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Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

Several weeks ago, I posted some messages about traditional cajun music and would like to let you know that there are now two new Cajun CDs available. One is by Dennis McGee and Sady Courville and the other is by Dewey Balfa and some of his friends. I have to mention that I was involved with the one by Dennis Mcgee and Sady Courville.

Several years ago, I learned that there was an LP by Dennis McGee and Sady Courville that was issued on the Morning Star Label in 1972. Much to my surprise at the time, nobody seemed to know anything about it. I spent more than a year looking for it and finally found a copy of it in 2002. Soon after that, I learned from Neal Pomea that it had been recorded at Joe Bussard's house in Frederick, Maryland, and that Joe had taped the recording session. With Neal's help, I got a copy of the tapes and learned that they had recorded 16 additional songs that did not make it to the LP.

After listening to the tapes, I got kind of obsessed with trying to find someone willing to take all of the songs and put them on a CD for public release. After a year of frustration with finding anyone interested, I decide to write an article in 2003 about my in experiences (Link #1). It originally appeared in Gary Haymon's On-Line Cajun and Zydeco magazine. Soon afterwards, Andrea Rubinstein asked for permission to put it on her website. She has been kind enough to leave it there since then.

I think that one of the reasons that I wrote the article was that I hoped someone might become interested in making such a recording. Sure enough, I did talk with a number of people but nothing ever came of those conversations.

Then last year, I met Ray Alden. Ray had started a project to release a lot of field recordings that he and others had made of Old-Time musicians. One of his concerns was that a lot of great music made by a lot of great musicians was in danger of being lost.

When I told Ray about the Dennis McGee/Sady Courville recordings that I had, he was immediately interested. His interest has now culminated in the release of a CD by Dennis and Sady taken from the LP and the tapes that Joe made. To this day, I have talked with very few people who have copies of the LP.

If anyone is interested in getting a copy of the Dennis McGee/Sady Courville and the Dewey Balfa CDs (That one, too, has a very interesting story), you can order copies from Ray Alden's website (Link #2).

Also, look at more of the information on Ray's website for the Field Recorders' Collective. He is truly more interested in making the recordings available to the public than he is in getting any financial gain. He has come up with an innovative way of making the music available without a prohibitive cost. And he is one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Thank you.

Jack Bond

Re: Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

Thanks for the heads-up on these Jack.

I'll be ordering mine when I get home tonight.

AR

Re: Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

Now Thats exciting. Glad you perservered. We are indebted.

Re: Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

"Under the Green Oak Tree" featuring Dewey Balfa, Marc Savoy and D. L. Menard is still available from Arhoolie ( CD 312 ). Recorded in 1976, it is definitely traditional. The CD also has all the words in Cajun french with english translation. It is one of my favorites.

Re: Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

I, for one, can attest to the work Jack did to make these recordings available. What persistence! Thanks and well done!

For the Dewey Balfa cd, it's actually the Balfa Brothers on more than half of the songs (Dewey and Rodney) with Dick Richard on fiddle and Allie Young. Tracy Schwarz joins for at least one tune. That's recorded in 1977. The other portion is from 1982, after Will and Rodney died. Dewey is joined by Tony Balfa, Robert Jardell, and a steel guitarist named Winnie Winston.

Re: Some Traditional Cajun CDs Available

i ordered the mcgee/courville cd with the unreleased 16 songs on it and got it today 7/27. good stuff. dennis mcgee singing brings chills down your spine



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