Various Artists – The Beginner’s Guide To Cajun Music (2 CD Set)

Description

Release Date:  2008

Label:  Primo

Track List

Disc One

1 –Joseph Falcon – Lafayette
2 –Cleoma Breaux & Joseph F. Falcon – Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme
3 –Leo Soileau & Mayuse Lafleur – Your Father Put Me Out
4 –Soileau & Robin – Easy Rider Blues
5 –Leo Soileau & Moise Robin – Le Blues De Neg’ Francais
6 –Amadie Breaux – Ma Blonde Est Partie (Jolie Blonde)
7 –Angelas Lejeune – Bayou Pom Pom One Step
8 –Dennis McGee – Mon Chere Bebe Creole
9 –Dennis McGee – One Step De Chupic
10 –Dennis McGee & Ernest Fruge – Two Step De La Ville Platte
11 –Amedie Ardoin & Dennis McGee – Oberlin
12 –Amedie Ardoin – Aimez-Moi Ce Soir
13 –Amedie Ardoin – Si Dur D’Etre Seul
14 –Amedie Ardoin – La Valse Du Ballard
15 –Leo Soileau’s Four Aces – La Valse De Gueydan
16 –Nathan Abshire & Rayne-Bo Ramblers – One-Step De Lacassine
17 –Falcon Trio – (My Old Used To Be) Mon Vieux D’Autrefois
18 –Hackberry Ramblers – J’Ai Pas Bien Fey
19 –Hackberry Ramblers – Darbone’s Creole Stomp
20 –Riverside Ramblers – Wondering

Disc Two

1 –Hackberry Ramblers – Jolie Fille
2 –Hackberry Ramblers – Fais Pas Ca
3 –Happy Fats & Rayne-Bo Ramblers – Gran Prairie
4 –Happy Fats & Rayne-Bo Ramblers – Les Tete Fille Lafayette
5 –Harry Choates With Happy Fats & Rayne-Bo Ramblers – Lake Charles Shuffle
6 –Harry Choates – Jole Blon
7 –Harry Choates – Jole Blon’s Gone
8 –Harry Choates – Gra’ Mamou
9 –Iry Lejeune – Lacasinne Special
10 –Nathan Abshire – Pine Grove Blues
11 –Lawrence Walker – Mamou Two Step
12 –Lawrence Walker & Wandering Aces – Lafayette Two Step
13 –Vin Bruce – Dans La Louisianne
14 –Jimmy C. Newman – Cry Cry Darling
15 –Jimmy C. Newman – Diggy Liggy Lo
16 –Moon Mullican – Jambalaya
17 –Link Davis – Big Mamou
18 –Clifton Chenier – Things I Did For You
19 –Clifton Chenier – Eh, Petite Fille
20 –Clifton Chenier – All Night Long

Notes

This 2-CD set comes to us from Primo Music, and whether you’re a devoted fan of the infectious musical sound of the transplanted French-speaking Acadians from the Canadian maritimes, now known as Cajuns. or just curious about this unique genre of “folk” music, this is an excellent album, with surprisingly good sound considering the age of some of the tracks, which date back to 1928 Columbia recordings. Most are sung in the quaint patois dialogue developed over many years in Louisiana. Two pages of liner notes delve a bit into their history, and on the reverse a listing of tracks show the years they were recorded.

Appropriately enough, CD 1 starts off with accordionist Joseph Falcon who went from his southwest Louisiana home with wife Cléona Breaux to New Orleans in 1928 to record Allons à Lafayette, acknowledged as the first recording of a Cajun tune. From there the discs bring you some of the legends of the genre, including Harry Choates, Jimmy C. Newman and Clifton Chenier.