Hi. Since i tried to analyse & notate some of the more interesting Cajunestic melodies for a fiddler-who-reads-music (they exist!) i'm teaming up with, i came a cross quite a few nice tunes.
- F.i Ron sent me OST Special as Mp3 from Aldus Roger, found it really great but also logically pretty weird. Asking Peer about this, he's good at noting down the stuff that's really played, he mentioned that there's more versions around.
- Now the can-of-worms question. Who can help me with a "proper" version to work from. Midi files and sheet music besides mp3 could come in handy too. - Regs, Nout

nout,

The Mamou Playboys recorded OST twice, an early
and later version.

Would you know if the later version would
be considered "authentic"?

--Big

The first time they put it on the second CD with the title Cajun Special.
The second time they recorded OST, on the CD Bon Reve.
In the booklet they wrote, "we wanted another chance to do it another way, the right way".

That's pretty funny... "OST" must've meant "On Second Thought" to Steve.


R!CK

I like Jason Frey's rendition of it, on his CD Lagniappe.

It has an unusual order of phrases, especially in the turn. What you would normally hear as the fourth phrase is actually the third, and that adds an element of surprise...

Sorry, it is just my way of interpretating it. I have to understand it in my head before I play it (it's been on the to-learn list for a while, but no ready yet).

Nicole

Hi. I like Adus' rendition of it a lot, but indeed Riley's version two makes more logical sense to a poor Vulcan like me ..... But what do the lyrics have to do with the Ole Spanish Trail? Again all about the (naughty?) feller who likes them little but oh so mean girls. For Marc: do you have any more historical info on this piece of music? - Nout

OST (Old Spanish Trail) was the name of a dancehall on Highway 90 in Rayne where Aldus Roger had a regular gig. Highway 90 is a more modern name for the original Old Spanish Trail to Mexixo.

It was common to name a song after your dancehall so that it served as advertisement on your 45 record for jukebox and radio play.

Sorry for jumping in!

Neal always knows the backgound stuff - great to have on this list! I had
heard that from Paul Daigle, who lives near (or in) Rayne, but it's quite
a strange name for a dance club I think.

No easy tune to play. Starts in C, with the turn in G, but then the turn
ends in a huge C chord, Sounds great, If you're a guitar or bass player,
you can impress the pants off of folks in a jam if you have remembered
that weird chord change.

Good luck with the tune,

Gene

Hi Nout

Sorry, I don’t know better than Neal.
In my collection, I have 9 versions of this song : Aldus Roger, Steve Riley (1 and 2), Jason Frey, Lafayette Rythm Devil, Basin Brothers, Kevin Naquin, Wayne Toups and also Tasso.
Tasso's version (3 excellent musicians : Philip Allemond on accordion, Mitch Reed on fiddle and Randy Vidrine on guitar) is really surprising. This song (1993) is played in the (very) old cajun cajun, previous to Aldus Roger's original version !!! I can make a copy if you want.

Nout, one more time, thank you for beers at Saulieu.

Marc.

Are you trying to notate the accordion or fiddle part from the Aldus recording?

I know that logically it seems better to write out what you hear the fiddle doing however that would only give you the A part of the song, and the fiddlers playing on the track tend to do more by way of harmonizing than playing a straight melody.

John

- Hi Y'all, well, usually the B parts in a lot of Cajun accordion tunes are pretty similar, probably otherwise they'll get too boring? But OST is one of those gifted with an interesting B. I feel that the C at the end is only since every body's used to it, a G sounds more to the point, melodically. One day i'd want a Cajun accordion with more chords; they exist here in Holland.



- Besides, Marc, you're welcome, maybe next year we can drink some more ...

John, i have the aldus version: NO fiddle, and steve rileys, only a part on fiddle.

Nout