SFBAYou.com
Providing Cajun & Zydeco information on the Web since 1995
ŠAndrea 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 |
California Cajun Orchestra Says Goodbye on a High Note
Sat. Dec. 15. After 18 years, the California Cajun
Orchestra (CCO) bid adieu to its many fans. For their final
performance, they were greeted by a packed house filled with friends both on
stage and off. Suzy Thompson explained that, "The California
Cajun Orchestra was put together around the music of Danny Poullard, and without
him, it feels like the heart has gone out of the band."
It seemed like old times at Ashkenaz this evening. A lot of folks showed up for this dance who don't come round much any more, causing Dana Desimone to remark that he remembered seeing many in the audience when they had hair and/or when the hair they had wasn't grey. Ouch!
For this special evening, Edward Poullard (Danny's younger brother),
came in from Beaumont, Texas to join the band, playing fiddler, accordion
and singing some soulful tunes. Former CCO member Kevin Wimmer, (now
playing with Balfa Toujours & based in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana) played
fiddle, sang and played a few numbers on the accordion (including a Keith Frank
tune!). Regular band members, David Hymowitz on drums and
Steven Strauss on bass joined Suzy (fiddle and vocals) and Eric Thompson
(acoustic guitar) in the band's final performance. If you've been
counting, you would see that this made 3 fiddlers on stage, and in fact, the
highlight of the evening was the many songs from the classic Cajun and
Creole repertoire that were superbly performed triple fiddle style.
For many of us in the Bay Area, these were songs that we learned from and
through Danny, and it was particularly poignant to hear and see Edward
performing them for us one last time in this particular band. In
fact, I was asked by someone if Edward and Danny were twins, the resemblance is
that striking.
The two sets followed traditional Cajun
dance hall style, two-steps alternating with waltzes, with an occasional
blues/shuffle thrown in for good measure. The evening began with Suzy and
Kevin on fiddle, and Edward on accordion. Suzy, Edward and Kevin all
traded off vocals and the songs were long and jammin'. We were
all happily appreciating the rarity of hearing this material played by
two such excellent fiddlers, when Edward put down the accordion, picked
up his fiddle and upped the ante. We loved it! And for most of
the remainder of the evening, we had 3 fiddles, no accordion and a lot of happy
ears and feet.
What a testimony to Danny Poullard's Bay Area legacy and what a way to go!
2001 Year in Review
Once again, it is time to participate in that
year-end ritual of looking back and remembering some of the year's Cajun and
zydeco musical highlights both here in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
This year the list includes my top Bay Area performances, some favorite
festivals I attended this year, my top 10 Cajun and zydeco CDs of the year, Bay
Area CDs of interest plus a little extra commentary thrown in here and there for
good measure. Some of the CDs mentioned were technically released in 2000, but
since I first discovered them this year, I chose to include them.
First, though, a fond farewell to several musicians with strong ties to the Bay
Area: 1st and foremost, to Danny Poullard, without whose gifts and musical
generosity, the Bay Area music scene would not have existed in its present
richness and variety. Also to Bebe Carriere, Andrew Carriere's father and a
talented Creole fiddler. And finally to Boozoo Chavis, that ornery old man of
zydeco, who was a frequent visitor to the Bay Area.
Top Bay Area Performances:
1)
Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys at Eagles Hall in Alameda (July 27) Steve Riley
& the Mamou Playboys got back to their roots at their Eagles Hall performance
playing a dream set of Cajun music and transforming the venue into a Cajun dance
hall for the evening. While SRMP have over the last few years been venturing
into new directions that is sometimes less immediately accessible to a crowd of
folks mostly wanting to dance, this evening the band energetically ripped into
one Cajun favorite after another. As always, the musicianship was excellent with
Steve Riley playing accordion, the consummate David Greely on fiddle
(occasionally joined by Steve on fiddle for some great twin fiddle numbers) and
newest band member, Sam Broussard, lending his incredible talents on vocals and guitar to the cause.
2)
Beausoleil at Ashkenaz in Berkeley (September 13) .The most affecting
performance of the year was Beausoleil's show at Ashkenaz just 2 nights after
the tragic events of September 11th. Michael Doucet began their Thursday night
set saying "Maybe what we all need more music in the world." Front men Jimmy
Breaux on accordion, David Doucet on guitar and of course Michael Doucet on
fiddle didn't let the shock of the week get in the way of putting on a heartfelt
performance. I certainly found the evening's performance profoundly therapeutic,
as it allowed me to absorb some joy to replace that which had been sapped from
me, and as well as to spend some time with the many friends I had in the dance
community.
