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Boozoo's Magic Sounds
(9/11/99). Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds made one of their infrequent
visits
to the Bay Area on Saturday, filling up Eagle's Hall in Alameda with dancers
and music fans who wanted to see one of zydeco's living legends perform.
Coming one day after the untimely death of Beau Jocque, the chance to see one
of the kings of zydeco music seemed even more precious. Boozoo began performing
in the 1950's (see Michael Tisserand's book, The
Kingdom of Zydeco for an insider's
view of his career), and has had enormous influence on the development of
zydeco music as it is played today.
At the beginning, and throughout the show, mention was made of Beau Jocque's
passing. Boozoo said it was important to pay respect and show appreciation for
artist's when they were alive, not to cry and boohoo over their graves when they
were gone. .. they have no way of knowing then. During the break, I spoke to
Boozoo's wife, Leona. She said that when Beau Jocque was just getting started,
Boozoo would let him get up on stage, and play a few numbers with his band.
They maintained a warm friendship, and staged the "Beau Vs Boozoo"
rivalry for
the title of "King of Zydeco" as a publicity stunt I mentioned that I
took my
parents to see Boozoo play and be interviewed (by Michael Tisserand) at the Ft.
Lauderdale Crawfish , and that they really enjoyed him. She said after that
show in May, Boozoo came down with pneumonia and was hospitalized for two
weeks. It was all the more impressive that he had the stamina and energy to
play for 3 ½ hours at Eagle's on Saturday night.
And put on a show, he did. Boozoo cranked out song after song from his enormous
repertoire. He played a mix of two-steps, line dances, waltzes and slow blues,
all in the 3-4 minute range. Boozoo's music has an immediately identifiable
sound. When he starts playing his unmistakable accordion riffs, I just feel
compelled to stop what I am doing and get up and dance. Saturday night, the band
was cookin' and in between songs maintained a nice interaction with the
audience. Besides the respectful references to Beau Jocque, they made
complementary remarks about the fine performance the Bay Area's Andre Thierry
put on at Richard's Club in Lawtell during the Plaisance Zydeco Festival Labor
Day weekend festivities.
Beau Jocque, 1954-1999
(September 10, 1999): Andrus Espre, a.k.a. Beau Jocque, passsed away at
his home in Kinder, Louisiana at the age of 45 on Friday morning. .
He died of a heart attack .His last performance was Thursday night at New
Orlean's Mid-City Lanes (Rock and Bowl). For more information, go here.
The funeral will be held on Wedsnesday, Sept. 15 in Kinder . Sadly enough, Beau
Jocque's father passed away only two weeks ago. I will try to keep this website
updated as more as information becomes available, but for the most current
information, check out Louisianaradio.com
They have also created a website where you can express your condolences to Beau
Jocque's family and they will pass the message on: To express your condolences,
visit: http://www.louisianaradio.com/beau/.
They will be adding information to the above page as it develops.
Daily Advertizer (Lafayette, LA) article
Zydeco star dead at age 45
Bill Decker
Metro Editor
KINDER - Beau Jocque, a big man who made a big impact by melding zydeco with
other musical forms, died of an apparent heart attack Friday at his home. He was
45.
"It's horrible," said Grant Street Dance Hall production manager Susan
Champagne, reacting to the news of Jocque's death. "A lot of people are
going to miss him."
Jocque, born Andrus Espre, became a professional musician relatively late in
life. He learned to play his father's accordion after a job-related accident
left him unable to work in 1987.
Jocque's music was influenced by zydeco stars such as Boozoo Chavis, but also by
blues, rap and rock artists.
A little more than a decade later, Jocque and his band, the Zydeco Hi-Rollers,
were among the leaders of a new, more energetic style of zydeco.
He made TV appearances on the David Letterman and Conan O'Brien shows. And he
enriched the zydeco tradition with songs that included "Gonna Take You
Downtown," "Beau Jocque Boogie"
and "Give Him Cornbread."
Rolling Stone magazine once described one of his performances as "a shotgun
wedding of Clifton Chenier and ZZ Top officiated by John Lee Hooker."
"He was unique in the zydeco arena," said Je'Nelle Chargois, general
manager of KJCB radio in Lafayette. The station interrupted its programming
Friday for a special tribute to Beau Jocque.
"Coupled with his skills on the accordion," Chargois said, "he
was a fantastic businessman. He promoted his own performances. And he was good
at it."
Chargois characterized Jocque's music as "a lot more energetic with a lot
of crossover appeal."
Jocque was booked to play a show this Friday at Grant Street in Lafayette.
