Search - Various Artists, John Bertrand :: Early American Cajun Music

Early American Cajun Music
Various Artists, John Bertrand
Early American Cajun Music
Genres: Blues, Folk, International Music, Pop
 
  •  Track Listings (24) - Disc #1

The music on this historical collection comes from Avoyelles Parish, on what is described as the northern fringe of "Cajun country" in Louisiana. The three musicians represented here are little known, even in their own reg...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists, John Bertrand
Title: Early American Cajun Music
Members Wishing: 1
Total Copies: 0
Label: Yazoo
Original Release Date: 1/19/1999
Release Date: 1/19/1999
Genres: Blues, Folk, International Music, Pop
Styles: Regional Blues, Cajun & Zydeco, Traditional Folk
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 016351204226, 669910131664

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The music on this historical collection comes from Avoyelles Parish, on what is described as the northern fringe of "Cajun country" in Louisiana. The three musicians represented here are little known, even in their own region, and made recordings that were not distributed widely outside of their native territory. These 24 songs represent the full range of Cajun music at the time and include folk ballads, some dance tunes, and plenty of back-porch-style folk songs. The set is interesting as a historical document of a small region, but the recording quality is pretty poor (which is probably a result of the originals as much as the records that these CDs were mastered from); the musicians are good, not great; and few of the performances are remarkable for either content or musicianship. Exceptions include a few of accordionist John Bertrand's pieces, which have a rough, idiosyncratic style that will certainly appeal to Cajun squeezebox enthusiasts. This one is strictly for ardent collectors of old Cajun music. --Louis Gibson
 

CD Reviews

Worth a listen
04/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't let Amazon's editorial review above by Louis Gibson dissuade you, this is a good, very listenable compilation. It's contemplative and gentle but has a lot of the earmarks one would associate with the genre. My favorite so far has been "Sur Le Borde De L'Eau (On The Water's Edge)" sung by Blind Uncle Gaspard, one of those remote ballads of singing sailors, young girls on the water's edge, a lost ring and tragic death, all of which seems to spring straight from the psyche. Beautiful piece. There are a lot of stand-outs though and in particular "La Danseuse" is one of the select tracks to make it onto Harry Smith's Anthology.Yep, I liked it."
Blind Uncle Gaspard Is Wonderfull
Zachary Cregger | Brooklyn, NY United States | 03/15/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have not heard this compilation but I have heard the Blind Uncle Gaspard songs on it. They are amazing. Completely unique and beautiful. I disagree with the Amazon review."