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Copyright © 1997, Andrea D. Rubinstein
1st Cajun/Zydeco Experience @
Ardenwood Historic Farm
A Cajun-Zydeco Music Festival was held at the Ardenwood
Historic Farm on September 27th and by all accounts it was a huge
success. The festival site is actually a working farm. As you
drove in, you were confronted with a field of orange pumpkins
just waiting to be turned into Jack-o-Lanterns. From the parking
lot, it was a short walk past fields and the old Patterson
Mansion to the festival site.
Booths were set up selling food, hand-made clothing &
jewelry, CDs & tapes and souvenirs from Louisiana. The
California Friends of Lousiana French Music, in addition to
fund-raising booth, had a large display featuring educational
materials about Cajun and Creole music andculture. Next to the
booths was an area shaded by trees and filled with picnic tables.
From here you could see the bands and dancers while staying cool.
A few yards further was a real dance floor surrounded by a huge
expanse of lawn. The bands played in a trailer that was rigged to
double as a stage. It was a very effective and comfortable
arrangement.
The music of the day was provided by the Bay Area's finest: Tete
Rouge, Andre Thierry, Motor Dude Zydeco, California Cajun
Orchestra, and Tee Fee. The bands sounded great and the large
crowd enjoyed listening to the music and dancing out in the fresh
air. In addition, Frieda Fusilier told stories as only she can.
The organizers at Ardenwood have said they would like to make
this an annual event and add some Lousiana bands to the mix next
year. What a wonderful addition this festival will be to the Bay
Area Cajun-Zydeco dance calendar!
(May 1997) Where to begin? I just got back from 10 days in
Louisiana, first attending the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and then
heading out to the Lafayette area to visit some Cajun and zydeco shrines and
attend the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival. I was able to dance every night (&
most days) except for 1! And met or was reunited with some great dancers from
across the U.S.
During my trip I saw Beau Jocque four times, Keith Frank, Steve Riley, Rosie
Ledet, Nathan,& File 3 times, Bruce Daigrepont, Creole Zydeco Farmers & Balfa
Toujours twice, plus Geno, Boozoo, Chris Ardoin, DL Menard, Basin Brothers, Paul
Daigle, Lil Pookie, Robert Jardell, Sheryl Cormier, Preston Frank, Roy Carrier,
Horace Trajan, a jam at the Savoy Music Center in Eunice and the Cajun Playboys
at Fred's Lounge in Mamou. I had to pass up on Step Rideau, CJ Chenier, Sunpie,
Terrance Simean, Walter Mouton, Bois Sec & many more due to logistical problems.
On our second weekend, in Breaux Bridge, we were so exhausted by Saturday night,
that we decided to stay at the Crawfish Festival to see Steve Riley rather than
leave early & drive to Opelousas to see Keith Frank a second time that day at
Slim's. If I had danced the additional 3 or 4 hours that day, I would have done
serious damage to myself! (Our Saturday marathon began by heading out from
Lafayette by 9AM to Mamou in order to be dancing by 10am at Fred's Lounge. After
an hour at Fred's (where I won, by virtue of being from California, a gift of
Cajun marinades and seasonings), we left for the Savoy Music Center for the jam;
then out to the Crawfish Festival where we danced from 1pm til midnight,
non-stop! Steve & the Mamou Playboys were incredible playing for a home town
audience - my traveling partner- in- crime, Janine, thought it was the best
she'd ever seen him - I was too exhausted to be that discriminating!. I was also
impressed by Bruce Daigrepont & File again. Another highlight from Breaux Bridge
was the small tent on Friday night where Preston Frank (on accordian) was
accompanied by his son Keith, on guitar. They mostly played traditional acoustic
Creole-Cajun tunes, although Keith did perform and sing lead on one of his own
songs.
New Orleans and Jazz Fest held other, equally memorable moments. Upon arrival in
New Orleans on Wednesday night we headed out to Mulates and caught the end of
File's show. Thursday night was Rock & Bowl/Bowl Me Under night with Nathan &
the Zydeco Cha-Chas, Rosie Ledet, Chris Ardoin and Willis Prudhomme all turning
out great sets. It was also reunion and getting to know you night as I met old
friends from festivals past and met new, great dancers from around the States.
