Linzay Young & Joel Savoy, Linzay Young & Joel Savoy (Valcour)

Valcour_Linzay_Joel_WebStoreBased on their longstanding musical association, it’s only fitting that Linzay Young and Joel Savoy unite for this eponymous recording and Valcour’s inaugural installment of its Artist Series. Young and Savoy have played together more than half their lives, since teenage-hood and later as Red Stick Ramblers during their LSU years. This collection of a baker’s dozen tracks finds them where it all began, playing solely for enjoyment and sticking to highly personal tunes. Though the disc’s packaging and the Valcour Records Web site doesn’t acknowledge it as such, what’s really on tap here is Young and Savoy paying homage to Eunice fiddle heroes Dennis McGee, Sady Courville, Wallace “Cheese” Read and Wade Frugé with tunes the aforementioned legends were known for.

Approximately half are fiddle duets featuring the lead fiddler emoting through enchanting melodies while the other “seconds” below him with throbbing, rhythmic pulses. Another six tunes are single fiddle with guitar accompaniment, and “J’ai Laisse de la Maison” and “Wagoner” are particularly celebratory. Savoy’s stylish guitar accompaniment is rich and clear, often walking the strings between chords. Young embodies the spirit of the classic Cajun crooners without the shrill, plaintive vocals. Though they recall the storied fiddle tradition of Cajun music, there’s another tradition brewing right here.