Champagne described a show by the 6-foot-7, 270-pound Jocque as "quite
energetic. He didn't move around on stage much, but with his size he was
commanding with his presence."
Jocque was a native of Duralde. He is survived by his wife, Shelly Espre, and
two sons, Andrus Adrian Espre and Justin Travis Espre.
Jocque's funeral will be at 8 a.m. Wednesday, September 15, at St. Philip
Neri Catholic Church in Kinder. Burial will be at St. Mathilda Cemetery in
Eunice.
Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday at the St.Phillip Neri Church
Hall. Ardoin Funeral Home in Kinder is in charge of arrangements
Cards can be sent to Beau Jocque's (Andres Espre) home address: 204 N. 13th St.,
Kinder LA 70648
A La Carte, A La Park, San Francisco with Buckwheat Zydeco
Buckwheat Zydeco played at one of San Francisco's traditional food and music
festivals - the very fine and mellow "A La Carte, A La Park". Held in
Golden Gate Park for three days every Labor Day weekend, the festival showcases
4 bands a day and great food and drink from over 40 local restaurants, all at
reasonable prices. It is one of my favorite SF events.
Buckwheat was the headliner on Monday afternoon, following Bobby
"Blue" Bland. The sun stayed out most of the afternoon and kept the
fog away. Folks had their chairs and blankets and tasty food plates spread out
and relaxed to the music all afternoon. About a dozen or so dancers showed up.
Although we weren't a large group, we evidently made an impression. In between
all the songs, during the hour long set, folks kept coming up to the dancers
asking where they could take dance lessons, or find out more about the local
zydeco dance scene.
Buckwheat himself put on an entertaining, 50 minute show. He had a three piece
horn section as part of the band, and his music ran the gamut from "Hot
Tamale Baby" to Fats Domino's, "Walkin' to New Orleans", to the
50's hit "Hey Baby (Won't You Be My Girl)" to slow blues.
Trish Tell Alls Former Bay Area resident talks about visiting the Lafayette Area during fall festival time..
"I have now been here in Louisiana 4 months.....and am enjoying being
here more everyday. I thought I would send along some notes for visitors
planning on coming down for the upcoming festivals.
Lafayette now has online motel room booking capability at http://www.lafayettetravel.com.
which links to Room Finders. Rooms really fill up for Festivals Acadians and the
Zydeco Festival over
Labor Day.
Also remember that it is really hot here........dancers need to intake extra
salt and drink lots of water to avoid heat exhaustion. The festivals usually
sell PowerAde or GatorAde as well. This is
REALLY important...if any of you have ever had a heat exhaustion head
ache....you know prevention is the best thing to do!!!!
The best way to find out what is happening in the clubs is to listen to the
radio. Here are the stations I like to listen to for Zydeco:
770 AM Monday and Thursday nights 7-9 PM (105.5 FM)
1230 AM Friday and Saturday afternoons 3-5 PM (Luke Collins)
88.7 FM Saturday morning 6 AM until noon (John Broussard)
105.5 FM Saturday evening 10 PM (Herman's Swamp n Roll)
104.7 FM Sunday morning 10 AM until noon (Don and Charles Cravins)
770 AM Sunday afternoon 12-3 PM
105.5 FM Sunday afternoon 4-6 PM (Front Porch Zydeco)
KBON 101.1 FM is on round the clock with all Louisiana music.
The Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival has events scheduled over all
three Labor Day weekend days this year. In addition to the dances Friday evening
and the BIG festival day on Saturday, there will be cultural and music events on
the grounds on Sunday.
There are many, many great restaurants here in Acadiana.....and several have
Zydeco music featured. Cafe des Amis in old downtown Breaux Bridge usually has
Jean Pierre and the Zydeco Angels on Saturday mornings from 8:30 -11:30. Pat's
Cafe Creole on North University just down from Highway 190 (Cameron St.) has
music (either Zydeco or blues) on Sundays from 11 - 2.....and great Creole food.
And, of course, Randol's and Mulate's have Cajun dancing every night,
I think!!!!
For those who want to buy CD's or tapes to take home......Plaisance will
have booths, I am sure....oh, Sean Ardoin's new CD should be available
there. I have heard it and it is TERRIFIC. Sean is a consummate musician and the
high energy, hard drivin' vocals he displayed with his brother take center stage
on this CD. Dexter Ardoin will be taking his place as drummer with Chris Ardoin
and Double Clutchin'. Also, WalMart (don't laugh!!!) has a fair collection of
Cajun and Zydeco music. WhatBayou on Landry in Opelousas has a great assortment
as does Music Machine on Walnut in Eunice and Music City on N. Main in
Opelousas. Raccoon Records on Johnston in Lafayette is another good place and
Floyd's in Ville Platte is, too.
