Welcome to old and new friends who are interested in discussing Cajun and other diatonic accordions, along with some occasional lagniappe....



CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

General Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

Aldus Roger playing essentially da same song as Nathan Abshire's "French Two Step" aka Hicks Wagon Wheel.

But Aldus is playing it at 114 down beats per minute! An he pulls it off!

Go ahead an double check me because I'm only using a stop watch, my ears,and my feet to count the beats. (the natural way except for the watch) I could be wrong.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

One more time, that other link was dead for some reason.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

Mais Mon! J'connais pas qois se passe' avec le "link". Well, jus type in aldus roger hicks wagon wheel in da youtube if you even care. Interesting on these playing speeds deaux, dont you tink?

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

But den here is vielle Aldus playing at 108dbpm on a song that you would tink he could have played at his fast 114dbpm.

so...so far we have two step speeds of 105???, 108, 114, and dat elusive but yet do-able 96dbpm that only a few can actually do or even realize exist. I tink we have to go back to the drawing board on dis one.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

Mais ca c'est un ***** pu tan! Got dam link! Well it was Aldus playing "Bosco Stomp". Its hard to be credible when the dam links you post dont work worth a f#$%. Da Devil is against me! Or against this accordion website.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

114 BPM... Now there's a challenge. I know Aldus played some fast numbers... but that fast?? I've seen the Aldus vids, and they sounded nice and fast, like I love them. 114 beats per minute might sound like the chipmunks, do Louisiana. I can eventually try and record a video playing along with Ye Olde Casio keyboard, with the "country beat" (all intents and purposes, a two-step beat). 114 beats a minute is hardcore fast.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

Yeah, 114 is fast, but da way he play it, it fits. I guess what all can be learned is Cajun musicians (the whole band) usually follow and followed in da pass, da lead instrument which in most cases is an accordion. I guess if da accordion player is spry or learned to play it fast, or feels like amping it up a notch for certain songs, he can choose to do jus dat for which ever two stap it fits with,....But, like Steve Riley said, you have to be careful not to start out too fast. One player who tends to go at it fast is Joel Sonnier, but he can sure play it slow and good when he wants. Marc Savoy too is known for amping it up, although its through da use of ungodly finger board manipulation combined with melt face speed sometimes. The gumbo can get too salty though if you keep adding salt too soon and through the whole cooking process, and even at the end. Know what I mean don't ya Marc?

Sometimes ya jus gotta play it slow and swanky with an attitude. But not too slow so's da people fall asleep or want to leave an go home. Dey can get boring for free at home as well as all kind of "fast"/overwhelming drama off the news tv at da house.

Try 96 bpm as can be heard on Iry Lejeune's "Jolie Catin" aka "Eunice two Step. Try it if you've ever a mind too. Your repetoir will change an grow if you learn how to do it. It'll make you like da rare few old masters before the dancehalls era. Good tool to break out at a jam session to show you actually know a lil someting different dan daat same ole honky tonk rhythm dat seems to dominate deze days.

I don't understand all I know. Ha

I say, we go back to letting the fiddler lead off for a few songs me. And last but not least in the words of Octa Clark..."You cant go wrong, if you play it right". Genius, pure genius.

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

Sorry to butt in guys but this topic really interests me. I too have been in ore of the Aldus Roger Bosco Stomp footage and funilly enough have only just bought an Iry Lejeune collection, I've also started messing around with drum machines! That Eunice 2 step is something I've kept returning to but not nailed- the Geno version got me started. In the sleeve notes by Ann Savoy she states of Jolie Catin; "A classic in both black and white scenes in Louisiana, originally recorded by amede Ardoin. It is melodically and poetically one of the finest examples of traditional cajun music" then goes on to include the lyrics.
All this speed thing makes me think of a little pill called French Blues, which ties into Northern Soul and the allnighters over here in England, like you with the Honky Tonk, soul funk and hippy stuff wasn't fast enough on the beat for those dancers. Working folks want something good, fast and solid for the good times at the weekend.
Another one which you can find on youtube which for me ties in with this strain of playing is Hathaway two step by Mamou Hour Cajun band, have been trying to nail that one for a long time, some of it sounds almost Irish to me.

Time to get up to speed, ha!

Re: Calling on Greezy 39, with mostly agreements.

I say you welcome anytime! Dat "Jolie Catin" is da unobtainium of cajun music. You get dat one down in the speed Iry and Wayne Toup plays it, and you join da ranks of da special ones.

To help you learn it, Wayne Toups cd "Reflections of the Past" has a three song acoustic session at da very end. He plays Jolie Catin on a "D" accordion, and you can match up to it if you try hard enough. The sound is way more clear than Iry's old classic recordings. Doze 3 acoustic songs are da whole reason I bought da cd when it came out. Enspiring to say the least!



Jamey Hall's most excellent Cajun Accordion Music Theory

Brett's all new Cajun Accordion Music Theory for all keys!

LFR1.gif - 1092 Bytes The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week

augusta.gif - 6841 Bytes

Listen to Some GREAT Music While You Surf the Net!!
The BEST Radio Station on the Planet!