Concert Reviews
This is just one of many in the current issue of Dirty Linen
Festivals Acadiens
Girard Park, Lafayette, LA
September 19-20, 1998
In this part of Southwest Louisiana, where the prairies meet the bayous, Festivals Acadiens is the granddaddy of Cajun music festivals. Unlike other area festivals that celebrate everything from crawfish and frogs to rice and sugar harvests, Acadiens focuses solely on the current state of Cajun music. It's a free two-day music-dance extravaganza, yet surprisingly the first festivals beginning in 1974 were indoor-seated evening concerts. The intent was to present the rebounding music for listening only, not to dance. "We intentionally meant to frustrate people," said producer/folklorist Barry Ancelet. "They had to pay attention."
The lineup was solid from top to bottom with every facet of Cajun music represented. Ancelet scheduled Robert Jardell and Lee Benoit as each day's opener to draw the crowds in early. The sound boomed throughout the park with oak trees dripping in Spanish moss supplying a stunning backdrop. Ancelet's strategy worked well — crowds filtered in early; the feeling of frissons (goose bumps) was everywhere.
Many of the bands were what Cajuns like "Bee" Cormier describe as traditional: a sextet of fiddle, accordion, guitar, steel guitar, and a rhythm section. In this vein, Felton LeJeune and Jesse Legé both pumped out driving dancehall music, as did Jackie Caillier, who delighted the audience with a smiling stage presence and announced birthdays without dropping a note. Bassist Ivy Dugas sang sentimental originals, including the award-winning "The Gravel Road," which recalls a simpler life.
The twin fiddles of Eric and Clay Chapman with guitarist Jane Vidrine were one of the weekend's special treats. The Chapmans, the grand-nephews and grandsons of fiddlers Dennis McGee and Sady Courville, did a stellar job in presenting their forebears' turn-of-the-century repertoire of two-steps, one-steps, reels, waltzes, and even a few mazurkas. While Eric played the McGee lead, Clay seconded the Courville part.
On the cutting side was Bruce Daigrepont, who danced energetically about with fiddler Gina Forsyth to turn in their best Festival Acadiens set ever. Saturday's headliner, Richard LeBouef, rocked out arena style with guitarist Tim Picard and pianist Eric Adcock, boogying so hard that the stage floor bounced and swelled continuously.
If Daigrepont and LeBouef were cutting, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys were electrifying. In honor of the late accordionist Octa Clark, the Playboys played several numbers sitting down front-porch style, including Clark's "Back-O-Town Two-Step." By now, all eyes were on the stage as the dusty dance floor was reduced to the size of a Knights of Columbus hall kitchen. For the second half, the Mamou Playboys played standing up, performing several tunes ("Valse de Wayne Perry," "La Toussaint") on twin fiddles and guitar. Only occasionally did they knock out selections from their adventurous Bayou Ruler, most notably the French-Canadian/Gypsy grooves of "Chez Personne" and the serene "La Rosée." This set ended in the winner's circle with Riley kicking off "Zydeco Sont Pas Salé" on Cajun accordion, then changing keys and accordions for the song's thrilling last ride.
Every year Festivals Acadiens honors one of its own by dedicating the festival to that individual. This year's honoree was Walter Mouton, who is known as a musician's musician. Although he's a master accordionist with smooth, meticulous playing, he can play anything else in the band when working out arrangements. Over the past 30 years, Mouton's Scott Playboy bands have set the standard for greatness, with some members playing more than two decades. As a tribute to those alumni, Mouton asked several of them to sit in as part of a Scott Playboys reunion. Oddly, Mouton has never recorded a full-length album. His reasoning is that he didn't want to create a demand he couldn't fulfill, preferring his weekly gigs at La Poussière in neighboring Breaux Bridge. Yet when you think about Mouton's reluctance to record, he epitomizes the many regional favorites who don't tour due to job commitments and family obligations, thus creating another type of demand. But once a year in the picturesque Girard Park, Festivals Acadiens fulfills part of that demand for thousands of Cajun music enthusiasts craving another fix. — Dan Willging (Denver, CO)