I look forward to seeing all the visitors who will coming down to enjoy all the
upcoming events...Congres Mondial, the gathering of Acadians from all over the
world taking place the first 2 weeks of August should be wonderful. The closing
concert on August 15 reads like a "whos' who" of Louisiana French
music and includes bands from Canada as well. I sure hope there is a spot for
dancers!!!!"
Lil Malcolm and The House Rockers Return to Alameda
Lil Malcolm and The House Rockers returned to the Bay Area and played a gig at Eagle’s Hall in n Alameda last Friday night, July 9. The turnout was good, and expectations were high, following his very popular stops here last year. It was an interesting evening.
During the first set, my impression was that Malcolm didn’t understand his audience for the night. He played songs like Jambalaya, which I didn’t expect, since last time I remember his to be a very funky, hard-driving sound. In fact, in looking back on my write-up from a year ago, I described Lil Malcolm, from Lake Charles, as playing a nouveau zydeco set with a bluesy, funky edge. I felt like during this show, instead he had pulled out his ‘I’m on the road and playing for tourists " repertoire, which many Louisiana bands understandably do to make a living. However, it was not what the Bay Area dance crowd expected. But in the second set, things picked up, and the music got livelier. The stage show did too, as the band went into some of their Motown style synchronized stage routines that were so energizing to watch.
Perhaps the new sound had something to do with the band line-up, which I believe has had changes since last we saw them. For this show, the band kept slipping the beat, which was annoying when you are trying to dance. I know Malcolm’s father, Percy Walker, Sr. played guitar with the band last year, and he was not on stage Friday night. In addition, Malcolm played piano accordion all night, which lends itself to a more bluesy style. I can’t recall if last year, he played this instrument exclusively or not.
Over Memorial Day weekend, I traveled to Louisiana for Zydeco Extravaganza ‘99 weekend in Lafayette. Several events were tied in with the festival, including an all day Dance Workshop at El Sido’s on Saturday featuring seven local Creole dance instructors.
This trip started off, as always, with a Thursday night visit to Rock N Bowl in New Orleans. Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie played a great, high energy set to 1:30 in the morning without a break. Throughout the night, new dancers from all over the country kept showing up. These first pre-festival dances have come to feel like a ritual evening, 'The Gathering of the Zydeco Dance Tribes", and the weekend's kick-off party-reunion atmosphere, has always been a delight to participate in . You could see evidence of this watching everyone greeting old friends, trading dance partners and seeing the many sweating, smiling faces on the dance floor.
Friday the party moved to Lafayette. I had spent the day in New Orleans playing tourist and rolled into town around 9pm. Checked into the hotel, and then headed over to El Sido’s to see Step Rideau. Others went to Hamilton’s to see Thomas Fields that night. When I got to the Sid’s, a table of about 10 Bay Area folks was already holding court, and by the time the evening was out, I counted almost 20 Bay Area travelers in town for the weekend. Sid’s was packed, and Step sounded great. It felt great to be back in Lafayette.
The following morning, I had to be back at El Sido’s at 8:30 AM to register for the Dance Workshop which started at 8:30, and continued past 6pm. I set the alarm and got there, but I must confess I questioned my own sanity, being up and dancing at that time of day without adequate caffeine. About 90 other zyde-crazy folks attended the workshop, which was produced by Francis Haymark of Lafayette, and Rebecca Zurn of Alabama. Dance instructors included Sean Ardoin (brother and drummer in Chris Ardoin’s Double Clutchin’ Band), John Broussard (MC for the workshop, and a deejay for a Lafayette Creole music show, plus a long-time zydeco dance instructor in the Lafayette area), Steve Nash (former rubboard player in Geno Delafose’s French Rockin’ Boogie band), a very athletic Willie Bushnell from Houston and his partner Nicole, plus Lincoln Captain, Keisha Robertson, and Jackie Thurmond (great local dancers/dance instructors). I particularly enjoyed watching the instructors show off their special dance steps and moves - some of the dancing verged on a gymnastics display and was quite spectacular. It should have come with a warning label. The instruction was more at a ‘real person’ level. I found Keisha Robertson in particular a very gifted instructor and learned several moves, that with a little more practice, may one day show up in my dance step repetoire.
