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 |
The First San Diego Gator by the Bay Festival
(Oct. 23, 2001) I attended the first Gator by the Bay Festival last weekend in San Diego and I was truly astonished at what the organizers were able to create from time of inception (6 months ago) to execution. The musical line-up and performances were strong, the sound mix and stage lighting were excellent, the site was beautiful (right on the water front) and thoughtfully laid out. Best of all, the Main Stage festival tent was arranged so that both dancers and viewers could have unobstructed views of the performers.
The festival was
actually held in Chula Vista,
a
15 minute drive from the San Diego airport. Four different areas were set
up at the festival site and spaced far enough apart so as not to intrude on each
other. Besides the main tent, a smaller tent served as the location
for 2 days of continuous dance lessons. Eleven different instructors took turns
teaching moves from beginning to advanced dance. A third tent hosted
Gospel acts. The fourth tent, home to the Cajun and Creole Heritage Stage,
had lots of seating, all the better to enjoy the interesting discussions and
demonstrations taking place there. Unplanned but equally appreciated was
the beautiful, sunny weather, in the low 70s- just perfect to dance or
hang out in.
Besides
the normal festival food (including gumbo, hot dogs & roasted corn, etc.) there
was a nice variety of vendors serving gourmet soup, fish tacos, vegetarian items
and homemade corn fritters. All the net profits from the weekend went to
the American Red Cross National Disaster Relief Fund and this worthy
organization had an informative booth set up with educational material about
emergency preparedness. Inexpensive accommodations were available within a few
miles of the festival site.
On the Main Stage, Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Road Runners opened the festival on Saturday and closed the festival on Sunday. In between, music was provided by Willis Prudhomme & Bonne Musique Zydeco, Andre Thierry and Zydeco Magic, Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin' , J. C. Labbie Et Ses Amis Cajun, Lisa Haley and the Zydecats, the San Diego Playboys and Theo and the Zydeco Patrol. On two nights, the festival sponsored dances at the Bavarian Inn, a very nice club close to the festival grounds. Andre Thierry played Friday night and Chris Ardoin played on Saturday night to packed houses.
Although I spent the
majority of my time at the Main Stage, I did enjoy two excellent sessions at the
Cajun and Creole Heritage tent. The first was an introduction to Cajun French,
presented by Famee Harrington, LSU Francophone Studies dept, and Prof.
Marie-Louis Harms, Chairman Language Dept, SDCC. Topics explored included the
differences between Cajun French and traditional French, as well as the ways in
which the Cajun community was trying to preserve their language and pass it down
to the next generation. Later in the day, I listened to
Willis Prudhomme and
Bervick Deculus discuss rural zydeco accordion and music styles. Willis gave a
demonstration in the difference between Cajun and zydeco accordion styles, as
well as talked about how he wrote, "Salty Dog" (with his brothers in the barn
where his mama couldn't catch them singing the lyrics), and "Cornbread". The
latter song, inspired by the traditional "mamma's little baby wants shortening
bread" was later turned into a hit by Beau Jocque and Willis played his version
and then Beau Jocques's arrangement.
Some of the musical highlights were:
Willis Prudhomme & Bonne
Musique Zydeco Willis Prudhomme plays with a spryness that belies his 70
years. One of the few musicians still playing in the traditional French zydeco
style, Willis Prudhomme carries on in the tradition and spirit of the late
Boozoo Chavis and John Delafose, injecting an earthy humor characteristic of
rural zydeco. Among the highlights of his set were "Salty Dog" and "No Sad
Songs".
Chris Ardoin and Double
Clutchin'. Chris Ardoin is a member of a famous Creole musical dynasty: the
grandson of Bois Sec Ardoin, a legendary accordion player whose cousin, Amédé
Ardoin, was a central figure in the development of both Creole and Cajun music,
and the son of Lawrence "Black" Ardoin, who plays music in the old Creole style.
Chris Ardoin has been performing most of his life and was only four years old
when he first played the accordion in public. Collaborating with his
brother Sean, Chris
developed a distinctive "double clutchin'" beat
characterized by bass drum kicks. That sound was evident both
days of the festival . Along with his dynamic rubboard player, Harold
Guillory, who shared the
front line,
helped pump up the crowd and sang lead on several songs, Chris put on
several high-energy sets at the festival and on Saturday night at the Bavarian
Inn. Their hypnotic groove is enhanced by the bands' excellent
singing. In fact,
most 
tunes were started with the band singing a short acappella introduction to
each song,
setting up the melody before the instruments and funky beat kicked in. Aside from
the ever popular" Lake Charles Connection" and "Stay in or Stay Out", some set
highlights included killer versions of "Holdin' On", "I Don't Want to Hurt No
One", "You're Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher" and closing the show on
Sunday night, the "Amédé Two-Step".
Andre Thierry and Zydeco
Magic. Sometimes when the Bay Area's Andre Thierry plays accordion, you just
have to stop and stare. Arguably the most accomplished accordion player in
zydeco today, Andre plays zydeco like it was free-form jam rock or perhaps
jazz. He never plays the same songs the same way, blends tunes and changes the rhythm and remains incredibly inventive. Watching him improvise with
Chuck E. Bush on bass and Bobby Broussard on guitar was the personal
highlight
of the festival for me. At one point, Andre did a change up on an accordion
riff and you could see the look of surprise on Bush's face as he heard what
Andre had just done and adjusted his playing to riff bass patterns off of it.
Andre's sets included the original composition, "My Way", Keith Frank's "Went
Down to the River", and an absolutely killer version of J. Paul's "Makes Me Wanna Leave U Alone" with the strongest three-part harmony singing I've yet
heard from this band. Andre said later this was the first time he had played
this song in public.
J. C. Labbie Et Ses Amis
Cajun. J.C. has played Cajun music for more than 40 years and has performed at
Diane's Brass Rail, 2 doors down from the famous Fred's Lounge, in Mamou,
Louisiana for the past 13 years. The band played a set of no-nonsense, down
home Cajun music, highlighted by the distinctive high tenor of the band's
guitarist, Lennis Soileau and the violin of
Elridge Aguillard who was the 1999 CFMA Fiddler of
the Year.
Lisa Haley and the Zydekats. Lisa reminds me of the Bay Area's Tom Rigney, but with a blue fiddle
instead of red boots. Lisa began her high-energy show, at the festival's
request, with the "Star Spangled Banner" accompanied only by her fiddle.
Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco
Road Runners. Leroy had the most difficult job of the festival. He had to
close the festival right after two extraordinary sets by Andre Thierry and Chris
Ardoin. To everyone's delight, he pulled it off. Starting the set by bounding
back and forth across the full length of the stage while pulling his accordion
out to the max over his head, he put on an amazing performance that had the
entire audience on its feet Special guest Lisa Haley join the
band on fiddle
for the 2nd half of its set, including one song when his rubboard
player sang lead on John Delafose's 'Co-fe". The crowd went wild. Leroy chose to close the show and end the festival,
with an encore that
included "The Monkey and the Baboon", the "Amede Two-Step " and a session of "Leroy'" aerobics,
where he had everyone stop dancing, face him and then follow his stage movements
- basically running in place taking high steps in time to the music.
Credit goes to Peter Oliver, who had the original vision for this festival, and his fellow Board Members, Maryann Blinkhorn and Catherine Miller, who took the financial risk and contributed their time and energy , to make this dream a reality. The word was that this 1st time festival has already turned a profit, so with net proceeds going to the Red Cross, and the dancers and music lovers having a great time, the weekend was an unqualified success. For those of you who travel to Cajun and zydeco festivals, mark your 2002 calendars now!
