Dennis McGee (1893-1989) is perhaps Cajun music’s most influential fiddler, an early recording pioneer who contributed a sizable repertoire that illustrated what pre-20th-Century Cajun music was like prior to the advent of the accordion. Between 1929 and 1934, he recorded what would become standards, most notably with legendary Creole accordionist Amédé Ardoin and longtime fellow [...]
The debate over of what is and is not traditional Cajun music will likely rage on until judgment day, but credit Les Amies Louisianaises for putting a fresh spin on things. Unlike most groups that revolve around the accordion-fiddle axis, the Lake Charles-based women’s group is instead a quartet of vocalists who’ve perfected a signature [...]
Lil Pookie’s first release in more than a decade not only represents the comeback of a former child prodigy but a renewed sense of vigor for a talented front man. Pookie essentially is the Sensations—he wrote all 15 songs, tracked all vocals and played all instruments while temporarily living in the Bay Area. The only [...]
If it wasn’t for a devastating fire that torched Jamie Bergeron’s house and claimed clothes, accordions, vehicles and the lives of pets, Bergeron would have released a new CD way before this. But as evidenced here, he’s resilient, fronting an equally enthusiastic dance band that’s more an honest synthesis of south Louisiana’s musical potpourri than [...]
Jeffery Broussard may have once spearheaded the most influential band of modern zydeco with Zydeco Force, but these days he’s on a different mission: to present the Creole cultural music prior to its adulteration of floor-rattling, urbanized sounds. His second album makes that point well, showcasing selections (“Allons a Lafayette,” “Prier pour moi,” “Madeleine”) that [...]
“We’re gonna tear it up,” Joe Hall says. It’s not a Charlie Sheen rant, but it’s obvious that the burly Creole accordionist is pumped up about this year’s Jazz Fest. Hall and his Louisiana Cane Cutters are releasing their fifth CD, The $30 Dobb, which should further establish them as worthy practitioners of Creole music. [...]
If everyone were like Horace Trahan, there would be no mold to break. As a teenager, he was heralded as the Second Coming of Iry LeJeune, the accordionist responsible for reviving post-World War II Cajun music. A few years later Trahan crossed over into zydeco, scoring hits with “The Butt Thing” and “High School Breakdown” [...]
Country Fried falls somewhere between ’70s country rock and late ’50s folk, especially given the hearty vocals of Brian Ayres, Taylor Garrett and Todd McNulty. Whether it’s lazy shuffles, gospel-like testimonies (“Faithful Man Woes”) or intros that recall the Grateful Dead’s “Ripple” (“That Rainy Weekend”), there’s a certain quirkiness here, which is appealing in its [...]
The concept is novel: the seasoned journeyman teaching the budding, young apprentice. But when it comes to accordions, it’s hard to imagine 12-year-old whiz kid Guyland Leday needing any more instruction. Instead, what the septuagenarian Goldman Thibodeaux imparts on three cuts is the older, rough-hewn Creole style that falls somewhere between zydeco and la-la. Leday [...]
The Newport Folk Foundation played a pivotal role in the resurgence of Cajun-Creole music when its future looked bleak. At the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, a performance by a Cajun trio that included Dewey Balfa turned out to be a turning point when an audience of 17,000 gave them a thunderous, standing ovation. Since local [...]
