Book Reviews
The Musician's Atlas 1999 : The Ultimate Resource for
Working Musicians
edited by Martin Folkman
The Musician's Resource Group
74470 95187 2 (1998); $19.95
The secret decoder ring is available for indie musicians and struggling bands salivating for that big break. The Musician's Atlas is the crib sheet for press, club, radio, and retail contacts listed by state and market. Specific information, such as styles of music preferred and whether unsolicited demos are accepted, is part of the process, helping to cut down on wasted time and resources. Distributors, record labels, and recording studios are included, making this a valuable tome for anyone musically motivated. Additionally, the Atlas sports interviews with artists and producers who, despite "making it," still smile upon the do-it-yourself musician. - Stacy Meyn (Alameda, CA)
The Kingdom of Zydeco
by Michael Tisserand
Arcade ISBN 1-55970-418-7, $29.95 (1998)
They're stories from the road, the dancehall, hanging out with the bands; they're stories told while drinking coffee around the table. It's miles of taped interviews and boxes of scratch pads. They're invaluable stories, worth their weight in gold, and their wealth of information gives an overwhelming sense of credibility to Michael Tisserand's definitive book on zydeco.
As Tisserand points out in the introduction, zydeco music embraces a proud culture, one defined by Louisiana's French-speaking black Creoles, who are often confused with white, French-speaking Cajuns. Tisserand explores the etymology of "Zydeco Sont Pas Salé," whose origins didn't just begin with Clifton Chenier's anthemic song of the same name. In 1934, John and Alan Lomax recorded different musicians in separate locales singing the phrase. Similarly, Tisserand gives the term "zydeco" a scholarly workout. For years, the word's spelling oscillated between different variations until historian "Mack" McCormick coined the spelling "zydeco" that caught on like a hit record. Having established that framework, Tisserand digs into the music's personalities and their contributions. He starts with the cornerstone figure of Creole-Cajun music, Amédé Ardoin, the mysterious genius who died tragically as a result of a racial incident. As often told as the story is, the well-researched Tisserand offers conflicting folklore theories regarding the details of the accordionist's death. From there, there's an explanation of how "Bois Sec" Ardoin and Canray Fontenot introduced the religiously forbidden blues into Creole waltzes, which segues to how Clifton Chenier transformed all that into zydeco. The book's longest chapter has insightful interviews with former bandmates like saxist John Hart, bassist "Jumping" Joe Morris, guitarists Paul "Lil' Buck" Senegal and Sonny Landreth, as well as tales of the Herculean performances Chenier gave prior to his death.
The last set of chapters brings zydeco to the 90s. There are stories about Beau Jocque's faked feuds with Boozoo Chavis, the raging battle between Jocque and Keith Frank, the togetherness of Nathan Williams' family, and how Zydeco Force invented the nouveau style of dancing. In between, Tisserand interviews old timers like Hiram Sampy and Bébé Carrière, visits Geno Delafose at his ranch and takes a cruise with wildman Terrance Simien. It's an engrossing set of pages guaranteed to hook, but don't read it if you're headed to the dance tonight. Otherwise, you might just miss it. - Dan Willging (Denver, CO)