Friday's festival line-up included Rosie Ledet, Bruce Daigrepont (the first time
I'd seen him - outstanding set!), Geno Delafose and for non-C/z - James Taylor
and Dr. John. The first weekend in Jazz Fest should have been renamed Mud Fest,
because by Saturday it was pouring rain, complete with lightning and
thunderstorms. This didn't deter us as we danced throughout it all to Keith
Frank in our pouchos, and improvised plastic coverings. After that we spent some
time watching Keb Mo and then headed out, the inclement weather finally getting
to us. By Sunday , we were more experienced and had bought mud shoes (actually
Speedo surf shoes) to cope with the 4-6 inch deep mud-filled grounds. Worked
quite well, and by adjusting our footing and stepping patterns, we were able to
dance to Balfa Toujours, Beau Jocque, Creole Zydeco Farmers and Nathan & the
Zydeco Cha-Chas.
Outside the festival, more great music was seen, heard and danced to: Marcia
Ball at Rock& Bowl, the Iguanas at Cafe Brasil and Kermit Ruffins (three times -
at the CAC warehouse bash with Dr. John, at Donna's and for free at the
Louisiana Music Factory). Also danced in the aisles att the Lousiana Music
Factory to Steve Riley and Roy Carrier. And did I forget to mention two other
Rock & Bowl Pay one Price events: Beau Jocque vs Boozoo on Sunday night, and
Steve Riley/Beau Jocque on Wednesday. The Mamou Playboys were definitately
cooking at all their gigs this week - they sounded great and always looked like
they were having the time of their lives on stage - very hight energy and great
vibes.
Other great memories - in no particular order:
Seeing File at Mulates in Breaux Bridge. Janine and I were the only dancers
there among 3 busloads of tourists. During the break I introduced myself and
told them how great they sounded at Eagle's last month. We wound up spending
some time speaking to David (piano) and Kevin (bass) and after the break they
dedicated a song to the 'girls from San Francisco'. Felt just like a groupie,
and at my age, too (in dog years I'm dead!).
Beau Jocque at Poet's in Lafayette. The stage had a good set-up, the club was
air-conditioned, the dance floor was ample, the acoustics were fine and there
were quite a few locals to dance with. For this trip, it was the best club
performance I'd seen for Beau Jocque (the best performance was outside at Jazz
Fest.).
Talking to Sid Williams at El-Sido's. I introduced myself when we went to see
Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas there & sent him regards from one of his Bay Area
friends, Jim Philips. We wound up talking about the internet, family and
community. He also bought Janine and myself a round of drinks,served in souvenir
El-Sido plastic cups. I wore my El-Sido's t-shirt to the club that night & he
told me it made him feel proud to see me in it. He was very gracious & seemed
like he had a good soul.
Dancing with some wonderful dancers including: Wayne, Gary & Gary from DC, Louie
from Chicago, Chubby Carrier's rubboard player at Rock & Bowl, Chris and an
unidentifed man with a "Lick it Up" t-shirt from New Orleans, Mark from Seattle,
Jim from Denver, James from Baton Rouge, a good dancer (forgot his name) from
St. Louis, some Lafayette locals at Poets, plus Jim, Geno, Michael, Fernando,
Mark, Dale and Frisco Freddy from the.(or formerly from the) Bay Area.
Taking a cemetary/voodoo tour of New Orleans and a swamp tour from Henderson.
While we were waiting for the swamp tour (at Angelle's), eating our oyster po-boys,
the proprietor came over with samples of his catfish etouffeee for us to try,
and told us that Steve Riley played occassionally to crowds of over 450. I don't
know how they all fit in there!
Taking side roads to visit St. Martinville, the home town of the Bay Area's
Robbie & Shirley. We drove along a levee road, asked for directions at a
convenience shop and was told ' go right at the red house, then go over 3
bridges - the third is a pontoon bridge - then look for a split where the road
turns gravel and goes over the levee. Then follow that until you see a turnoff
that is another blacktop road, about 6 miles, which is the road to Catahoula
where there will be St. Martinville signs'. The directions were accurate; more
astounding than that - I remembered & still remember them - and to top it off
there was a tiny little snowcone stand in Catahoula where we had great home-
made malteds for 75 cents. Thank goodness the car was a rental.
Eating some great meals. We nicknamed this trip the Gumbo and Bread Pudding
tour, because we ordered those two items at every restaurant we ate at, and
started ranking them. I highly recommend Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge - it had
the all-time #2 gumbo (#1 for this trip, #2 for all trips), and the best bread
pudding, plus a decent green salad (a rarity in Louisiana). In New Orleans, I
recommend Olivier's for a nice meal (try the gumbo sampler) , the Gumbo Shop for
their red beans & rice, Crescent City Brewery for their nouveau cuisine salads,
Royal Cafe for their fresh salads and oyster & artichoke soup and Felix's Oyster
Bar (across the street from Acme, with better food and no lines)..