3)
Roy Carrier at Eagle's Hall (September 21) Roy Carrier brought his chug- chuggin',
freight train coming down the track, get out of my way cuz I ain't gonna let up
til you drop, old time zydeco to Eagle's Hall to the delight and exhaustion of
all those in attendance. It was a great show of hard-drivin' relentless two-steppin'
zydeco music plus some blues, shuffles and waltzes and a fine introduction to
Roy's style of music for the many in attendance who had not previously heard Roy
play (his last trip to the Bay Area was 4 or 5 years ago). The mix included fine
renditions of 'Allons Danser' and "Found My Woman, two of Roy's signature tunes.
4)
Farewell Performance of the California Cajun Orchestra at Ashkenaz. Dec 15.
After 18 years CCO went out in style, joined by Edward Poullard and Kevin Wimmer
on stage and a full house of well-wishers in the audience.
Also Worth Mentioning:
J. Paul Jr. at Hamilton's Club over Mardi Gras in Lafayette, LA. Houston's J.
Paul, Jr. put on an incredible show at Hamilton's Club during Mardi Gras,
starting the evening with traditional zydeco tunes and as the evening wore on, progressively funking it up with a driving
urban sound tinged with strains of gospel and hip-hop. An extremely creative
musician with strong song-writing skills, J. Paul is a trail-blazer. He
closed Hamilton's with a fiery rendition of "Where My Soldiers At", a original
tune paying tribute song to the zydeco masters before him, in which he depicts
himself carrying the torch of the zydeco tradition and moving forward with it. I
see J Paul breathing new vigor into the music and keeping it fresh, vital and
relevant to a younger audience.
Andre
Thierry's gigs with Chuck E Bush and Bobby Broussard. 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
twice, blending tunes, changing up on the rhythm and remaining incredibly
inventive. Watching him improvise with Chuck E. Bush on bass and Bobby Broussard
on guitar, two musicians who not only keep up with him, but inspire him to push
the limits of his talent, is an absolute delight.
Favorite Festivals of 2001
1)
Ft Lauderdale Crawfish Festival (Mothers Day weekend May). Bigger and better
than ever, this South Florida festival just keeps improving and attracting more
and more dancers. This year's performers included, Roy Carrier & The Night
Rockers, Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet,
Bruce Daigrepont, Hackberry Ramblers, Balfa Toujours, Nathan & The Zydeco Cha
Chas , Filé, Savoy/Doucet Family Band,
Geno Delafose (photo) & French Rockin'
Boogie, Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic, Lil Brian & The Zydeco Travelers, Lil
Malcolm & The House Rockers, Donna Angelle & The Zydeco Posse, La Bande "Feufollet",
T-Mamou, Bayou Teche Band, Porchdogs, Atlanta Swamp Opera, River City Slim & The
Zydeco Hogs, Murphy's Law, Magnolia Sisters, Zydeco Bone Shakers, Big Al & The
Heavyweights, Willis Prudhomme, Gris Gris, and Sean Ardoin all playing in
regularly scheduled sets or jam sessions.
2)
The First Annual Gator by the Bay Festival in San Diego. (October) It was
amazing to see this festival spring full blown in less than a year from the
vision of Peter Oliver. The musical line-up and performances were strong,
(including Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Road ,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), 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. A great
addition to the annual dance calendar.
3)
At the 4th Annual Zydeco Jamm, in Crosby, Texas (March), just outside Houston, I
witnessed an event unlike any other zydeco festival I have been to in the 7
years I have been a fan of this music. If you can imagine zydeco presented in a
stadium, rock & roll style, with overhead video screens, over 10 TV monitors
presenting the on-stage action to the fans in the stands, laser light shows,
explosions of flashing lights and smoke machines on stage, fabulous stage
costumes on the performers, 2nd line marching bands & karate acts sharing the
stage while zydeco acts played, and a squad of dancers looking like cheerleaders
choreographed to zydeco music, you would only have a small sense of what it was
like to be at the Zydeco Jamm, with a crowd of nearly 10, 000 other zydeco fans.
This was zydeco on another level, to quote Friday night's headliner, J. Paul.