Two special treats were planned during the Dance Workshop. First was lunch at Pat’s Café Creole (1904 W University Ave). The home-style cooking was excellent, and after the crowd had eaten their fill, Pat performed a one-woman monologue theater piece. Her character was a Creole woman reminiscing about her childhood, talking about her garden, and her relationships. It was both hilariously funny and very poignant. The second was at the conclusion of the workshop where Donna Angelle took the stage to play for the dancers who still had some energy left to move after 8 hours on their feet!
For those who plan to visit Lafayette, you should know that Pat’s Café Creole now features a zydeco brunch on Sunday mornings, and Café des Amis, in Breaux Bridge, now has a zydeco band playing on Saturday mornings. There is also another very nice casual eating spot in town, Louisiana French Market (on Doucet off Johnston Road), if you are looking for a break from Cajun/Creole cuisine. Great sandwiches, salads, deserts, grilled chicken that you purchase deli-style and then can either take out to eat or eat there inside or al fresco.
After the dance workshop, and nap, shower and dinner at the French Market (above), there were at least 5 clubs with bands playing to choose from: Keith Frank at Slim’s, JJ Callier at El Sidos, Lil Pookie at Richards, Zydeco Joe at Hamilton’s, and Terrance Simien at Grant Street. For me, it was no contest, and I headed straight to Hamilton’s to see Joe. I was not disappointed. Despite the competition, there was a good showing of dancers and Joe looked and sounded great. Hamilton’s is a fairly large club, air-conditioned, with a great wood dance floor and good acoustics. An excellent place to dance - which we all did with gusto.
Sunday was the main event….an 11 am to 11pm marathon at Blackham Coliseum. Bands playing this year at the Zydeco Extravaganza included Donna Angelle, Lil Pookie, Brad Randol, Boozoo Chavis, Chris Ardoin, Keith Frank, JJ Callier, plus the annual accordion contest for youngsters. Although the venue itself was clean and comfortable, plenty of restrooms, air-conditioned, non-smoking, bottled water available, wood dance floor, the acoustics this year left much to be desired. There were only a few places on the huge dance floor where the sound came together to sound like music rather than just drums and a bass line. I found it very distracting and quite honestly can’t tell you how most of the bands sounded, particularly those I’d never heard before. It wasn’t til late in the day, when I had a partner who danced us up towards the front and center of the dance floor that I discovered where the good sound was. Around this time, Chris Ardoin came on, and I found I enjoyed his set the best because of this.
After the Extravaganza, there was more to do at the clubs: Brad Randol at Hamilton’s, Chris Ardoin at Slim’s, but for me it was time to collapse. The next morning I headed back to New Orleans, where we opted that evening to sit and see the new Star Wars movie rather than to dance to Tony Delofose at Storyville (in the French Quarter).
The Fort Lauderdale Cajun/Zydeco Festival
I have a not-very-secret confession to make. I just love traveling to Cajun/zydeco music festivals to dance. And going to Fort Lauderdale to attend the C/Z festival, sponsored by the City of Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation Dept and held on the grounds of the Fort Lauderdale Stadium from May 7-9, 1999, just fanned the fire.
The festival grounds were large, and well laid out. There was easy parking, lots of shade and water and good food. I met dance circuit friends there from all over the country, including Southern California, Texas, Massachussets, New York, D.C; Birmingham, AL, Memphis, and Louisiana, as well as made some new friends.. The Bay Area was represented by about 10 dancers.
The line-up was a excellent mix of Cajun and zydeco musicians, from Louisiana, as well as some talented bands from outside the crawfish circuit. On the Cajun side were Cajun traditionalists, Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band, the Magnolia Sisters, Lake Charles Ramblers, and Balfa Toujours as well as the more venturesome Beausoleil, Mamou, File and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. Zydeco was represented by Geno Delofose & French Rockin' Boogie, Boozoo Chavis & the Magic Sounds, Thomas Fields and the Food Stompin' Zydeco Band, Lil Malcolm and the House Rockers, Step Rideau and the Zydeco Outlaws, Rockin' Dopsie Jr and the Zydeco Twisters, and Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band.
There were too many bands to comment on them all, so I will only share a few impressions:
This was the first time I've seen Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys since Jimmy' Domengeaux's death. The new guitarist is Roddie Romero, who stayed in the background during the beginning of the set. Every so often, I would look up expecting to see Jimmy's smiling face, but of course, that was not to be. But just as I was wondering why the band has chosen Roddie as its newest member, the band shifted into its rock & roll repetoire, and let Roddie step out and sing lead on one of my favorite pop songs: "Last night...I got loaded... on a bottle of whiskey...". The stage dynamics changed dramatically from that point on. Roddie started to wail, the band grooved, and all of a sudden there was an extra vocalist up front with Steve, Peter and David working the crowd. Watch out once these guys get more comfortable working together...they could reach a whole new level.