Heat and Dust and Festival Acadiens
Each time I travel to Louisiana, I am overwhelmed. There is so much excellent music being performed by well-known bands, by local bands & by improvised bands. The food is great, the people are friendly, the weather is unpredictable and there is never enough time to take it all in. This time, my journey was planned around attending Festival Acadiens in Lafayette, from Sept. 19-21.
This trip, started off dancewise, with two nights at Rock 'N Bowl in New Orleans. File on Wednesday night, and Geno Delafose with French Rockin' Boogie on Thursday both performed excellent sets to enthusiastic crowds. These were also reunion nights, as dancers from around the country, met up with friends & dance partners they had not seen since prior festivals. I forced myself to leave early with some friends on Thursday night (midnight) to head over to Vaughn's to catch Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, knowing I would see Geno again at the festival. The Q was fired up and so was Kermit. When we left at 2AM, he was still going strong. So much music, so little time!
On Friday we drove to Lafayette to attend Downtown Alive. Beausoleil and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas performed outside to several thousand people dancing in the streets. Then it was on to Hamilton's Club to see Zydeco Joe and the Mamou Prairie Band trade off sets. I had never been to Hamilton's or seen either band before, and all were happy discoveries. Zydeco Joe in particular put on a great set. The club was crowded, but not packed as festival goers had to choose between Hamiltons, Nathan at El-Sidos, Cocteau (with Michael Doucet) at Grant Street Dance Hall and Balfa Toujours at La Poussiere in Breux Bridge. Around midnight, I headed over to see Nathan and closed the club down at 2 pm with a lot of other happy, sweaty dancers. I also heard Balfa Toujours put on an outstanding dance, from a few folks who spent the evening there. .
The festival on both Saturday and Sunday was hot and dusty. I remember thinking about the importance of fluid and not overdoing it. Even so, every other dance was all I could find energy for in the heat of the day, if that. At one point I looked at my arms...someone asked me if I had spilled water on them....nope, it was just beads of sweat...I looked like I had just stepped out of the shower! Despite the environmentals, the festival was great fun. The main stage featured performances by Beausoleil, Geno Delafose, Balfa Toujours, Thomas Fields, File, Horace Trahan, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Walter Mouton, Richard Le Boeuf, Sheryl Cormier & Jackie Caillier, Jambalaya, Kenneth Thibodeaux, Kevin Naquin and the Lake Charles Ramblers. On the Heritage stage, I saw Bois Sec Ardoin with Dirk Powell, Christine Balfa and others. I also caught a Creole Fiddle Workshop with D'jaima Garnier of File, Mitchell Reed of the Mamou Prairie Band plus Zydeco Joe sitting in on the rubboard. This was some of the best music I heard all weekend. I spoke to D'jaima Sunday night about the session and he said that he & Mitchell had spent a lot of time rehearsing their dual fiddle repetoire. It was well worth their efforts. Another highlight for me was seeing Lynn August playing Louisiana Blues at the Louisiana Crafts show. August is someone I had never seen before and always wanted to, and it was a shock and a treat to wander into him at this venue.
Saturday night was more difficult club choices: File' and Bois Sec Ardoin at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Blackie Forrestier at Randol's, Steve Riley & The Iguanas at Grant St. Dance Hall, Beau Jocque at El Sido's and Keith Frank at Hamilton's. I opted for Keith Frank and got there early in hopes of avoiding the brunt of the crowds. This strategy worked. For a while, the dance floor was manageable, the music was great, and the crowd appreciative. Around 11:30 pm however, zydeco grid-lock set in, and some of us headed over to El Sido's to catch Beau Jocque. The club was crowded as expected, but there was still enough room to dance and lots of dance partners, so it was a wise move. Beau Jocque put on a good set, too, and afterwards, we had a lively conversation about who we liked better that night.
On Sunday a few friends went up to Eunice for a small benefit put on by Geno Delafose and JoJo Reed. They had a great time there. I opted to stay in Lafayette for Festival Acadiens (and Steve Riley, File, Walter Mouton, BeauSoleil, Bois Sec Ardoin & Horace Trahan) and then headed over to see File at Randol's. The place was packed with dancers trying to get in their final dance fixes before heading home. File played enthusiastically & a few of us did our best to convince them to play the Bay Area again soon. I had some great dances in what I think of as the local style with a Sunday night regular there, who filled me in on the Cajun dance scene.
