Recorded during the 1920s. Includes liner notes by Ron Brown.
Personnel: Leo Soileau (fiddle); Mayeus Lafleur (accordion).
Audio Remasterer: Richard Nevins.
Liner Note Author: Ron Brown .
Featuring three Louisiana performers, Alcide "Blind Uncle" Gaspard, John Bertrand, and Delma Lachney, this Yazoo Records release digs deep into the Avoyelles County swamps and presents 24 shining examples of traditional Cajun folksongs. While excellent examples of field recordings, Early American Cajun Music is not for the faint of heart. These down-home, straight from the bayou songs are a far cry from the accordion driven party music now associated with zydeco, rather they creak and croak through the old bones of three French speaking vocalists and their brittle stringed instruments. The honesty and tradition imbued within each of the tracks is as deep as the Delta and the melodies wind around themselves hypnotically, even though their lazy vocal whine could rub some listeners the wrong way. ~ Zac Johnson
Professional Reviews
Dirty Linen (10-11/99, p.64) - "...An unusual, and frequently beautiful and riveting, sample of Cajun music from 70 years ago."
