Watch cajun accordion great Nathan Abshire sing "Pine Grove Blues" and more

Here's some rare footage of cajun accordion legend Nathan Abshire in action during the late 70s.

Cajun accordion legend Iry LeJeune gets overdue rarities retrospective

The double album set "Viens Me Chercher" uncovers some unheard Iry LeJeune studio recordings and rare radio broadcasts.    

This just in from Yep Roc Records...

Widely regarded as one of the greatest Cajun musicians ever to wield a button accordion, the legacy of Ira “ Iry” LeJeune comes alive on "Viens Me Chercher," a meticulously curated release from the Southern Folklife Collection  in partnership with Yep Roc is out today! Available on opaque sky blue & red double vinyl LP and 2CD, the set features previously unheard master tapes, unreleased alternate takes and rare radio performances. Get a copy: https://ffm.to/viensmechercher. Check out a few of Iry LeJeune's classic 50s recordings for Goldband and FolkStar below. 

Remembering Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin on his birthday

Raising a glass to Louisiana accordion ace Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin on his birthday with a couple of vintage performance clips worth checking. 

Les Blank's cajun/zydeco doc I Went To The Dance @ Hot Docs Cinema, Friday to Sunday

Les Blank's classic cajun/zydeco music documentary I Went To The Dance screens on Friday at 1 pm and Saturday at 6pm. 

Here's the scoop...

Fully restored in 5K and re-released for its 35th anniversary, Les Blank's lesser-seen feature on the music and culture of Southern Louisiana is just as gleeful and fascinating as his other films. I Went to the Dance (J'ai été au bal) is the seminal film on the history of the foot-stomping, toe-tapping music of French Southwest Louisiana and features many Cajun and Zydeco greats, Michael Doucet, BeauSoleil, Clifton Chenier, Canray Fontenot, Marc and Ann Savoy, D.L. Menard, Boozoo Chavis and many more.

I Went to the Dance (J'ai été au bal) celebrates the music of Southwest Louisiana. Blank, Strachwitz and Gosling's film brims with tender affection for its subjects, the vitality of their marvelous music, and a generosity of spirit. Screens Friday (Jan 5) at 1 pm, Saturday (Jan 6) at 6 pm and Sunday (Jan 7) at 11 am. 

In English and French with English subtitles.

Tickets: $15 (Members from $10). Get 'em right here. Watch the trailer below. 

 

Happy Birthday Amédé Ardoin!

Remembering Louisiana cajun/zydeco legend Amédé Ardoin with a short documentary and a few of his classic recordings. 

Michot's Melody Makers are joined by frogs and crickets on Tiny Island

Michot's Melody Makers conjured a sweet version of Canray Fontenot's "Les Plats Sont Tous Mis Sur La Table" on Tiny Island. 

Here's the scoop...

TINY ISLAND was recorded and filmed by firelight on the night of March 6 on – yes, a tiny island -- in a small pond on Michot's home in Prairie Des Femmes, Louisiana. Played entirely live, the performance was put together for a tour stop on Ned Sublette and Ariana Hall's NOLA Reconnect, a virtual visit to Louisiana with attendees from all over America and Europe. Featuring a deep sonic collaboration with the tiny island’s frog and insect population, the set captures a more intimate and acoustic performance than the higher-decibel, psychedelic shows the Melody Makers are known for.

Their joint repertoire of Cajun and Haitian, Créole and Kréyol songs -- both original and traditional -- coalesced in 2016 when Leyla joined String Noise for a special set at Louis's residency at The Stone in NYC in 2016 (released in 2020 on Nouveau Electric as Le String Noise under the L.E.S. Douze collection). Leyla first joined Michot's Melody Makers at New Orleans’s Music Box Village for a socially distanced show in November of 2020, and the outfit continued working together on outdoor shows at the Broadside Theater throughout the months of canceled touring.

Tiny Island is now available as a digital audio EP on on Louis Michot’s own Nouveau Electric Records. The package was executive-produced by Ned Sublette, produced by Louis Michot, recorded by Kirkland Middleton, and mixed by Mark Bingham. 

Get a copy Michot's Melody Makers' new Tiny Island album directly from Nouveau Electric Records right here. Listen to "Les Plats Sont Tous Mis Sur La Table, " "Blues de Neg Francis" and "Two-Step de Ste. Marie" below.

 

One For The Weekend: Lawrence Ardoin

Here's "Joe Pitre a Deux Femmes" performed by Lawrence Ardoin and crew at The Crashpad in Eunice, LA back in 1983.