All in all, a great trip with great music, old and new friends, talented dance partners, terrific food, and just a wonderful time. I'm already plotting my return....
Concretely
Concord
Over Labor Day weekend,
the Concord Pavillion hosted "A Taste of Louisiana".The
event featured three Louisiana bands, Michael Doucet avec
BeauSoleil, Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie, and the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band as well as two California bands, Kent
Menard & Zydeco Blast and Gator Beat. My first impression was
how well our local acts sounded even when compared side-by-side
to the Louisiana-based bands. Of course, given that both these
California bands are fronted by Louisiana musicians, this should
not be a surprise. Also, it should be said that the main stage
acts were handicapped by some dreadful acoustics at Concord. In
front of the stage was a huge expanse of concrete (aka the dance
floor), and a metal roof overhead the concrete and seats. The
sound bounced off the hard surfaces most annoyingly. Even
BeauSoleil, a band meticulous in getting their sound balance
right, could not overcome the problems with the venue. While
their musicianship seemed as solid as ever, the balance appeared
off and both instruments and vocals sounded terrible. Geno
Delafose did not fair any better sound-wise and his act was
similarly marred, despite his enthusiasm, showmanship and rapport
with the audience.
On the improvised side stages, the situation was much better.
Both Gator Beat and Kent Menard played early sets and then
performed again during breaks in the main stage. Here, some
decent dance floors were set up, and there was both good dancing,
good musicianship and much better sound to be had. Louisiana Sue
threw plastic crawfish from the stage; Gator Beat threw beads.
Quite a few of our local dancers, dressed in red & black,
attracted a large crowd of spectators who enjoyed watching them
pass a good time.
The California Friends of Lousiana French Music and Ashkenaz Music & Dance held a roast in honor of Danny Poullard on July 19th. Danny has taught and influenced many musicians at music camps across the country and locally at his home. A partial list of the "Bay Area Poullard Alumni Association of Friends and Proteges" include Agi Ban, Maureen Carpen, Andrew Carrier, Frieda Fusilier, Mark DeWitt, Elaine Herrick, Marty Jara, Girard Landry, Ed Luckenbach, Walter Mahoney, Mark St. Mary, Linda Schmidt, Sam Siggen, Andre Thierry, Suzy Thompson, Billy Wilson & Kevin Wimmer. Like George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life", can you imagine the Bay Area Cajun/Zydeco scene without Danny and his presence in this community?
No event is complete without some excitement and this party had more than its fair share. The biggest unplanned event was whether or not Danny would be able to attend! Turns out Mr. Poullard had gotten bitten by a spider in West Virginia, and was in the hospital with his leg up and doctor's orders to stay put at roast time. An innovative emergency technical team, lead by Jim Phillips at Ashkenaz and Aura Sullivan in Danny's hospital room, managed to link the pay phone in Ashkenaz (Jim claims by accident) to Danny's hospital room to the speakers on stage, so that we could hear Danny & Danny could hear the music and tributes paid to him at the roast. Joe Simean saved the day music-wise by playing the opening set. Later on, a line-up of Danny's friends, and present & former pupils came on stage to play a few numbers, including Marc & Ann Savoy and Ken Smith who traveled from Louisiana to attend this event.
The day's ceremonies included Frieda Fusilier, Cajun humorist and story-teller, introducing Danny's mother and family members present, recounting a brief history of Danny's career, presenting an award to Danny's wife, Ruby, for graciously having so many musicians in her home and for "putting up with Danny", and reading a letter of appreciation from Lee Richard, National President of the prestigious Cajun French Music Association. Jim Phillips, President of The California Friends of Louisiana French Music, read Louisiana Senate Resolution # 121, a very special commendation to Danny from the Senate of the Great State of Louisiana for his contribution in preserving and promoting Cajun and Creole culture outside of Louisiana.
In addition, Curtis Joubert, representative of the Lt. Governor's Office of the State of Louisiana, former member of the Louisiana Legislature, former member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and long-time mayor of Eunice, Louisiana, presented an award from the Lt. Governor's office. Numerous friends got up and said a few words and told some great stories about Danny. Finally, CLFLM presented Danny with a new "Junior Martin" accordian in B-flat, customized by Jim Bartz with the words 'Zydeco Danny" inlaid in mother-of-pearl, and with a gator painted across the bellows.
