To the casual observer, the triangle plays a simple and repetitive role in Cajun music, but for the initiated, its high-pitched cry is known to invoke strong emotional reactions. According to multi-instrumentalist and
producer Dirk Powell, “Mark Savoy would always say that if there was one triangle left in the world, he would eat it. On the opposite end, Dewey Balfa said he would take that triangle, melt it down and make thousands of tiny triangles.” Now, the moment has come for this overlooked timekeeper to shine with the release of Christine Balfa Plays the Triangle by Valcour Records.
The concept struck producer Chas Justus while contemplating the significance of Cajun music’s forbearers. “About 3 or 4 years ago, while listening to the Balfa Brothers, I began thinking of the root and foundation of that distinct sound.” To Justus, the triangle’s place as the core of Cajun rhythm is obvious considering its part in human history. “What do you see from outer space?” he asks. “The Great Wall of China, and the Pyramids—the earth’s largest triangles.” Ideas turned to plans, and soon an album of pure, unadulterated Cajun triangle was born.
Christine Balfa’s heightened sense of internal timing on her 1986 Montoucet triangle has been honed since infancy. “As a child, I messed with a lot of different instruments,” she says. “I tried the fiddle but it made too many notes. I tried the spoons and the scrubboard because I’ve always been a rhythmic person, but they just weren’t right. But when I played the triangle, something rang true in my heart.” Though hesitant when initially approached about an album, she decided that the timing was right. “What inspired me finally to do it was that this year I received the 2008 Governor’s Arts Award for Folk Artist of the Year,” she says. “I also turned 40, and I realized it was time for me to make my first solo album.”
The recording sessions took place at Cypress House Studio, literally in Christine’s backyard. “To get geared up for the recording, I practiced about 3 or 4 hours a day,” she says. “I’d play along with records like the Balfa Brothers, Iry Lejune, Amede Ardoin, Dennis McGee, and Sadie Courville, making sure I would get in the right mindset so that my Cajun ancestors would be smiling up in heaven.” The key for Justus was that the triangle’s raw simplicity was maintained. “There was extremely minimal use of overdubs and absolutely no pitch correction,” he says. “It was a very hands-off production.”
