Dirty Linen #96, 2001

BeauSoleil

The Spirit of Cajun Music
by Linda J. Morris

It was a lost piece of America about to sink into the Gulf." That's how one journalist described the coastal marshes and bayous of Acadiana in the mid-1970s. Along with the terrain, one of the nation's unique cultural treasures was also endangered, on the verge of sinking into the Anglo mediocrity of mainstream America. However, through the efforts of revivalists and the enduring power of their music, the tide has changed. Visitors now flock to Cajun country to partake of the food, the fun, and, above all, the dancehalls and festivals of Louisiana's French-speaking community.

But if you can't make the trek down Highway 90, southwest of New Orleans, do not despair. Chances are a spicy portion of the bayou will come to you, as it did for the capacity audience at the Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts last winter. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet — "all the way from the bayous of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana" — were in town, celebrating a milestone anniversary by doing what they do best — serving up a one-of-a kind performance guaranteed to move, enlighten, and make you feel an irrational urge to dance.

The setting was Annapolis, but it could have been Carnegie Hall, a presidential inauguration, Yemen, or the 50-yard-line at the Superbowl. For 25 years, America's most celebrated Cajun troubadours have been the purveyors of a music that makes friends everywhere it goes.

Their rich repertoire, performed almost exclusively in French, includes traditional Cajun tunes, some dating back to medieval France, and treasured compositions by revered masters. But the six musicians also present a wide array of musical styles, from old-world ballads and swamp pop to original pieces by Doucet. With flare and superb musicianship, the troupe also can plunge into mesmerizing Caribbean rhythms and improvisational jazz á la New Orleans.

BeauSoleil's more than two dozen recordings have earned seven Grammy nominations and one win, for 1997's L'Amour ou La Folie. Regular recipients of the New Orleans Best of the Beat Awards, they have also received the Governor's Award for their contribution to Louisiana's heritage.

Doucet — founder, vocalist, fiddle virtuoso, and songwriter — has himself received numerous honors, including the first annual Clifton Chenier Award, for the best French-speaking musician in Louisiana. In 1984, the Louisiana Folklife Center admitted him to its Hall of Master Folk Artists. "That kind of startled me," Doucet said during a hiatus from the band's 100 annual concert dates, "I didn't consider myself any kind of master of anything... I always say the best musicians in Louisiana are the people you never hear about."

Music is only part of the experience. With insight, humor, and a river of knowledge as vast as the Mississippi, Doucet's personal anecdotes and historical commentary introduce audiences to his culture. And though he can sing with passion and play like a swamp devil, he is equally respected for his scholarship and the impact he has had on the Cajun Renaissance. "Michael Doucet was one of the first young people to take a thoughtful look at the history and evolution of this music," said Barry Jean Ancelet, a respected authority on Cajun culture. "There were other musicians around in the early 70s who were starting to play the music again... but they were just playing. Michael came at this, in part, as a scholar... One of the things it's important to remember is that it's wonderful to see this music in your place, if it goes to your place, but one should not forget that it comes from somewhere."

This is an excerpt from issue #96.

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