In between the formal program, there was lots of dancing and good eatin' going on. A vegetarian potluck was held in the back studio and folks went all out in their contributions. For many of us, it was the first time we were back in Ashkenaz since the memorial service for David Nadel, and it felt good to be back. The walls had been freshly painted, the daylight streamed in, and it was a very good party and a very appropriate way to experience our homecoming there.
Special thanks to Frieda Fusilier, Jim Phillips, Christy Leichty, Shirley & Robbie Robertson, Aura Sullivan, Cindy & Armando Molina, Judy and Hal Garcia and the rest of the CFLFM Board and Membership for putting on such an outstanding cultural event and coping so well with some difficult circumstances, and to the staff at Ashkenaz (with a special "Thanks" to Emily) for being so welcoming, cooperative, cheerful and relaxed.
A Great 4th of
July Week on the Bay-ou.
As a Cajun-zydeco music and dance fan, you can't help but feel
lucky to be living in the Bay Area these days. We are really
fortunate to have so many great local bands, plus a
constant.stream of Louisiana bands coming through to play here.
Over the past 7 days, I was able to dance 6 of them, and on
several dates had to make hard decisions on where to go (some
evenings visiting two two venues.) And, the quality of the music
was outstanding.
This year's long Fourth of July dance marathon started for me on Tuesday night at Caribbean Spice where Gator Beat was playing. This is a band that hasn't played that often in the SF/East Bay metro center and they put on an incredible show. With a great saxophone player and several original compositions, Gator Beat is not afraid to take the traditional repertoire and reinterpret it. The results were refreshing and exhilarating. The crowd was cheering at the end of the night - not a common occurrence here.
There was no dancing on Wednesday night, a situation soon to be remedied by the reopening of Ashkenaz, which plans to book C/z bands regularly on Wednesdays nights beginning this September. Thursday night kicked off the holiday weekend with Tete Rouge playing to a packed house at Bobbie's. Since this set ended early, several of us (who live in SF/Pennisula) then headed off to see the Zydeco Flames at Barley & Hopps in San Mateo. A few dancers were there & a nice dance floor awaited us in a classy air-conditioned venue that featured no cover charge, reasonably priced drinks, good acoustics & first class bathrooms. The Flames put on a crowd-pleasing set. This is a venue worth supporting should more C/z bands get booked there.
On the fourth of July, many of us braved the parking lot madness and headed to the Marin County Fair to see Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys. Two incredible sets made every minute spent sitting in departing traffic worth it. Every time I see Steve Riley I think they can't top the last time I saw them & I get proved wrong. The variety of styles, the musicianship, the range of instruments, the sheer dancability, and the showmanship of this band is tops. Plus, they ALWAYS look like they are having fun on stage - grinning from ear to ear and getting off on the crowd. I love this band. Can you tell? The highlight of the two sets came during the encore this year. Daylight had faded, and right after the band's set, fireworks were scheduled to start. The Mamou Playboys first encore number was an acappella rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. It was appropriate and awesome.
Saturday night the Mamou Playboys played again at Eagle's Hall in Alameda. There must have been over 120 people taking dance lessons when I arrived, plus all the regulars and irregulars. Theplace was packed like sardines. I couldn't see, let alone dance with, half the people I wanted to. The performance was great and the energy level of the crowd was high. Several times, the band members remarked how great the crowd was & what fun they were having playing here. A friend who had seen the Marin County set thought they sounded even better at Eagle's than they did at the Fair. Geez, I think I've lost my ability to discriminate at this point - both places were rockin' and everyone was grinning from ear-to-ear and sweating from head-to toe. Did I mention, I love this band?
Sunday was a tough call
dance-wise. Motor Dude Zydeco and Bayou Pon-Pon at DeMarco's
versus Tete Rouge at Bobby's. From all reports, the dance crowd
was about evenly split - about 30 folks at DeMarco's, 35-40 at
Bobby's. The potluck at Demarco's included a banquet provided
by Betty. At Bobby's, Tete Rouge put on another chuggin' set
(chug-a- chug versus chank-a-chank? - whatever!)
Monday night was the time to head back to Eagle's hall to see Boozoo Chavis with opening act, Motor Dude Zydeco. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but I heard the music was good, the dance hall was filled and crowd was happy.
And that's just what happened in
the first seven days of July....the rest of the month includes
visits by JoJo Reed, Mark & Ann Savoy with Kent Smith, Mark
St. Mary and all our local favorites....see you on the dance
floor!