The Whirling Dervish, also known as Rockin' Dopsie Jr leads a zydeco showband. This was the first time I have seen them. Dopsie, who plays the rubboard, is a dynamic entertainer, doing James Brown splits, spinning around, jumping into the audience, playing souped-up zydeco and blues. Not the best band for dancing, ("too fast") but incredibly entertaining to watch.
Boozoo Chavis put on an excellent set. Moments before going on, he was in the Heritage tent, being interviewed about his music and life, which was attended by a large, respectful and appreciative crowd. He played his Main Tent set with a grin on his face, and in an jovial mood. Every time to hear Boozoo, you realize how influential his music and songwriting is. Just about every zydeco band, and some Cajun bands, cover his tunes, which compel you to get up off your feet and dance. As his time ran out, he smiled and said he wanted to keep playing another hour or so. The crowd certainly would have liked him to as well.
In addition to the three shaded music tents, there was a History/Cultural Tent that featured panel discussions throughout the weekend led by Michal Tisserand, (author of Kingdom of Zydeco), and Robert Santelli (Education Coordinator for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame). The subjects included The Family Roots of Zydeco Music, (Geno Delafose, Lil Malcolm), Woman in Cajun Music (Ann Savoy, Christine Balfa); Zydeco Music and its role in American Popular Music; Cajun and Zydeco - The Connection (Thomas Fields, Step Rideau, Christine Balfa, Dirk Powell), and an interview with Boozoo Chavis. These discussions were as delightful as they were informative. You could see the affection, respect and rapport l Tisserand has with his subjects, and because of this, the musicians really opened up to him in the discussions. Among the highlights: Geno Delafose demonstating the nouveau style he used to play the accordian when he wanted to aggravate his father, John; Boozoo playing solo versions of Uncle Bud and other songs, explaining where the lyrics came from, as well as talking about his race horses, and what to/not to feed them when it got hot; Thomas Fields, Step Rideau and Christine Balfa talking about the 'soul' in Cajun/Creole music (in this conversation, Step related how, although only 32, he grew up picking cotton outside Eunice, and how he tried to ensure his music reflected his heritage).
After Fort Lauderdale, business took me to Austin, Texas, where I was lucky enough to be in town for the Gulf Coast Playboys regular Thursday night set at Antoin's. The band plays a mix of Cajun and zydeco songs with some blues, swamp pop, and country/western tunes thrown into the gumbo. I was told the regular Austin C/z dance scene is quite small consisting of about 30-40 dancers who also travel regularly to Houston, and Louisiana to dance. And when Lousiana bands come to Austin, they modify their sets to a more commercial mix, with lots of blues and rock and roll thrown in . Nonetheless, I had some excellent dance partners during the evening, and quite enjoyed my week on the road.
Good Vibrations: Geno Delafose and French Rockin’
Boogie Rocks the SF Bay Area
(April 19, 1999.) Geno Delafose and French Rockin’ Boogie came to the Bay Area
last week and reinforced their reputation as one of the hottest and most
charming traveling zydeco bands on the national scene. Despite the glorious
weather outside, Geno played to a packed (and perhaps
overcapacity) house at Eagle’s Hall in Alameda on the Sunday afternoon.
Whether playing button or piano accordion, adding “Motown” dance moves to
the on-stage action, or hanging out with the enthusiastic crowd signing
autographs during the break, Geno and his band demonstrated the charm and
musicianship that makes them one of the most popular and beloved of today’s
touring zydeco bands.
The scene at Eagle’s was, in itself, amazing to behold. I would estimate about
250-300 in attendance, and just about everyone dancing, with or without partners
as the follower/leader ratios fluctuated. When some bands tell their audiences,
‘let me hear you scream’, the sound is an
obligatory whisper...for Geno it was a raucous holler of delight. The band stuck
to the numbers it plays best...well within the bandwidth of the inherited
musical traditions of father John, the legendary Clifton Chenier, and the
classic Creole/Cajun repertoire, all updated slightly for modern sensibilities.
Happily, the recent personnel change in French Rockin’ Boogie’s rubboard
players had little effect on the band’s showmanship.
Three days earlier, Geno and the band played at a much more intimate venue, The
Powerhouse in Sebastopol (about 60 miles north of San Francisco). Thursday night
the show was more relaxed, befitting the much smaller room and the less frenzied
audience. It felt very much like a private party and those of us who braved the
Bay Area bridge traffic to attend the show, thought it was felt it was worth the
miles driven, even in these days of outrageous gasoline prices ($1.85/gallon in
SF, but I digress)!
