Product Description

On this bright collection, artists such as Eddie Lejeune and the Magnolia Staters reach back to the sounds of Cajun music's early 20th century beginnings, which groups such as BeauSoleil and the Basin Brothers are emblematic of the flowering of Cajun music in recent years
Genre: Cajun & Zydeco
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 19-NOV-2002

Track Listing

1. Jalouserie (Jealousy) - Bruce Daigrepont
2. Evangeline Special - Jo-El Sonnier
3. Conseils J'Ai �cout� [The Advice I Took] - Eddie LeJeune
4. Femme Que J'Ai Jamais Oubil�e [The Woman I Never Forgot] - Charivari
5. Elle Savait Pas J'Etais Mari� [She Didn't Know I Was Married] - D.L. Menard
6. Porte d'en Arri�re [The Back Door] - Jimmy C. Newman & Cajun Country
7. Opelousas Sostan [Sostan from Opelousas] - Mamou
8. Bout de Chemin [At the End of the Road] - Bluerunners
9. Pine Grove Blues - Jo-El Sonnier
10. Madame Bozo [Mrs. Bozo] - Beausoleil
11. Dans la Louisiane [In Louisiana] - Al Berard
12. Grand Mamou [Big Mamou]
13. Fleur de la Jeunesse [The Flower of Youth] - Magnolia Sisters
14. Barres de la Prison [The Prison Bars] - Courtney Granger
15. J'Ai Vu le Loup, le Renard et la Belette [I Saw the Wolf, The Fox And] - Balfa Toujours
16. Jolie Blon [Pretty Blonde] - Zachary Richard
17. Je M'Ennuie de Toi [I'm Lonesome for You]
18. Tes Parents Veulent Plus Me Voir [Your Parents Don't Want to See Me] - Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
19. Valse de Opelousas [Opelousas Waltz] - Geno Delafose

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48783 in Music
• Brand: Unknown
• Released on: 2002-11-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Customer Reviews

Lafayette Lowdown
Well, it is about time that I started to review some of the work of the good old boys and girls from the bayous down in Cajun country. Places like Lafayette and Lake Charles evoke memories of time and place in Cajun musical history. You know at the edges of the places where the likes of Hank Williams and Jerry Lee Lewis learned their crafts. And places where all kinds of mixes of music and races blended to form unique sounds all their own. Accordions, washboards, fiddles, guitars and what ever came to hand on those whiskey-drenched Saturday nights.

And on those nights come names like Clifton Chenier and Booboo Chavis that form the black influenced strand of the music. The Hackberry Ramblers and the likes of Waylon Thibodeaux form another, the good old white boys. French Acadian exiles, English "swamp foxes" of undetermined origin, black escaped slaves, "poor white trash"- it is all there mixed in one form or another. For the most part there were no serious conscious attempts to mix the strands but how could the intermixing influences be avoided in that small isolated area of southwest Louisiana. And all under the umbrella of what I call the "French blues". Get your dancing slippers on.

Rounder Records is almost invariably a great source for virtually every form of American roots music and for those who are unfamiliar with Cajun music this is your primer. Moreover Rounder, as usual, provides copious liner notes to give detailed information about the Cajun traditions, the various influences on this genre and the genesis of the performers. There are pure instrumentals featuring the ubiquitous fiddle, Creole classics, accordion masterpieces and French patois vocals. I note especially Jo-El Sonnier's "Pine Grove Blues", and "Evangeline Express", Zachary Richard's virtual Cajun anthem "Jolie Blon" and the modern Cajun band BeauSoliel on "Madame Bozo".

Cajun Music: The Essential Collection
A really "toe tapping" CD. Makes you want to get up and dance! Mostly songs in French, but a good overview of the cajun style from various artist. Highly recommended as a starter for a cajun collection.

Let The Good Times Roll!
CAJUN MUSIC: The Essential Collection is a wonderful sample for listeners familiar with Cajun and those are new to it. As a point of clarification, Cajun refers to Louisiana descendants of Spanish immigrants via Nova Scotia or Arcadia. Creole, on the other hand, refers to Spanish descendants via the West Indies. There is cultural overlapping including the use of patois, or Americanized French. The selected CD has both English and French songs featuring various artists. Early influences on Country Western can easily be heard in Cajun music.

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