New Orleans by the Pay
...oops I mean Bay
I attended the 9th annual New Orleans by the Bay music festival
over the July 21st weekend. My first observation is that you had
to be able to overlook the outrageous prices charged for
everything from parking ($8) to bottled water ($2.50) to Cafe de
Monde beignets & cafe au lait ($3 EACH) to food stands (one
booth charged $6 for about a cup of rice ..er jambalaya) before
you could have a good time. Granted the admission charge was $12
before the service charges kicked in, but the whole weekend
seemed marred by the price gouging..
From a Cajun/zydeco dance and music standpoint, Saturday was the highlight. Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet and Sunpie Barnes & the Louisiana Sunspots put on incredible sets. Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie played twice with Geno charming the crowd as always. Shoeless Terrance Simean was also a crowd pleaser. There was a large (14) contingent of San Diego dancers in the crowd, easily identified by their San Diego Bon Temps Club buttons, that we local dancers were happy to share some good times with.
From a non-C/z perspective, the biggest audience turned out for Los Van Van, a Cuban dance band that has topped the charts there for over 27 years. Two years of negotition took place between the US and Cuban govenments before the band was allowed to play in the US. Incredibly, they lived up to their advance press & put on a dynamic, exciting show.
Sunday was a big let-down C/z dance-wise. Beau Jocque was a no-show. The announcement said he had bus troubles. Replacing him & therefore playing a double set was Zigaboo Modeste, who was good but was no substitute for Beau. Many folks commented to me that they they had come just to see BJ, (some had never seen him before) and were incredibly disappointed. Quite a few left soon after. On the other hand, Terrance Simean played his best set of the weekend on one of the small stages, where he could be less the showman and more the musician. Sunpie played on a small stage where the dance area was filled with jumpers. The C/z dance crowd moved on to support a local band, Danny Poullard & the California Cajun Orchestra where the dance floor could be used for just that. The highlights of Sunday, however, turned out to be the non-C/z events: the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir put on a rousing Sunday morning performance; the Staple Singers and Soul Rebels put on great sets; and to close theweekend, the festival headliners, the Neville Brothers, had everyone on their feet dancing to and cheering an incredible set. In fact, the consensus was they redeemed the day.
Puget Sound Urban Dance Camp
An 'urban dance camp' was held in Seattle over the weekend of June 13 to 15th and I was one of the lucky hundred fifty or so dancers to have attended. Held at the Century Ballroom in Seattle's Capital Hill neighbor, the featured dance instructor was Michael Seider, from New Orleans, who was assisted by Josie Breger. Josie had danced in New Orleans for 5 years before moving to Los Angeles. Several local dance instructors also taught. Evening dances, featuring Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie on Saturday & Sunday, and a local band, Captain Leroy and the Culture Pirates, on Friday night, were held in the Grand Ballroom, as were the the advanced classes. The ballroom is a lovely space with a large wooden dance floor, table seating along the perimetor of the room and a gilded balcony that ringed the dancehall and a golden arch that sets off the stage.
Unfortunately, I missed the Friday night events so can't report on the events that night. On Saturday and Sunday I attended the advanced sessions with Michael & Josie. I had never seen Michael dance or teach before so did not know what to expect. I found him to be a charismatic teacher and wonderful dancer. He enjoyed what he was doing, was able to explain and demonstrate the advanced steps in a way that was easy to understand & follow, had a good sense of humor and pacing, and maintained control of the class that had over 70 participants in it. I also sat in on one of his beginning classes and his instruction technique was modified to match the skill level and learning speed of the beginners. In addition, Josie was an able partner, with a smooth, subtle style and a ready smile. The main classes focused on advanced zydeco steps, techniques and styling with some nouveau moves thrown in for variety. Also very enjoyable was the one Cajun lesson that taught the traditional Mamou waltz and the Baisse-Bas - a Creole dance to a three-time beat that is dying out. I learned there are only two songs which are appropriate to dance the Baisse-Bas, Canray Fontenot's "Bonsoir, Moreau" and Boozoo Chavis' "Gone A La Maison". It is also the only dance I had to keep time to by counting to myself in order to not lose the beat or the pattern.
Another highlight of both days was the time given to appreciate Creole culture and cooking. Gumbo University on Saturday was a panel discussion featuring Geno Delafose, speaking about his father John and his and his father's music, and Lousiana Sue, Michael Seider and Nell and Yvonne Bergeron from SW Louisiana talking about Creole versus Cajun history, music, dancing and culture. On Sunday, Louisiana Sue gave a cooking demonstration.
