Odds & Ends

My apologies to anyone who has been checking this site in search of new postings. Efforts to develop content for this site keep getting interrupted. Lately, I've been more occupied with keeping up with the weather and a painfully-active tornado season. (Thankfully, we are unscathed so far).

Fortunately, this will be my last tornado season as next-door neighbor to tornado alley. In the next few weeks, we'll be packing up and moving back home to Louisiana. And that's yet another reason I haven't posted as much as I would have liked. Picking up one's whole life and moving it two states away is busy work. (And, no, I'm not the dainty kind of fellow who hires movers; I'm the cheap kind of fellow who views the world through the cracks in my ever-thinning wallet).

In the meantime, though, viewership for this blog has reached a couple of new milestones. In just over a year, we've had over 4,000 individual visitors and we've reached a total of 10,000 visits. Hopefully, some of you have enjoyed what you've found here, and I will be working on new content in the near future. Next up: tabs for the Chamaux One-Step. Then, excerpts from an interview I conducted last spring with Creole accordionist Joe Hall.

Solstice '08: Beau Soleil

Dan Wiznitzer asked me to pass on the following:

Grammy nominated artists Buckwheat Zydeco and Lost Bayou Ramblers are bringing the Bayou to Baltimore on Saturday, June 21 for a special benefit performance at the Maryland Science Center. The fund raising celebration “Solstice ’08: Beau Soleil” will include authentic Cajun food, an open bar, and dancing to two of the hottest Zydeco and Cajun performers around – all overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. “Solstice ’08: Beau Soleil” begins at 8:00 pm and proper dress (“sophisticated casual”) is required. Tickets are $125 per person and include all food, drinks, and valet parking. Tickets must be purchased in advance. All proceeds benefit the Maryland Science Center’s education and outreach programs. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the Maryland Science Center at 410-545-5940 or visit mdsci.org

Miles of Milestones

While I've been busy keeping myself out of trouble (something that's harder and harder to do), a number of milestones have gone by without proper mention.

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First off, Jim Olivier--the long-time host of KLFY's Passe Patout program--died recently. As a French-speaking host of a morning show that regularly featured Cajun and Zydeco bands every weekday morning, Olivier was probably one of the most visible ambassadors of Cajun and Creole cultures during the 70s and 80s.

In addition to his role as host and ambassador, Olivier was also a musician in his own right, with a number of hits to his name. Coincidentally, Swallow records released Olivier's greatest hits only a few months prior to his passing.

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On a happier note, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys have reached their own milestone. On May 6, Rounder Records will release their own "Best of" album in recognition of the band's 20th year of performing and recording.

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Finally, the torch is being passed to a new generation in the Castille clan. Acclaimed fiddler Hadley Castille's grand-daughter has released her debut album, Cajun and Texas Swing. Herman Fuselier reports that Sarah Jayde Williams marks the 4th generation of musicians in the Castille family. And just in case one supposes that grand-dad is fading into the woodwork, Hadley Castille has plans to release a Cajun fiddling instructional DVD through Mel Bay Publications.

Bon Anniversaire, D.L. Menard

On Monday, April 14, one of the legends of Cajun music and Cajun songwriting will turn 76.

Dubbed the "Cajun Hank Williams" because he was influenced by the Country music great and because of his own songwriting skills, D. L. Menard will be honored at this evening's "Rendez-vous des Cajuns" show at Eunice's Liberty Theatre at 6 pm. On stage, Menard will be joined by Terry Huval and the Jambalaya Cajun Band. And for those who--like me--cannot be there in person, a live radio broadcast is available from KRVS.

Marc Savoy Renounces the Accordion

In a stunning turn-around from his entire career, master Cajun accordionist and master Cajun accordion builder Marc Savoy has renounced the accordion.

Citing the fact that the accordion was not a part of the culture of the Acadians who arrived in Louisiana from Nova Scotia, Savoy has recently begun to refer to the squeezebox as "an interloper" and called its introduction into Cajun music "a pollution of the twin-fiddle beauty of the original music of the Acadians."

All of this was reported recently in the Lawtell Bugler, which boasts that it will publish "all that's shit to print."

Asked what Savoy would do with his accordion building business, he said you could "stick it."

Reported: 1 April 2008 (aka April Fool's Day)

Cherokee Waltz/Valse de Chérokis

Here are the tabs for another waltz. The "Valse de Chérokis" is named after the kind of tree that the singer plans to cut up so he and his sweetie can cook up some duck.

I like this waltz because its melody so thoroughly emphasizes its beat in the tune. Plus, it has a nice little hitch in that melody. For me, this waltz is like watching a baseball player with a hitch in his swing. It makes everything a bit harder, but when it all connects, the result is magnificent.

You can listen to a nice version of this waltz on Mark Palms's GoneCajun website.

Here are the tabs. As usual, this is only a basic melody and red numerals should be played singly. Also, I'm trying something a bit different this time. In an attempt to show the tie between the melody and the beat, I've grouped notes together with dashes when they are played on the same beat. Thus, in the first measure of the tune, the 3 and 3' would be played on the first beat of the waltz (the bass button on the left hand), then the 4-4 would be two quick E notes played on the second beat (the first press of the chord on the left hand), and the final 4 (E) would be played on the final chord. Be aware, though, that the melody and the beat diverge in the turn:

The Tune (play twice):

3-3'

4-4

4

|

3'

3'

3'

|

3'-4

4'

4'

|

5-4'

4

4

3-3'

4-4

4

|

3'

3'

3'

|

3'-4

4'

4

|

3'

3

3

The Turn:

4-4'	5	5	|	5	4'-4	3'	|	3'	4'	5	|	5'	5	5
4-4'	5	5	|	5	4'-4	3'	|	3'	4'	4	|	3'	3	3

Raymond François offers the following lyrics for the "Valse de Chérokis", but I prefer replacing the "Oh, Ye yaille" with "Oh, Catin":

Oh, Ye yaille, viens donc me r’ join’ chez Baieonne,
On va s’ couper des chérokis et manger du canard d’inde,
Oh ‘tite fille, 'gard donc bien hier au soir,
Comment ton vieux neg’ a r'gardé pour toi quand meme.

Oh, Ye yaille, viens donc me r’ join’ chez Baieonne,
On va ramasser des écopeaux et bouillir des écrevisses
Oh, Ye yaille, rappelle toi donc hier au soir,
Comment ton vieux neg’ a r'gardé pour toi, tite fille.

Zydeco Goes to Haiti

The Times of Acadiana offered an interesting article this week on an initiative to bring Zydeco music to Haiti.

Acadiana and its culture have often been described as "south of the south" and as "the northern rim of the Caribbean," and this trip--orchestrated by the Lafayette-based Southern Development Foundation--underscores some of the ties between south Louisiana and its Caribbean neighbors.

In a previous entry, I've already noted the Afro-Caribbean roots of songs like "Colinda." And the culinary contributions of black Creoles who arrived in Louisiana by way of the Caribbean are easy to see in even the most "Cajun" of dishes--like gumbo.

Among the participants on the trip are Cedric Watson of the Pine Leaf Boys and accordionist Corey Porche. And for those in the Lafayette area, the trip will be documented on film and will be shown on April 22 at the Greenhouse in Lafayette.