The Larmer Tree Music Festival is hidden in the wilds of Cranborne Chase on the Wiltshire/Dorset border in Southern England. The grounds were laid out in 1880 by the pioneering Archaeologist General, Pitt-Rivers (though 'The Larmer Tree' itself was blown down in 1894),and it became a favourite spot among many Victorians. There are lawns and walks and shrubberies patrolled by peacocks, and overhead, red and blue macaws wheel and squeal. You can see Nepalese buildings, an open-air theatre (the main stage) and a Roman temple; a more sublime setting for a music festival can hardly be imagined.

The festival is organized by James Shepard and Julia Safe, together with a lot of volunteers. The publicity describes it as a music festival and that is accurate enough. There are folk performers, but it spans a much wider range than just folk, including big helpings of funk rock, jazz/blues, hillbilly, folk rock, traditional folk, as well as music from India.

And so to the bands: On Friday night there were appearances by Shine (a local band), Daily Planet, and Reg Meuross. We were rocked into Saturday with Clarion in the marquee and Waulk Elektrik in the garden.

On Saturday, one hardly had time to catch one's breath, with acts both in the marquee and the on main Garden Stage, so one's timing had to be very precise to catch top acts like Daily Planet, Flook, The Boatband, and Rory McLeod (who turned up everywhere and played with everybody, or so it seemed!). One of the highlights of the day was the Rajasthani folk musicians and dancers. The colourful State of Rajasthan has produced one of the richest regional cultures of India — this group of musicians and kalbella dancers from Jodhpor presented an energetic and passionate performance. As well as singing, the musicians played a whole range of Rajasthani folk instruments. Saturday night was really and truly wound up with a superb set by the Tartan Amoebas from Scotland.

Sunday's lineup featured Anam, Helen Watson (what a singer!), Big Jig, The Bushbury Mountain Daredevils, The Dolmen, and more. The workshops were lively and a rather potent local 'scrumpy' cider helped keep the beer tent busy. But it was the wonderful setting rather than the lubrication that added magic to the musical experience. — Ron Hill (Uckfield, E. Sussex, England)

With the weekend's abundance of music, it was good way to catch favorites like Balfa Toujours and Bois-Sec Adroin, as well as lesser-known bands like J.C. Labbie and Cajun Friends, the kind normally found in outlying dancehalls. Robert Jardell kicked off Friday night while across the grounds, Vieux Temps were moving, with their traditional, acoustic approach. Zydeco siren Rosie Ledet turned in an equally impressive set. Her breathy vocals were seductive, accented by her band's pounding, jackhammer rhythms. Sheryl Cormier and Cajun Sounds displayed their Chevas rhythms -- dancing to them was as smooth as that liquid gold.

Swamp-rocker guitarist Charles Adcock and band were joined by accordionist Steve Riley, unleashing an experimental set that would have made the purists gag. "Allons A Lafayette" featured Riley's rapid-fire accordion that segued into a slower, rumba beat. Riley fit Adcock's forte well by playing a little bluesy accordion. The sound was cranked and the sensible quickly fled. Midway through, a speaker caught on fire, due to the overly-juiced sound system. The band only heightened their attack, and the speaker was eventually disconnected, tossed to the ground smoldering; the PA system was cooked for the evening.

As it turned out, the rest of the weekend was more sedate. Long-standing veterans Filé have been getting their due as of late and put on a powerhouse of a show. With Cajun music's piano player rarity in boogiemeister Dave Egan, Filé played rollicking selections from Canray Fontenot, Harry Choates and Slim Harpo. The Egan-penned "One Foot in the Bayou" was a crowd pleaser, while "Zydeco Boogaloo" featured fiddler D'Jalma Garnier's blistering electric guitar playing.

Filé's stunning performance could only be rivalled by Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, who closed Saturday night's proceedings. The entire performance was electrifying, as each note, each solo, and every harmony part gave way to an overpowering feeling of charisma that has become a trademark of Riley's well-oiled band. As an added bonus, the venerable Randall Foreman, a veteran of Walter Mouton's Scott Playboys, joined the thoroughbreds with his flawless steel guitar.

An underlying theme of the BBCF was the "upcoming stars of Cajun music" where youngsters sat in with performing bands. About 32 youth participated, with the youngest of the crop being five-year-old Hunter Hayes. Playing a Cajun accordion that's half his weight; Hayes taught himself to play at three-and-a-half and knows over 50 songs. Cajun music's child prodigy demonstrated remarkable skill and flamboyant frontmanship as he played with the Little Cajun Band on Saturday and Wayne Toups on Sunday.

Allowing these budding young musicians to play with established acts drew mixed reactions from the music community. One musician felt that this noble intention could convey the wrong message. "We didn't start playing Cajun music because we just wanted to play on-stage," said the musician. "We did it because we enjoyed it." This musician added that kids would be motivated to learn their cultural music solely to play in front of large audiences and thus, wouldn't develop properly. Some musicians saw no problem with it. As Filé's Pete Stevens put it, "It's a beautiful thing." -- Dan Willging (Denver, CO)

This is from Dirty Linen #72
The Dirty Linen Pages are all copyright ©1997 by Dirty Linen, Ltd, Baltimore, MD