I also attended both dances featuring Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie. Geno sounded as good as I've ever heard him and the crowd was enthusiastic. Those of us who had taken 4-5 hours of dance lessons both days were happy to stop the formal instruction and just dance for a while, even as we tried to incorporate some of what we learned into our styles. I had some great dance partners both days : special thanks to Michael Seider plus Kip, Marc, Bill & Will from Seattle and Tony & Brett from the Bay Area.
A few notable moments are also worth mentioning from the Sunday afternoon dance. A couple brought their three small children to the dance and took them over to meet Geno and have their pictures taken with him. I think it was love at first sight. The little girls kept climbing up on Geno's lap and posing as if they were with Santa Claus. Geno was grinning and hamming it up for the camera. You just had to smile watching them. The other highlight was during the first set on Sunday. A local rubboard player, Les "Dr. Les" Berenson, joined the band on stage freeing Steve, Geno's rubboard player, to dance. Steve is an incredible dancer. His first partner was Josie and the dancing was inventive, and at a extremely high intensity energy level. A crowd quickly formed around them and Geno took notice. He played long and hard, a marathon song, and Steve soon started making hand motions patting his heart and looking at Geno as if asking him to stop already. Of course, Geno didn't, started grinning and played even longer and harder. Steve didn't slow down, Josie kept pace with him...it was an awesome display of stamina and dance style. Steve danced another number with Deb Seeck from Salem, OR, a second, equally talented dance partner. It was a treat to watch. .
All in all, it was a wonderful dance camp with great music, a terrific dance teacher and an extremely welcoming dance community. Thank you to all those who worked so hard to organize this great event, with particular thanks to Laura Taylor, Mary Lee Lykes, Rae Dinsmore and Felicia Maffia.
Thomas "Red Velvet Slippers" Fields??
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and his Foot Stompin' Zydeco Band played Eagles Hall in Alameda on Memorial Day to a packed and enthusiastic crowd. The show was delayed for 45 minutes because the band came straight from a gig in Las Vegas that ended at 2:30AM. In the true spirit of "the show must go on" they drove through the night to the Bay Area, where they literally got out of the van, set up and started the show. Fields cracked some jokes about playing barefoot in his pajamas, and in fact, he played the entire night with red velvet slippers on. And in case anyone was worried that the band would be too tired to put on an energetic show, they fretted in vain. The first set went almost 2 hours without a break. Set 2 was another 90 minutes or so. And if the band was tired, you couldn't tell from the dance floor.
Fields bantered with the audience between sets and introduced a new song, "Bald Headed Man", that he said he wrote for one fellow in the Bay Area who seems to show up at all his gigs (you know who you are, Tony.). He introduced some of his local relations to the crowd, and genuinely seemed as pleased to be in the Bay Area, as we were to have him back here.
Thomas performed songs from his latest CD as well as his 1995 release, Come To Lousiana.. He paid tribute to the older traditional zydeco musicians. He said it was the diversity of the new and older styles that kept zydeco music alive and vital today, and that we should respect and honor the older traditionalists before they pass away. His own music seems to demonstrate the bridge. His style is distinctive: long, mid-tempoed dance grooves, with a traditional accordion style that sometimes throws in some nouveau zydeco riffs. For my money he is in the top echelon of zydeco bands when you are looking to dance to exhaustion and beyond.
Another special part of the evening was the large turn-out. As is often the case, people often drift in and out of the dance scene. Thomas's show attracted out a lot of old friends that haven't been coming around much lately, and it was a treat to talk to and dance with some favorite dance partners again.
C. J. Chenier and the Zydeco Blues
Those of us who went to see C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Lousiana Band played at Eagle's Hall in Alameda on Friday, April 12 in a benefit to raise funding for Franklyn Zywicki's 9th Annual Bay Area Cajun and Zydeco Festival this fall came home with the zydeco blues. We came looking for some inspiring zydeco music and dancing and came home with the blues because it wasn't to be found that night.
The Red Hot Lousiana Band opening with three competent if uninspiring blues numbers before C.J. came on. The set that followed was a mix of zydeco in his father, Clifton's, classic style, the blues, and to-my-ears, early 50s style swamp rock. C.J. has a fine voice, and puts on a good show, but, unfortunately, he misjudged the crowd by starting the evening off with the blues, and then not playing enough zydeco. Some who attended had seen him several times before in other venues knew what to expect, but those who hadn't were disappointed. Several dancers, who showed up mid-way into the first set, heard the non-zydeco music at the door, and saw the sparce crowd, and left.
