Been a while since I've been here on the list. Hope all is well with folks.
I just got back from Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, WA. http://centrum.org/festival-of-american-fiddle-tunes-the-workshop
In spite of the name, it is more than just fiddle. The whole Savoy family was there as well as Jesse Lege. There were multiple accordion workshops each day including one where Marc showed us how to tune an accordion with the most basic of tools.
Though I found the other-than-cajun music community to be not particularly welcoming we had some great jams and classes.
If you get the chance to sit with Sarah Savoy, do so! Though she hasn't been playing accordion for all that long, she is quite good and has a rough and ready style that is very approachable. An excellent teacher and funny lady. Her impressions of her dad were a hoot.
Wilson Savoy is also a great teacher and his energy and love of the music is really infectious. So much talk of 2nds and 7ths and all. May as well have been lower Elbonian for all the music theory I know. Still, I learned many great licks that you just can't figure out by just listening to a recording.
Jesse Lege is the guy to go to if you need help figuring out a "thing". He really has enormous patience and will go over and over a piece of a song to help you sort out that thing at which you are working.
Joel Savoy is taking over as the Fiddle Tunes artistic director so hopefully that will influence a resurgence of cajun music at Fiddle Tunes.
Good to hear from you John. I’d had been wondering where you disappeared to and hoped that you were well and just busy with other things. I’ve liked your enthusiasm for cajun accordion and am glad to see that it hasn’t diminished.
Thanks for the comment. The enthusiasm hasn't dimmed a bit. I practice at least a little every single day. I wish mightily for folk with whom to play, but I love the music enough that it's enough for me just to play.
Having been to both Fiddle Tunes and to Balfa, I'd say that Balfa is the place to go if you want Cajun. Fiddle Tunes is great, but it does a lot of stuff of which Cajun music is just one and has apparently been marginalized over the years. Joel Savoy being the new artistic director may breathe some Cajun life back into Fiddle Tunes though - we'll see.
Hey John! My friend Ian sent me a link to your post. Thank you! I had a great time hanging out with you, too, and the rest of y'all. I hope I get to do it again soon. In the meantime I'll be working on more tricks for How to Fake Cajun Accordion 201 ;) Currently playing some really cool "waterfall" licks of my dad's that remind me of classical piano, as well as some of that crazy Eddie LeJeune style ring-finger pumping. Take care and keep it up! Loved your singing, too.
I don't suppose you could direct us to a link that demo's "Waterfall Licks"?
I'd love to hear what that is (along with the rest of the discussion group
here, I'm sure :-) )
By the way, my "brand new girlfriend" will be heading to Paris soon.
You'll have to let us know your performance itinerary there!
The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week
