http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/farceneaux.htm

I was reviewing some Fernest Arceneaux material and found these details on David Simpsons web site shown above.

Does anyone know what accordion he's playing?( can't decipher the name in the photos ).

Are they still available...?..or similar type.

I also ask because a friend of mine and fellow band member has asked me to keep an eye out for something in a 3 row when I'm in Louisiana in April. He's a PA and single row player.
Guess Dino Baffetti's and the other 'top end' accordions come to mind but I haven't any current information on availability or price.
He wants it for Zydeco genre so it must have the grunt of the bassoon reeds....eg. Roy Carrier.

Last thing..anyone know where Mr Arceneaux resides these days..and if he is well?

Darryl, Australia.

I met Fernest a couple of times in Lafayette when he played accordion for Warren Ceasar & The Creole Zydeco Snap. This was back in '93 before Warren hired-on Dwight Carrier as his accordionist.

I've not seen or heard much about Fernest since then. A quick perusal of the web found a photo of him playing at The Sixth Annual Blues Masters at the Crossroads Festival which was held in Salina, Kansas, on October 17 and 18, 2003.

I know that Fernest is quite an unsung hero in the old-school zydeco genre. He hit the scene back in the 70's at the same time Buckwheat did, and the two of them had a bit of a rivalry going on that wasn't unlike Beau and Keith. But Fernest suffered from asthma and never had the vocal prowess that Buck does, so he never made the impact that he could have.

He also released a CD in 2000, "Old School Zydeco" released on the Mardi Gras label. This is the most recent release that I know of from Fernest. Since I haven't heard this disc, I couldn't tell you if it was recorded in '00 or if it was just some re-issued tracks compiled by Mardi Gras -- something they are famous for doing. But the tracks listed on this disc are fairly standard old-school nuggets.

As far as Fernest's accordion goes, it's a mighty fine old, blue 3-row. Don't know much about it other than I saw him use that same box with Warren (R.I.P.) 5-11-2000.

Warren and I were very close friends... I miss him dearly.

R!CK

"Old School Zydeco" is new! Or, uh, well, it was in 2000. It is not a repackaging of older recordings.

I have it, as well as everything else Fernest ever recorded on vinyl or CD. He was a big influence on me early in my triple row career. I still cover a few of his tunes to this day - Midnight Train, It's Alright, Done Got Over come to mind.

-David

Fernest was on the program at the Blues at the Crossroads program in Salina Ks. again this past October. We had plans to attend, but some family comitments interfered. I caught him playing at an old school zydeco workshop along with Jeffrey Broussard at the Festival International in Lafayette last time I was there (I think 2005). Great soulfull player.

I'm pretty sure Fernest is playing a Santa Marsala 5 switchers, and if I'm correct theses were the first or precursors to the modern Gabannellis,

I have seen them coming up on ebay here and there.

I think they've a "Speckled" finish, like you see on some cars.

I'm sure " Speckled" is not the appropriate term:).

Glenn Alessi has tons of information on that particular make.

C.

Raynald Ouelette of Quebec and Melodie Accordeon plays an older Santa Marsala

Are you sure it isn't a Tikka Masala?
-Andy

There are some accordions made under that name today that are of very low quality. I'm not sure whether the trademark is no longer owned by an Italian company, or what, but: BUYER BEWARE.
Just felt that I needed to put the warning in there before someone rushed out an ordered one. However, like Claude, I have also seen some vintage ones on eBay (as well as some junk with the same name).
-Andy

Paneer or murgh?

Hurrrrumph.... now I'm hungry!

R!CK

I know this tune...heard it somewhere and like it alot.
Did John Delaphose cover it? I would like to learn this one..
kjones

Hi Kirk,

Yep, John Delafose did it - a nice uptempo version. Fernest's version was more soulful, slower and a bit on the jazzy side. He had a singer on that album who could really belt it out (he later died in a bar room gunfight).

I have a really old LP of Buckwheat playing it too - it must have been one of first recordings in the late 70's. Off the top of my head, I want to say I have versions by Clifton Chenier and Boozoo - but I'd need to check that to be certain.

Hey, that's pretty much a Who's Who of old skool zydeco, isn't it? Must have been one of the standards of the day.

-David

Well..I thought I was the only person on the Planet who liked Fernest's work.....thanks for responding guys.
I have his Zydeco Blues Party CD...actually the first Zydeco CD I ever bought...bought it in New Orleans from Lousiana Music Factory.Some great songs on there...Bernadette, My Negress ( Pine Grove Blues ),Eh Mama, Last Night...lots of Blues influence and some great guitar licks from Paul " Lil Buck " Senegal.....John Hart on Sax ( although I'm not all that keen on sax in Zydeco ), Rockin' Dopsie Jr on Rubboard.

I'm actually working up The Fish Song ....getting our Piano accordion guy in the band to take the accordion part while I do the vocals.

Just need to know what the lyrics are about.....any translations would be accepted.


Darryl.

I like the fish song too. The lyrics are tough to make out. Do you have a transcription of them? If so, I could make a stab at a translation.

-David

David,

Re : The Fish Song....like most Creole/ Cajun songs I tend to play the sound file or CD track...absorb the melody line and try to decipher the French lyrics in phonetic form..( with Boozoo it's almost impossible ! LOL )...well usually a mix of phonetic and French as I find much Creole Cajun French a LONG way from say, Parisian French.

So..in Phonetic form

Verse 1

Allon, ah pah ah sah, pooh sah share,
No vah, no vah fah yeah, pah taat,
Allon, ah pah ah Lafayette share,
Oh, ah rah mah setee moh.

Verse 2 is similar but line 3 is :
Allon, ah pah ah lah, show share

Chorus
Don Sec Koo Tay
Don Sec Koo tay
See mah kah,
Kah may fay lah hon,
Tee mah soo me mon,
Ah bah lah tee pah son,
Fe sah son tee mah,
Fe sah son tee too.

Hope you can work around my twisted phonetics.

Thanks, Darryl.

http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/carceneaux.htm

Be sure to check out COREY ARCENEAUX (above) Fernest's nephew ... young guy with a lot of drive... he played Plaisance a couple a years ago and was really hot.

Fernest & the Thunders churned out some awesome 45s back in the day... a great zydeco boogaloo, and was it fernest that did a zydeco version of Horace Silver's "Song for my father?"