OK, you Zydeholics, all this cool stuff on the Roland FR 18 got me thinking, and I need your help:
Who's your favorite 10 button Zydeco player?
Favorite CD?
Favorite tune?
I know there's tons of cool stuff on the piano and 3 row, and I've got some roots creole/early Zydeco, but I also bet there's a bunch more on the 10 button I don't know about.
When it comes to Zydeco, I am an old school kinda guy. The simpler, the better. It's all about the groove and not about showboating. I like Keith Frank and Beau Jocques stuff. Not so much Boozoo because so much of it was chopped up. I give him his props, though.
With that said, there are some local guys who aren't on the big scene too much that do some impressive stuff. I like L'il Nate (Nathan Williams' son) and J. Paul. As for technique, there is no one who can even touch Chris Ardoin.
Hmmm. There are so many I like, it's hard to nail it down to a single favorite.
As for players, originally, my favorite was Boozoo. He's the guy that got me interested in playing the single row. His importance cannot be over stated.
Then for a long time, it was Keith Frank. I am still a huge fan today.
But lately, I keep coming back to Chris Ardoin's recent recordings. Definitely my current fav. No matter how much I listen and try to cop his licks, I keep finding new subtleties and variations.
Boozoo, Geno & John Delafose, Preston & Keith Frank, Jeffrey Broussard...
Boozoo - the alpha & the omega / get everything except the Atomic something or another sessions. Down Home on Dog Hill is fantastic. "Johnnie Billiegoat" is kind of a best of disc. Live at Hibibi temple is a great one too.
John Delafose - simple but very cool / good to learn zydeco by
Geno Delafose - great player & band, true to the Zydeco tradition, and he mixes in some cajun tunes too
Preston Frank - rock solid playing, also does some "cajuny" tunes-if that's where you're coming at it from
Keith Frank - early stuff very simple, but also rock solid / Live at Slims is a great disc
Jeffrey Broussard - early stuff with Zydeco Force is classic. More recent stuff under his own name is great too.
yes zydeco joe had some single row
jack rabbit, is one
they are all on that first cd, the red one
about half of them are single row
a lot of it is pretty bluesy, he liked the flat 7th a lot in his vocal lines
there are only 2 cds he left
the first one is way better than the 2nd
may be hard to find
was out of print for a long time
if you saw him live he;d also play some cajun stuff, especially the waltzes
there is also that movie with him talking in french