Jr. Other performers during this 2 day event included Lady Dee, Little Porter &
The Zydeco Hustlers and J. Paul Jr. & The Zydeco Nubreedz on Friday, and Dora &
The Zydeco Badboys Leroy Thomas & The Roadrunners, Lil Brian Terry & The
Travelers, Nooney & The Zydeco Floaters, Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws,
Keith Frank
(photo) & The Soileau Zydeco Band and Rosie Ledet & The Zydeco Playboys.
4) Big Easy 2001 in Sparks NV.(July) 4 nights and 3 days included non-stop
zydeco & Cajun music, plus a zydeco dance contest, parades, beads, jazz, brass
bands, arts & crafts booths, and samba schools. After the sun went down, several
bars provided free music by zydeco bands into the wee hours of the morning. The
weather was perfect and over 500 dancers showed up from all over the country for
this Silver Club Casino and Louisiana Sue Enterprises production. Bands included
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie; Texas by Step
Rideau & the Zydeco Outlaws & Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers; and California
by Kenny Menard MGZ & Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic. Miss Frieda & the Cajun
Fusiliers and Gold Country Cajun.
5) The 5th Annual Cajun Zydeco Festival at Ardenwood (End of September) The 5th
year was the charm for this Bay Area festival. Upgraded facilities, including a
real stage and a covered dance floor , and a great line up featuring Jesse Lege,
Edward Pollard and Horace Trahan made this an unforgettable day.
Top 10 Recordings:
1)
TOP
CAJUN:
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, "Happytown".
This CD sort of snuck up on me. When I first heard it, I was disappointed, finding
parts of it dense and cerebral. I put it away for months, preferring to listen to "Friday at
Last", when I needed a SRMP fix. But in anticipation of the band's summer tour
through the Bay Area, I picked it up again, and with further listening found it
absolutely compelling. The title tune, "Happytown" (aka Aldus Roger's
"Creole Stomp"), has some amazing fiddling on
it by David Greely, and rest of the CD has a resonance that still surprises me.
2)
TOP ZYDECO: Boozoo
Chavis, "Down Home on Dog Hill".
This posthumously released CD may just be Boozoo's best studio recording. With a
fantasy band featuring Sonny Landreth on guitar, and David Greely on fiddle,
joining Boozoo's regular collaborators, Classie Ballou, Jr on bass, Charles
Chavis on rubboard and vocals, and Rellis Chavis on drums, there are some catchy
new tunes here (try not to sing along to the nursery rhyme-like, "I'm Still
Blinkin'" or "Tell Me What You Want"), and some killer remakes, including
"Johnnie Billy Goat, and "Negre est pas la", all enhanced by Greely's &
Landreth's excellent contributions.
3)
Al Berard & Karen England
"Feet Off the Ground". Two fiddles playing old style Cajun-Creole songs,
this evocative CD is absolutely captivating. Go ahead, put this on your player,
close yours eyes and imagine you are driving through the backroads of SW
Louisiana.
4) The
Best Recordings of The Touchet Family. The Touchet Brothers played house
dances in South Louisiana during the 1940s. and since then various members of
the family have been playing in this band as the decades rolled by. There are
some wonderful songs on this CD including "The Life I Thought I Wanted" and one
of the best renditions of the "Ossun Two-Step" I have heard. Here the simple
elegance of what sounds like hand-clapping accents the accordion at the opening
of the song, then the rest of the band kicks in, and later, the band stands
down to let the clapping/accordian segment repeat itself to breathtaking
effectiveness. There is some fine steel-guitar playing on this track as well.
5) 
Creole
Connection, "The Masked Band". Keith Frank pays tribute to his roots on this
excellent CD. A Frank family project which includes Carlton Frank on fiddle, and
both original and traditional songs by Keith Frank as well as tunes by John
Delafose, Canray Fontenot, Roy Carrier and Clifton Chenier, a CD highlight is
the gospel-tinged "Went Down to the River".
6) Hadley J. Castille, ""Quarante Acres et
Deux Mules". There is some incredible
fiddle playing on this CD, which mixes in the proverbial South Louisiana kitchen
sink: Cajun swing, two-steps, waltzes, blues, ballads plus Nathan William's
zydeco hit "Everything on the Hog is Good" for good measure. I particularly
liked the track "Charivari" and the rip-roarin' "Le Swing Cajun". More
info: www.whatbayou.com
7)
J
Paul Jr & the Zydeco Nubreedz, "Who Do You Love?" This CD grew on me.
