Marc Savoy
MADE IN LOUISIANA
Voyager - 325
available on
voyager recordings
For anyone interested in Cajun music this disc is a must. It does not matter what your involvement is with the music. Whether this is an introduction to the genre for the one with Cajun virgin ears, or you are an old haunter of their fais do do's, and have been listening for years and know quite a bit already. This disc is going to please all who come to it. It is subtitled "Cajun Accordion Music", and the accordion player is Marc Savoy, who is not only one of the foremost Cajun accordion players, he is also a builder of some of the finest instruments to be found. To add to your aural pleasure he enlisted, the provocative, yet traditional fiddling of the legendary Dewey Balfa, and had the foresight to include the phenomenal guitar work of D. L. Menard. This disc was originally released in 1976 and has just been released on compact disc by Voyager, and it is a welcomed addition in this format as it was no long unavailable except in the used bins of eclectic record stores. These classic Cajun instrumental (most of the songs are done as instrumentals) tunes are done in a traditional style by this trio of exceedingly accomplished musicians. A friend of mine calls this music, "the music of the amusement parks", and as the accordion and the joyful two steps and waltzes that are played here sound very like the old carousel music I reckon he has a valid point, however I hark back to the time spent in Southwestern Louisiana, and the Saturday night fais do do's and these are the memories it brings back to me. Either way we both agree the music has an exceedingly happy and joyful set of memories associated with it, and that is the most important thing here. The liner notes by Ann Savoy are very informative and give good, though brief, histories of each song. This is a disc that should not be missed by anyone with the faintest interest in Cajun music, and as the music is played by some of the finest of the traditional Cajun musicians alive at that time it is a benchmark disc. The sound quality, particularly as the disc was recorded in 1976, is excellent.
Songs, times and writers where available
1 EUNICE TWO STEP - 3:12 - learned from Joya Guidry
2 TOLAN WALTZ - 1:54 - Chuck Gillory/Jimmy Newman
3 OLD CROWLEY TWO-STEP - 2:40 - Recorded by Doc Guidry
4 CHERE PETITE - 2:42 - maybe by Leo Soileau
5 CHURCH POINT BREAKDOWN - 2:45 - recorded by Amedee Ardoin
6 LA BRANCHE DU MURIER - 3:32 - Dennis McGee
7 PERRODIN TWO-STEP - 3:37 - 1st recorded by Dennis McGee/Angelus
LeJeune/Ernest Fruge
8 LA VALSE A MACAREAU - 2:52 - by a black midwife named Macareau
9 CAJUN FLOP-EARED MULE - 2:04 - ???
10 VIENS ME CHERCHER (COME AND GET ME) - 2:50 - recorded by Iry LeJeune
11 LA VALSE DE PONT D'AMOUR (LOVEBRIDGE WALTZ ) - 2:05 - ???
12 J'SUIS PARTI A LAFAYETTE - 1:39 - Clifton Chenier
13 LES HARICOTS SONT PAS SALES - 1:10 - ???
Musicians
Marc Savoy - accordion
Dewey Balfa - fiddle
D. L. Menard - guitar