Like many groups formed from the magic of jam sessions, it’s a feat when they endure beyond their wildest expectations. Such is the case with the Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band (SDCB) who began through informal gatherings in the late ’70s to eventually become the Rolls Royce of Cajun music. Though they perform throughout the year, scheduling is often a challenge due to fiddler Michael Doucet’s popular BeauSoleil who are no strangers to the road. Imaginably a recording from such a trio consisting of Doucet, prized accordionist Marc Savoy and wife Ann (who defines the term Cajun rhythm guitar) is indeed a rarer treat that can only be cherished.
More so than previous releases, their fourth disc features an unheralded quantity of traditional originals that could have been cut in 1928 alongside Joe and Cleoma Falcon. The accordion monster himself (Marc) wrote a sizable handful including a scootin’ tribute to unsung accordionist Milton Adams, the repertoire staple “She Made Me Lose My Mind” and the bouncy “Hot, Skip and Jump.” The title song, “Sam’s Big Rooster,” perhaps the only anachronism here, gets as close to a trad Cajun French rap tune as you’re gonna find with Marc’s bassy-timbred voice relating the tale of Sam the rootin’ rooster. Together the husband-and-wife tandem wrote two other chestnuts, “Si Tu Veux Amuser” and “La Bonne Vie,” the latter serving as the album’s second dedication to Amédé Ardoin.
Similar to past projects where the SDCB featured sharp songs culled from forgotten corners, there are well chosen selections here from Iry LeJeune, Wade Frugé, Canray Fontenot and Aldus Roger. Yet great material aside, this record will likely be remembered as their best to date via the unhurried production from son Joel who produced these proceedings. The LSU student, who also seconds Doucet on “Alton’s Two Step” and “Doc Guidry Medley” as well as dishes out the fiddle lead of “La Bonne Vie,” has a knack for establishing a natural, comfortable vibe. It shows in the music as Doucet’s sweet, sublime fiddling, Marc’s nimble-fingered accordion stylings and Ann’s throbbing rhythms are all clearly audible. As an added bonus, there’re two exhilarating live tracks including the unyielding “Amédé Two Step,” that were recorded with Doug Lohman and Paul Laughridge of Minneapolis’ Bone Tones. No matter what the retail price sticker says for this rooster, it’s way too cheap. It’s actually priceless.