Merci pour les bons temps, Geno!
A Great Weekend to Dance: Leo and LeeRoy Thomas and the Benefit for Dick Richard
Real Louisiana zydeco came to the Bay Area last weekend with the visit of Leo Thomas and his Louisiana Zydeco Band. Leo is the drummer, resplendid, on Friday night (March 5, 1999) at Eagle's Hall, from head to toe in neon blue, from his chapeau to his boots. On Sunday at the Cadillac Ranch in Concord (which is a spacious club with a really great dance floor), Leo was decked out in red hat and matching garb. LeeRoy is his very talented son, on accordion. The rest of this talented group of musicians includes Steve Nash on rubboard (formerly with Geno Delafose's French Rockin' Boogie), Raymond Bilbo on bass guitar (who has played with Beau Jocque and Boo Zoo Chavis and leads the band, the Zydeco Brothers, in Louisiana), and J. C. Shaw on guitar (who plays blues and zydeco in Louisiana). This band plays traditional zydeco in the style of John Delafose, Clifton Chenier and Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas, and really rocks. Leo and LeeRoy trade off vocals. For the first set, LeeRoy played the button accordion. Boy, can he stretch that thing. LeeRoy and Steve were grooving and dancing and doing a "Motown meets zydeco" performance. Their pleasure in playing was contagious. After the break, LeeRoy brought out the piano accordion for a few Clifton/Nathan inspired numbers. The band plays a few really catchy tunes with distinctive accordion riffs (Early One Sunday Morning) that I really enjoyed. Late on Sunday at Cadillac Ranch, Andre Thiery got up to join the band and LeeRoy moved to drums. The band's sound changed but they still rocked. I like Andre's music A LOT, and usually, no matter how good a band's accordion player is, when Andre gets up to play, he usually takes the music to a higher level for me. It didn't happen here. Andre was great as always, but when LeeRoy got back up to play, there was no let-down and in fact I actually found, I wanted to hear more of the visiting LeeRoy and less of our homeboy Andre! I was amazed.
Between the music and the stage show, these were two terrific and very entertaining nights of dancing. In fact, quite a few folks commented it was the best Louisiana dance night since Balfa Toujours' visit and I have to agree. There is something about how Louisiana musicians come together to create a particular distinctive sound that is unique and seemingly impossible to duplicate. This must be some kind of trade secret, like Coca Cola's or McDonald's secret sauce recipe.
Also happening last weekend was a benefit for Dirk Richard,
longtime Cajun musician and instrument builder, to help pay for his medical
expenses. It was held in San Francisco at Goat Hall. The line-up
included Billy Wilson, California Cajun Orchestra, Frog Legs, DP & the
Rhythm Riders and the Flames Duo of Bruce Gordon and Lloyd Meadows. This
was 5 hours of great local Cajun & Zydeco music in a venue that keeps
improving. Dana Mandell has done a great job of creating a dancer
friendly environment, and each time I go there it seems the acoustics, stage,
ventilation or other parts of the church turned dance hall are upgraded.
There was a great turnout and over $1400 was raised for Richard's medical fund.
Keep it up Dana!
Tragic Death of Jimmy Domengeaux, Guitarist for Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
Jimmy Domengeaux, of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, was
killed in a motorcycle/automobile accident last Monday. I've seen this
band lots over the past years and Jimmy was always one of the delights of
each performance. Aside from his musicianship, he always had an enormous
grin on his face, got a charge watching the crowd, and looked like a man
who just LOVED what he was doing. He had the best energy of just about any
musician on stage I've ever seen, and his pleasure was contagious. I will
miss him.
Links to media writings that discuss the accident, and the
announcement from Peter Schwarz follow:
News Story (Daily Iberian) http://iberianet.com/news/stories/99012504n.html
News Story (The Advocate) http://www.theadvocate.com/news/story.asp?StoryID=4581
Obituary (Acadiana Now) http://www.acadiananow.com/obits.html
Here is Peter Schwarz's Letter:
Dear Friends,
I'm sure many of you have already heard. We have very sad news.
Jimmy was killed early Monday morning, January 25th, in a
motorcycle accident here in southwestern Louisiana. For the past
four years as guitarist with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys,
he was featured in performances and recordings heard around the
world. His music career stretched back some 38 years, perhaps
most notably with the band "Black Dog." He also performed with
Warren Storm, Cajun Heat, The Gumbo Cajun Band, Cheryl Cormier,
amongst others.