Initially not as compelling as J Paul' s last 2 efforts, it is nonetheless a
worthy recording that tracks J Paul's eclectic approach to zydeco. He performs
quite a few songs in an minor key, that lends this CD a distinctive sound, as
kicked off by the title track and I Don't Know What You Come 2 Do!!! (refrain: I
come to zydeco). Yup!!
8)
BeauSoleil, Looking Back
Tomorrow: Beausoleil Live!
BeauSoleil's recordings have sometimes disappointed me because they could not
capture the magic of seeing the band perform live. Well I am happy to report
that this CD, recorded live in concert, succeeds. From the opening notes of "J'ai
Ete au Bal", to "It's You I Love" (the 1st Cajun tune that hooked me years ago),
this CD is a complete delight.
9)
Brian Jack, Give Me Some Room.
This
Texas band's CD features a thumping dance beat, driving accordian and strong
vocal harmonies, and some really catchy material including "Get it Started" , "L'Argent
and a cover of Roy Carrrier's Step Back "Give Me Some Room" .
10)
Roy Carrier, "Whiskey Drinkin' Man" Roy Carrier & the Night Rockers, Not
only is Roy a Whiskey-Drinkin' man, but he's a hard-driving, bat-out-a-hell,
freight car comin' down the tracks accordion playing man as well. There are a
few tracks on this CD, particularly Allons Danser and Rock It Like Roy that
perfectly capture what it is like to be listening (and dancing to exhaustion) to
Roy when he is in the groove.
CDs of Bay Area Interest
1)
Poullard, Poullard & Garnier.
With Danny Poullard on accordion, and his brother Edward on vocals and trading
sharing fiddle honors with D'Jalma Garnier (from File), this CD is a fine
collection of tunes done in the traditional Creole style.
2)
Tete Rouge, Live at Ardenwood, '98, This limited edition CD was made from a
video recording made at Tete Rouge's September 1998 Ardenwood Cajun/Zydeco
Festival performance. It is thought to be the only existing recording of a
complete set from this band that played regular Sunday night gigs at Bobby's
Back Door in Richmond, CA, from 1997 through 1999. More info:
Tete Rouge website
3) Kenny Menard, Live at the Silver Club
Big Easy 2001/Sparks, NV. This live
recording, made in July 2001 at the Big Easy street festival, captures Kenny
Menard at his best. Included are great renditions of "Diamonds and Pearls" and
"Lake Charles Connection". More
info: www.mother.com/louisianasue
4)
West
Coast Mardi Gras Party A collection of songs from the best of the West Coast
bands playing Zydeco, Cajun, New Orleans R&B, Funk & Dixieland. There are 15
tracks from 15 West Coast artists, including The Zydeco Flames, Gator Beat,
Andre Thierry, Motordude Zydeco, California Cajun Orchestra (w/ Danny Poullard),
Mumbo Gumbo, Tom Rigney, Tee Fee & Frog Legs. A good sampler of the local
talent.
Other Noteworthy CDs
1)
Sam
Broussard, "Geeks"
As the new lead guitarist for Steve Riley
and the Mamou Playboys, Lafayette-LA based Sam Broussard adds some virtuoso
guitar-playing and sweet harmonies to this Cajun band's performances. In his
debut solo album, which won the Offbeat 2000 award for best Country/Folk CD,
Broussard has created one of the most intelligent CDs I've heard in a long time,
albeit not in the Cajun genre. Broussard is a masterful guitar player and can
write haunting melodies that stick in your brain. However, the strength of
"Geeks" is in his characters and his storytelling. He is an articulate lyricist
with a unique and adult perspective and his songs can be both brutally direct
and wonderfully lyrical.
2)
Dan
Bern, "New American Language". Five years ago I saw Dan Bern playing his
often hilarious and wonderfully sardonic acoustic folk music sets at the Freight
and Salvage in Berkeley. Now, backed by a rock band called "Bernstein and The
International Jewish Banking Conspiracy" which brings to mind Bob Dylan in his
Al Kooper days and a bit of early Bruce Springsteen & Elvis Costello, Bern's
amazingly witty and insightful lyrics shine about God and politics and love and
literature with a new maturity in this excellent CD.
