I've read in an earlier post here where Mark Savoy was quoted as saying at an accordion workshop that a good accordion player for a beginner to try to emulate is Aldus Roger (paraphrase). That seems nonsensical to me since most if not all of his two-steps are over 200 bpm. I imagine he said so because Aldus' style wasn't highly ornamented, but that comment got me thinking about so many things; ornamentation, the dance-hall style, the playing-style of my favorite older accordionists. The musicians listed in the above subject line (I forgot Joe Bonsall, Nathan Abshire, Alphee Bergeron and Amede Breaux) were straight-ahead, no frills accordionists and played nowhere near the amount of notes per measure that Mark does. Actually, among more modern players who are admired, Walter Mouton comes to mind as being someone else whose style is lacking in a great deal of ornamentation. Is this a quality of the "dance-hall" style, I wonder? I know what people are referring to when they discuss this style, but has it ever been formally defined? And then there's the whole question of ornamentation. Is it necessary? Can there be too much of it? Nathan's style, to me, is completely lacking in ornamentation and I've always been a huge fan, but then I could listen to all the above guys for hours on end. What do others think?

I know what you mean. I've seen a lot of what is considered awesome players because of their fancy fingers, but are not necessarily what I want to hear. Feeling, rhythm, and for some- (Amede Breaux, Octa Clark)soul. The ones you've described fit that category. I've never cared much for Aldus' recordings because of their lack of these things, they sound like a computer set on fast and perfect(just my opinion). I appreciate them, and others, for their skill, but I'd much prefer Octa or Iry.

One thing I've seen some do, including Marc, that I like, is play one run with some really fancy stuff, then play the next holding notes. Holding notes mid run is hard as hell for me to do, but it sounds cool. Cory McCauley is a master at this.

I think one reason you don't see as much of this anymore is I think it is easier to learn to press buttons than to exude soul and emotion. In speaking of the players you mentioned, I think their playing is not ornamentation free, it is a different ornamentation, and much harder to do.

One of my favorite examples of what I think you're talking about is the Crowley Two step, comparing Aldus Roger, whose recording is incredible and diverse playing, with Amede Breaux's recording (on the Cajun Fais Do Do cd), which is a more simple sound style, but my gosh what soul.

Steve Riley and I were talking one day when I had a lesson with him and he said "Less is more". And I agree with that. I put more time in learning the lyrics from these artist of yesterday than I do in mastering the accordion. Don't get me wrong I like making progress with my accordion but, I want to be able to do more with the music than play.
Le Piquant

I have always liked the imperfect, raw sound over the perfect studio sound. I still say the best cajun music is played around a camp fire or on a front porch at home with different friends and musicians drinking a few beers and jamming. One of my favorite recorded songs of all time is Iry LeJeune's Durald Waltz made at home with barking dog in the background. Although I like the fancy playing of Steve Riley and Kevin Naquin, I rather hear Cory, Nathan, or Iry. Just my opinion of course.

I love older music precisely because it can be so imperfect and raw. Imprecise tuning, measures and beats added and dropped, choruses and bridges variously shortened and lengthened, singers coming in early...or late. On the other hand I can really appreciate musicians who have a good sense of time as well. Aldus' music does sound almost automated, but I think I at least get that impression because his timing is so good. I always thought Octa's two-steps sounded automated, and I mean that in an admiring way. I've never heard anything so smooth, just perfect, perfect timing, really *even* playing.

The first that comes to mind is joe bonsall and the orange playboys. That is enough said. Thank you.

Yup, you don't hear him mentioned much, but he's one of my favorites also.

And let us not forget Clifford Newman drummer for the Orange Playboys who passed away this year, also drummer for Ed Gary performing in Hermann Mo.

Joe Bonsall- Grand Prairie Waltz. The best version I've heard.

two thumbs up on joe bonsall and grand prairie waltz! a few years ago i had the pleasure of playing with cliff newman...i asked him to sing grand prairie.....talk about frisson!

roger

"Is this a quality of the "dance-hall" style, I wonder?"

Not necessarily. Look at Iry LeJeune. His playing had more ornamentation than some of the players you listed. On his records you hardly ever hear any other instrument take the lead, so he had to play a lot of notes to make it interesting. Eddie LeJeune pretty much had to do the same thing, in a later era.

"I know what people are referring to when they discuss this style, but has it ever been formally defined?"

No. It's a made up word. In Ryan Brasseux's book Cajun Breakdown, he discusses how in the earliest days of recording, the accordion and fiddle played together throughout the song and did not stop except for vocals. Even then there was a wide disparity among accordion players. Think of relatively straight ahead sounds like Joe Falcon and Dewey Segura compared with Mayeuse Lafleur, Delin Guillory, Amede Ardoin, etc. When the Cajun swing era came in the 1930s, it imitated jazz in that you had multiple instruments taking the lead in a certain pre-arranged order, so that you could put down your instrument while another player took the lead. Then when Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker, Jolly Boys of Lafayette, and others in the late 30s combined the accordion with Cajun swing bands, the dynamics sort of changed. It wasn't necessary for the accordion to have a lot of ornamentation. The accordion wasn't so much the engine driving the sound (that was the new rhythm section's job) as it was the "ornamental chrome" that put the "Cajun" stamp on the sound. It gave Cajun music a sound unlike the country music/string band sound common around the whole South.

Brasseaux uses the term Cajun Swing for the string band sounds of Leo Soileau, Hackberry Ramblers, Riverside Ramblers, Joe Werner's bands, Happy Fats' bands, Harry Choates, Chuck Guillory, etc. Then he calls the years after World War II Cajun Honky Tonk, when Iry LeJeune, Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker, Austin Pitre, Alphee Bergeron, Maurice Barzas, Lionel Cormier, Aldus Roger, and others had popular bands. Makes sense to me. Moreso than the term dancehall. And these players varied considerably in their complexity and speed. Nathan would play the same way no matter if he was in an actual dancehall like the Pinegrove Club in Evangeline or the Avalon Club in Basile or smaller venues like the Bearcat Lounge. Maurice Barzas played a long time in a lounge, not a dancehall per se. The venue is not what determined the style they were going for. Since these musicians were contemporary with the Honky Tonk era of Country music (Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Hank Williams, etc.), I think Cajun Honky Tonk is a good name. I don't know whether anybody will object.

"And then there's the whole question of ornamentation. Is it necessary? Can there be too much of it?"

So I would say that the ornamentation is great in the right hands. Not necessary in the hands of a simpler but more rhythmic player. And yes, there can be too much ornamentation, in my opinion. Marc Savoy is probably not the most typical accordion player. I love his style but I have heard others say that he (and Iry LeJeune!) plays too many notes. Too much tappage! It's a matter of taste.

Those were my too sense.

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Oh, Elias Badeaux of the Louisiana Aces sounded pretty simple but he had a whole lot of soul. Man, that accordion is crying! Same with Pee Wee Broussard!

Well said Neal. Information like this makes the discussion group worthwhile.

We used to use encyclopedias, now there is the internet, but we have Neal.

Whoa!! Excellent views! Thanks, Neal

Charlie B.