Jimmy was a gifted guitarist and a happy spirit. His smile and
his high voltage solos lit up the stage wherever he played and
his dynamic style was an intrical part of our sound. He was also
a caring friend and a brother on the road. We speak not only for
the band, but also the music community, and fans around the
world, in sending our deepest condolences to his family in this
sad time. He will be sorely missed.
Jimmy was 44 years old. He is survived by his mother and father
Mr. & Mrs. Murphy Domengeaux, sisters Letty Darbone, Judy Theriot
and Nancy Baham, brother Jackie Domengeaux and daughter Javen
Domengeaux, age 9.
The wake will begin Tuesday January 26 at 12:30 PM at Pellerin's
Funeral Home, 211 Berard Street, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517 tel
(318) 332-2199. The wake will continue overnight until the
funeral, which will be at 11:00 AM on Wednesday January 27th at
St. Bernard's Church in Breaux Bridge.
The family has asked that anyone wishing to make donations (for a
trust that will be set up for Jimmy's daughter Javen) please send
to: Murphy or Annie Domengeaux, 210 East Bridge Street, Breaux
Bridge, LA 70517.
For all of you who have called and written, the band appreciates
your thoughts in this hard time. We will be sure to bring all
your responses to Jimmy's family. I don't think they really
realize what an impact he made on people all over the world.
-- Peter Schwarz
Management for Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
http://www.rounder.com/mamouplayboys.html
The 2nd Annual Zydeco Festival at Rock 'N Bowl
On November 5-7th, Rock N Bowl held their second annual Zydeco Festival, which I attended. This was the first time I spent so much time in New Orleans without a major event like Jazz Fest, or the September festivals in the Lafayette area also going on, so it was interesting to see the difference in the attendance and energy levels.
I actually arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday night and after checking into my hotel stopped first at Mulate's to see File, and then went over to RNB to check out Sunpie Barnes. File sounded good, but there were mostly tourists there, and very few dancers. After listening to a few numbers, I went down to RNB, where it was a slow night. Very few out-of-towners, and the local dancers must have been resting up for the weekend. The good thing about slow nights though is that you get to dance with most everyone there and have lots of room on the dance floor, plus you have an opportunity to talk to people. Sunpie played a most enjoyable straight zydeco set and a friend who had never heard him before was very impressed with his sound.
Thursday night was the official kick-off to the Festival and featured Roy Carrier. The crowd picked up, but there was still lots of room to dance. A few more out-of-towners showed up and Roy played zydeco all night. Last time I heard him in the Bay Area, he had played 50% blues set, so this was a nice surprise.
Willis Prudhomme kicked off Friday night, followed by Beau Jocque. This turned out to be a much better night for dancing. The crowd was doubled from the night before, and the energy level was much higher. Willis is always a pleasure to hear, and Beau Jocque sounded fine. Reports were that Michael Seider's dance workshop , held before the bands started, had turned into a big dance party.
On Saturday, Thomas Fields was playing at the Old Mint at 2 pm , so before heading out to Rock N Bowl, I stopped by to see him. The band was preceded by a short talk on zydeco music, and the crowd was mostly there to sit and listen. About a dozen dancers provided some additional entertainment. From there it was back to RNB for a marathon of a day. JJ Callier started off the day playing Bowl Me Under. He was followed by Zydeco Joe (upstairs), Chris Ardoin (BMU) and Beau Jocque (upstairs). On Saturday the crowd was MUCH larger and both venues were packed with local dancers, dance tourists, plus the standers and bowlers. It was quite a party. And, not to get boring about this, but the musical highlight for me was again Zydeco Joe, who consistently puts on a high energy, crowd pleasing performance with excellent musicianship, and great sincerity. I danced with some terrific dance partners and swore I was in zydeco heaven. Later that evening Chris Ardoin was able to overcome the weaker accoustics of BMU to play some high energy music and Beau Jocque came through as well. This festival also reminded me how important is to make a conscious effort to pace yourself, keep drinking liquids, take anti-inflammatory drugs if you need them, and get down some food every few hours. I could feel myself fading several times over the course of the long day (3pm to 2 am), and several other dancers were succumbing to dance fatigue as well.
Special thanks, as always, to John Blancher, for being such a gracious host and putting on this festival.
Balfa Toujours: Music to Make You Smile!
Balfa Toujours played Eagle's Hall in Alameda last Saturday night (October
10) in a dance event sponsored by the California Friends of Louisiana French
Music. For those who missed it, I've had several attendees tell me it was the
'best dance of the year'. And these comments came from died-in-the-wool
zydecoholics! Needless to say, Cajun music lovers were equally ecstatic, since
we so rarely get traditional Cajun groups traveling out West. This was the first
ever Bay Area performance for Balfa Toujours, who are major festival headliners
in Louisiana.