Let's hope the next benefit is more successful both musically and from an attendance stand-point as it would be great to have the Marin festival back again.
Filé Serves Up a Rich Gumbo at Eagle's Hall.
If you were not at Eagle's Hall in Alameda on Friday night, April 21, you missed a terrific, high energy evening, as File, rare visitors to the Bay Area, tore up the house with an exhilirating two sets of original compositions and traditional Cajun tunes. With keyboard player, David Egan, adding New Orleans style piano playing to the mix, and the distinctive, and at times, jazz-flavored fiddle playing of D'Jalma Garnier, this bands sounds like no other. While I enjoyed their recent CD, La Vie Marron (The Runaway Life), listening to it in no way prepared me for seeing this band in person.
File played to a full house, most of whom stayed until the band stopped at 12:45 pm, after one encore. The energy in the crowd was high, and the dancers put on a great show. The band remarked from the stage that they felt like they were playing to a home crowd, and that the show put on by the dancers was the best they'd seen since they'd begun their recent tour. I spoke briefly to the drummer, Peter Stevens, during the break. He told me the dancers was great and that he really enjoyed watching everyone. (What he actually said was that watching the dancers was more entertaining than watching the tiles on the roof while playing, but he started the conversation by saying that we were great dancers...) In any case, it was apparent that a great time was had by both the entertainers and the audience on this particular evening.
Geno Delafose and BeauSoleil Play the Bay Area.
The week of March 2nd was a busy one for Bay Area Cajun and Zydeco fans. Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie played four dates in Northern California, and Michael Doucet avec BeauSoleil played twice. I was fortunate to catch Geno at Eagle's Hall in Alameda and BeauSoleil at Great America Music Hall in San Francisco that week.
Despite being aWednesday night, Geno played to a full house. Great performers, Geno and the band, played an energetic set, starting at 9 pm and not taking a break until 11:30 pm. He was finally thrown off stage at 1AM by Walter, the Eagle's hall manager, who had to close the facility.
Friday night at Great America started with a short set by the Bay Area's Aux Cajunals. BeauSoleil's performance featured songs from their new CD, L'Amour ou La Folie. Michael Doucet was in great spirits and, ever the showman, gave a short introduction to each song. The evening's highlight for me was when the bass player, Al Tharp, joined Michael Doucet on fiddle and played some incredible 'dueling fiddle' numbers.
Boozoo Packs the House in Alameda
Feb. 14, 1997.
Boozoo Chavis & the Magic Sounds shared the stage with Motor Dude Zydeco at the Zydeco Sweetheart's Dance at Eagle's Hall in Alameda on Friday night, February 14th. and the joint was jammed! Over 425 fans were in attendance. It was elbow to elbow on the dance floor - no room for fancy dance displays this night. Although it was a mild night outside, the collective heat and humidity from all those dancers made it feel like a hot summer's night on the bayou. Trying to get to the back of the room for something to drink was a major ordeal. For those of you who have not yet been dancing at zydeco clubs like Slim's or Richard's in Louisiana, you just got a true taste of what those places are like when a hot band is playing.
The evening opened with Motor Dude Zydeco playing an incredibly inspired set. The gauntlet was thrown for Boozoo to top it, and he was equal to the challenge. Boozoo has written many songs that are standards in the zydeco repetoire. His 2 1/2 hour set reminded us of just how significant his contribution is. And, not content to rest on his laurels, Boozoo also played a new composition which had become the theme song for many of us who attended the Zydeco festival last year: You're Gonna Look Like A Monkey (when you get old). Catchy tune, hilarious lyrics, "Monkey" is included on his new album, Hey Do Right.
For those of us in the Bay Area who hear local bands playing sets covering versions of songs by newer musicians such as Keith Frank and Beau Jocque as well as the older generation including Clifton Chenier, John Delafose and Boozoo, it was really a treat to hear one of the originals at work in an authentic style. One comment throughout the evening was that the songs seemed short. For perspective on this, think about where this music came from and how it is traditionally played and then consider a quote I once heard attributed to Boozoo:: "Well, the older folks like to dance, too".
As much as the crowd enjoyed the night, the feedback is that Boozoo was blown away by the local audience as well. He was said to comment that he never saw a place so crowded with the entire audience dancing and so few standing on the side-line. Good show, Bay Area!.
Copyright © 1997, Andrea D.
Rubinstein
