Dewey Balfa

Well for this week I wanted to do a artist spotlight, and this week ive chosen the great fiddle player Dewey Balfa!

An impassioned ambassador for Cajun music and culture, fiddler and singer Dewey Balfa (1927-1992) was a driving force in the revival of traditional Cajun music. Together with his brothers Will, Rodney, Harry, and Burkeman, and later his nephew Tony and daughter Christine, Balfa introduced the vibrant sound of Cajun music to countless people around the world and used his role as a musical ambassador to reawaken a deep and abiding sense of pride in Cajun music amongst his fellow Cajuns.

Dewey was one of nine children born into a musical family in Grand Louis, Louisiana, a small farm town in rural Louisiana not far from the slightly larger town of Mamou, 125 miles northwest of the great port city of New Orleans. In terms of culture, Louisiana is one of America's wealthiest states, and the Balfa family had inherited the rich legacy of songs, tunes, tales, and traditions of Louisiana's French-speaking Cajun community.

You can read more Here at Smithsonian Folkways.


Dewey Balfa was not only one of the greatest cajun fiddlers of all time but a he had a wonderful singing voice. So please enjoy this video of his music and life story.

Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters

Well looks like its time for another post, and this week i've chosen to do a CD that I myself not only own but really enjoy. I recently picked up this CD after watching this band perform on TV. So I hope everyone else out there might give this band a shot and enjoy their wonderful music.

At the confluence of bayous Teche and Fuselier stands Nunu’s, the highly unusual cultural center where visual arts, an indigenous cuisine café, poetry readings, music classes and performance all converge under one roof. Many a dance has been played in the grand salon that doubles as an art gallery of sorts. But surprisingly, after many moons of incredible ambience, Nunu’s had never witnessed the birth of a live recording. Until now. From the opening bell to the final round, the old-time, Creole-centric Joe Hall and the Louisiana Cane Cutters with guest fiddler Mitch Reed blast through a set of amped-up Creole chestnuts, Cajun staples and a few zydeco and blues tunes. With the big guy leading the charge and the rhythm section slamming it down, energy is released here in epic proportions. “Mardi Gras Jig” is particularly interesting, a onechord vamp that steadily builds up suspense and intensity, but never quite hurdles over the top. In the middle of “Nunu’s Breakdown,” the rest of the Cutters drop out, allowing Hall, Reed and second fiddler Blake Miller to play a wild interlude before everyone comes roaring back for the disc’s last hurrah. Yet, it’s not all the Hall renewable energy show. Occasionally he reveals the beautiful expression (“La Valse Criminelle,” “Jolie Blonde”) that the delicate little box can have, even when played by super-sized hands.
 From: www.offbeat.com


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First Month + 400 views!

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