Many people told me they had never heard of Balfa Toujours. This band carries on
the legacy, literally, of Dewey Balfa, perhaps the most renown of all Cajun
fiddlers. Dewey almost single-handedly was responsible for the Cajun music
revival which started in 1964, when he introduced Cajun music to the Newport
Folk Festival. With his brothers, Will, Rodney, Harry & Burke, Dewey also
formed the Balfa Brothers, renown instrumentalists whose trademarks were
superior fiddle duets.At the time, the folks back home in Louisiana were still
slightly embarrassed by their folk traditions and Dewey and the Balfa Brothers
helped change all that, becoming champions of Cajun pride and its musical
ambassadors. The modern Cajun masters we take for granted today, like Michael
Doucet of BeauSoleil, Marc Savoy, Steve Riley, and even our own Suzy Thompson,
all acknowledge a great debt to Dewey.
The core members of Balfa Toujours consists of Dewey's daughter Christine on vocals and guitar, her husband Dirk Powell on syncopated accordion and occasional fiddle, and Kevin Wimmer on lead fiddle. The band's recordings also feature Christine's sister, Nelda, plus collaborations with other musicians such as Peter Schwatz (from the Mamou Playboys). The band recently released a traditional recording, "Allons Danser" with the legendary Creole musician, Bois Sec Ardoin, who often played with Dewey. In Louisiana, Balfa Toujours represent the heart and soul of traditional Cajun music, combining the liveliness and joy of the music with respect for their heritage and traditions.
When Balfa Toujours took the stage on Saturday night, the crowd
began to buzz because they didn't have a drummer with them. One person looked at
the band and asked how he would be able to dance without a drummer. Let me tell
you, it wasn't a problem! The configuration of the band for the evening included
the key three players, plus Ganey Arsement on electric bass, and Danny Poullard
on triangle. You had to step lively for the two-steps and most dancers had that
healthy sweaty glow we all seek to achieve each dance night. The waltzes were
right on, and there were shuffles as well. Christine's singing is perfectly in
the Cajun vocalist tradition - sweet and creaky simultaneously. And the dueling
fiddles!!! I have to confess that I am just nuts about dueling fiddles. They
make me pause, carry me away and I just listen with awe at the incredible sounds
- it just speaks to me in some indescribably pleasurable way. Kevin Wimmer and
Dirk Powell played several fiddle duets throughout the evening and all I can say
is "amen', and you had to be there. I love zydeco music - it's got that
funk, and that beat to bliss out to - but it ain't got them dueling
fiddles..Zydeco makes me want to stomp, Cajun makes me want to smile!
Balfa Toujours also played a concert at Freight and Salvage on Sunday night.
Here is a report from Christy Leichty, who attended:
"Their gig at the Freight and Salvage was outstanding--they did alot of different music and explained the history of some songs and interpreted the lyrics. They talked about musicians from the past that they had known, the older ones that are dead and gone now, but the music lives on. They talked about the songs that they had written. I didn't think I could sit and listen and not go crazy. But to my surprise it was beautiful to watch the dueling fiddles, Christine's bright smile, and listen to the light banter between them. It was inspiring, to see the miracle of effortless playing--how could anyone not love this music and these people who have helped us pass hours of bliss in small bars and dancehalls from east to west, north to south? "
Finally, I would like to put in a plug for the sponsors of the Eagle's dance, the California Friends of Louisiana French Music. This non-profit group was granted tax-exempt status two years ago with the mission of promoting and educating the public about traditional Louisiana French music. The first big event sponsored by CFLFM was last winter's tribute to Danny Poullard, and his contribution to the California Cajun and Zydeco scene. You can read about Danny's significant influence and the Bay Area's early years in Michael Tisserand's excellent book, "The Kingdom of Zydeco". In 1998, CFLFM has also had educational booths at New Orleans by the Bay at Shoreline, the Ardenwood Cajun/Zydeco Experience, and the Zydeco Festival at St. Francis of Assisi in East Palo Alto, as well as sponsored quite a few traditional jam sessions with our great local musicians. The group also publishes a monthly newsletter. A Board of Directors is elected annually by a membership that now numbers about 200. Our next meetings will begin planning for 1999. We welcome new members and encourage the community to get more involved - from joining the Board to volunteering at events. For more information or to join, you can email me, Christy Leichy or Charmaine Silverstein. .
For more info on Balfa Toujours, check out their web page
