In honor of the hard-working Cajun and zydeco musicians making the long drive to New Orleans this month, Ten West should temporarily change its name to Ten East. And since you may already be hip to hear Beausoleil and Boozoo and the other lions of Louisiana French, here’s a guide to some of the lesser known acts (to Jazz Fest audiences, at least) in town for the Fair Grounds fete:
April 23: Creole Zydeco Farmers play a late ’50s and early ’60s style of zydeco and hot R&B. This is the old Fernest Arceneaux band, where Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and Blue Sister’s Patti Harrison worked their chops.
April 24: Eddie LeJeune—or Grammy-nominated Eddie LeJeune, for his work on Le Trio Cadien (Rounder) with D.L. Menard and Ken Smith. You may know that Eddie’s father, Iry LeJeune, was practically a one-man revivalist of the Cajun accordion, but if you haven’t heard the son, you’re missing a great instrumentalist and singer in his own right.
Preston Frank plays family-values zydeco at its most fun. His kids have just released their own tape on Lanor Records, but the whole gang is together for Jazz Fest.
April 25: Warren Ceasar has one foot in zydeco and one foot in soul music, vintage ’60s. The Basile barnstormer has toured with Clifton Chenier to Isaac Hayes. I wouldn’t miss him. And yes, he named his son Julius. Ann Goodly grew up playing in her grandfather’s zydeco club in Mamou—always good to hear a woman’s voice singing French music.
April 29: Beau Jocque is one of Boozoo’s leading protégés on the zydeco circuit. He takes his hero’s rural rhythms and, with help from his smart young band, plays it with a rap-influenced sensibility. Don’t miss his first Jazz Fest show—it’s one you’ll be talking about afterwards.
April 30: Sheryl Cormier’s band includes her husband. She’s a fine Cajun singer with arrangements showing a lively Wayne Toups influence.
May 1: Glad to see Willis Prudhomme on the schedule, after the gentleman of zydeco took some time off to recover from heart surgery. Prudhomme is of the Creole-style, rural tradition of zydeco, which means—among other things—that you’ll get more chances to waltz during this set. Ambrose and Calvin Sam—that’s “Sam” as in the Sam zydeco dynasty, including the Sam Brothers. Jazz Fest is a rare chance to hear Ambrose and Calvin play an old style of French music that dates back to the days when it was called “la-la.”
Clay and Eric Chapman of Chapman-Vidrine are grandsons of Cajun fiddle great Sady Courville, who played for many years alongside Dennis McGee, and this revivalist band is always a good chance to hear those twin fiddle sounds.
Congratulations to Roddy Romero, who won the recent Jazz Search competition at the Audubon Zoo. The 17-year-old accordionist won a slot at Jazz Fest, where he’ll play a progressive Cajun set.
During the day, in-store appearances are scheduled for Bruce Daigrepont at the Louisiana Music Factory (April 26) and Michael Doucet at Tower (April 23).
Turning to the night shows—if you haven’t heard of Queen Bee and the Zydeco Amigos, don’t worry. The Scandinavian songstress is performing in New Orleans for the first time, at gigs at Mid-City Lanes and the Warehouse Café. But if her album is to be believed, the Queen Bee’s local debut should be a stinging success. The band combines Tex-Mex conjuntos and polkas with zydeco and New Orleans R&B, and instrumentation includes lap-steels, accordions and mandolins. Fans of the Iguanas and zydeco should be able to meet halfway on the dance floor at these gigs.
The night pick of the Fest has to be the zydeco tag-team event at Mid-City Lanes on April 29. On the card are triple-threats Beau Jocque, Nathan Williams and John Delafrose. But that’s the same night that Boozoo is playing across town at Tip’s—smells like Jazz Fest spirit.
I keep looking at the orange-tinted photo on the cover of the new Zydeco Dynamite, the Clifton Chenier Anthology (Rhino). Chenier is wearing sunglasses and his eyes are closed—doubly protected from the bright spotlight that highlights his piano key accordion, and sparkles on his gold tooth. Almost out of frame, Chenier’s hands are working the accordion’s keys and buttons, fusing R&B and Creole folk music into that sound the world has come to call zydeco. I never heard Clifton Chenier play live. I hear people trade stories about those non-stop nights when the King would spit fire, and I can only be silent in envy. For people like me, Chenier’s live and studio tracks are our only musical memories of his career. Zydeco Dynamite is the first multi-label collection of these sides, spanning the 1955 Specialty single “Eh, Petite Fille” to 1984’s bluesy “Love Me Or Leave Me.”
It’s not all here, of course. There’s no “Je Suis En Recolteur,” and no “Black Snake Blues.” But early selections like “My Soul” reveal a young musician experimenting with styles, trying to make his voice sound like Ray Charles. The collection continues through these R&B recordings into his return to French music on the Arhoolie label. Then listen to him coax son C.J. to blow sax on “Love Me or Leave Me” —the last example here of recorded Clifton. The King’s court through the year’s is displayed in full regalia, including C.J., Katie Webster, John Hart, Warren Ceasar and others of great merit—but especially his brother Cleveland, who defined zydeco washboard.
Well-researched liner notes complete a package that’s a real jewel in Chenier’s crown. They’re having an in-store appearance in zydeco heaven for this one.
