
heard of him, you'll better come hear this band before they go back
home. Kind of like Little Stevie Wonder in Zydeco. The good humor kicks ass!
What other are people are saying:
"ONE OF ZYDECO'S 10 BEST" - Geno Delafose
"He's Fantastic! - I'm so glad you're bringing him to NY!"
"Andre Thierry is a standard-bearer for the new generation. He is among
the best of both the West Coast and the Gulf Coast, and he combines youthful
vigor with a mature appreciation for his inherited tradition. The legend
goes that Clifton Chenier once grabbed Thierry by the arm and said,
'That's going to be an accordion man', .. that day has come" -- Michael
Tisserand, author "The Kingdom of Zydeco"
Geno Delafose's 5th Annual Fan Appreciation Party
(October 17, 2000) Last weekend I attended Geno
Delafose's Fan 
Appreciation Party in Eunice for the first time. It was a
wonderful party. Due to the expectation of rain, this year the event was
moved from Geno's Double D Ranch to the Eunice Community Center.
This is a huge covered space with open sides and a concrete floor, which
provided sanctuary from the sun (since it didn't rain as expected) and a level
dance surface.
Geno and his family put on a delightful event,
that included over 5 hours of music plus a barbeque dinner. Geno
and French Rockin' Boogie opened and closed the event. In between, a
plethora of local musicians got on stage to entertain us. Included were
Horace Trahan, who now plays zydeco music and performed the song,
"High School Breakdown", which makes the local crowds go both
crazy and silly; Sheryl and Russell Cormier playing zydeco and Cajun music; Geno's
talented 13 year old nephew, Jeremy
Fruge, playing accordion, who was cheered
on by his proud mama and her friends; Mary Jane Broussard playing a mean 
accordion; and 15 year old Cajun fiddler, Alida Viator, charming as
always. Over the course of the day, I heard it was estimated that over
2000 people attended, mostly locals, but I'd say over 100 folks from out of town
also showed up. The dancing, it goes without saying, was excellent
as well.
Aside from Geno's party, lots of other dance events took place over the weekend. Willis Prudhomme had a CD release party at Rock N Bowl in New Orleans for his new CD, "Fais Do-Do", to a large, enthusiastic crowd. Opening for Willis was Ann Goodly.
Friday night in the Acadiana area. the choices included Horace Trajan at Slim's, Keith Frank at the Blue Angel in Lafayette and Step Rideau at El Sido's. I saw Horace, who now has a zydeco band that plays in the style of John Delafose. If you saw Horace at Mardi Gras and were not impressed, I would say it is worth going out of your way to see him again. The band has settled in and really sounds terrific.
Saturday, Dwight Carrier played at Cafe des
Amis's zydeco brunch. I had never heard Dwight before and really enjoyed
the band as I ate my eggs begnaud. Also playing Saturday at the same
time as Geno's party was Walter Mouton at the Liberty Theater's "Rendez-vous
des Cajuns". After Geno's event, Horace Trajan played at the Purple
Peacock in Eunice (the first time this country-western club had ever booked zydeco), Step
Rideau and Zydeco Force battled it out at Richard's, Sean Ardoin headlined at
Slim's, Keith Frank was in Kaplan and Chris Ardoin at El Sido's. Sometimes
going to Louisiana is torture! We finally settled on the Purple Peacock,
replete with disco ball and black lights, and Richard's, both venues
having big crowds and great music.
Sunday afternoon, the choices were also hard. Keith Frank and Boozoo Chavis were performing in Iowa, Chris Ardoin was playing at a church benefit in Church Point, and La Bande Feufollet was at Whiskey River (plus later we learned Zydeco Force played at a trail ride in Leonville). We caught some of Chris's set, but the black top was hot, and the crowd mostly watched, so we didn't stay long. He sounded great however, and played a great version of J Paul's, "What About How I Feel". Chris has also developed Aaron Neville arms, which we ladies all noticed... now when did that happen? We ended the day at Randol's dancing to File before heading back to New Orleans that night.
For those of you who are looking for a time to
visit Louisiana which is not dominated by festival crowds, yet not
completely quiet, I highly recommend attending during Geno's party
weekend. There was lots to do, yet, for example, even at the Cafe
des Amis's zydeco breakfast, we were able to get a table without too long a
wait. And the weather was great, high 70's/low 80's in the
day, low 60's at night.
Diamonds and Pearls...Lil Pookie & the Zydeco Heartbreakers Make their Bay Area Debut at Bay Area Dance Camp III.
(October 8, 2000) , I just got home from seeing Lil Pookie and the Zydeco Heartbreakers play the closing night's dance for The West Coast Cajun/Zydeco Music & Dance Association's third Bay Area Dance Camp. My feet hurt, my voice is hoarse from screaming and I can't go to sleep. Pookie and the band played their hearts out, and in doing so, just blew away the dance crowd that attended Sunday evening's performance. If you stayed home because the band had a rough start on Friday night, you really missed an outstanding night of high-energy, non-stop, KILLER zydeco.
Twenty-four year old Jimmy, "Lil Pookie" Seraile Jr. took the stage at Eagle's with a band that included his father on rubboard, and cousin on guitar. A winner of the Zydeco Extravaganza's annual accordion contest at age 16, Pookie comes from a family of zydeco musicians. His grandfather, on his mother's side, is the late Delton Broussard, who was leader of the Lawtell Playboys. His uncle is Jeffrey Broussard of Zydeco Force. He has in total six uncles and fix aunts who either sing or play instruments. Lil Pookie and the Zydeco Heartbreakers played on Friday evening's kickoff dance and at the closing dance. In between, they played a gig in Seattle.
At Eagle's Hall on Friday night, it took Pookie and the
band a few songs to get into a groove. For a while they were having
problems with tempo and sound balance and it appeared the band was not sure of some of the material as
Pookie keep calling out chord changes to the band throughout the show.
However, eventually the sound and band jelled, they got into their appreciative audience,
and things really picked up.
The band played both original numbers and good covers from the zydeco repetoire. They played an excellent version of Beau Jocque's "Cornbread", some fine Boozoo covers, and most surprisingly, played Cajun crooner, DL Menard's "My Back Door". On Friday, Pookie toyed with the quality and miking of his voice and on a few songs, eerily sounded like what can best be described as the Tibetan monk throat song singing style applied to the zydeco songbook. It was haunting and yet very effective. The rock-steady, "Our Way", typified this musical treatment.
Sunday's set was a little more traditional and really took the crowd by storm. It seems like some bands just need some time to settle in after trekking out here to the West Coast before getting into their groove. It was this way for Pookie. He's got a great reputation in Louisiana and on Sunday night he demonstrated in spades how he earned it. Both nights, Pookie played 3+ hour sets without a break and in fact, on Sunday, Walter had to turn on the lights to make him stop!
Lil Pookie singing "As Dove's Cry" at Eagle's Hall.
The highlight of the show for me
both evenings was the band's cover
version of Prince's 'When Doves Cry" in a mix with Prince's "Diamonds and Pearls". I haven't heard
these songs
given zydeco styling before and Pookie's soulful singing of the beautiful lyrics
was unforgettable.
In fact, at the crowd's request, on Saturday he played the medley three times and
I would have been happy if he'd played it a few more times! It was
that good.
Another element to the energy level on Sunday was the party atmosphere provided by the dance instructors that come into town from Louisiana and Texas for the weekend. Mona Wilson & Joley Bias had the crowd doing Mona-aerobics up front in joyous lines. Everyone was grinning from ear-to -ear. Ladies, this was one night you almost preferred to be in the line and not dancing with a partner. It was creative, energetic and too much fun. Even Pookie came down from the stage and joined the lines. There was just no resting on Sunday unless you chose to sit out. The other out-of-town dancer teachers, including Chester, Gabe, Lilian plus MaryLee from Seattle, were approachable and great fun to watch and/or dance with.
Our California bands, Kent Menard and the Zydeco Flames, unfortunately suffer when out of town bands are here because they lack the novelty factor. However, both bands put on great sets. The Flames played on Saturday night and Kent opened for Lil Pookie on Sunday.
Finally I have to say, the Association went over the top this year decorating the dance hall. Greeting you as you climbed the stairs was a large, hand-painted banner by Dana Mandel depicting some of the great bands who have come our way over the years, including Geno Delafose, Leroy Thomas, Step Rideau, Lil Pookie, Nathan Williams and Kent Menard. Everyone was talking about how impressive the banner was. The rest of the hall was covered in posters of Cajun and zydeco musicians, chili peppers and other festive decorations.
Kudos once more to Louisiana Sue, Dana DeSimone and their band of volunteers for putting on another great dance weekend.
