Most people probably still associate the accordion with musicians like Myrin Florin, the virtuoso who was the star of the Lawrence Welk band, his fingers deftly manipulating the keyboard to produce the robust melodies that were an integral part of the "orchestras" that were featured on Fifties television. Although the rich sound of the accordion was popularized in familiar tunes like "Lady of Spain", it has always been closely associated with Cajun music, blended with bluegrass, blues and traditional tunes to form the distinctive sound that originated in the Louisiana bayous. The sound is happy and upbeat, a celebration of Cajun culture that comes to life in Rhode Island every year at the Mardi Gras Ball, held this year on March 5 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet. I was hesitant at first when my friend Sue suggested we go to the concert. I like the Cajun sound, but I just wasn't sure if I was ready for a six hour immersion in Mardi Gras, including Cajun food, a costume contest, and three bands - Leroy Thomas and the Zydeco Roadrunners, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band. In retrospect, I'm glad I took Sue's suggestion.
Ironically, Rhode Island has long held a premier reputation as a "home away from home" for Cajun performers. Various reasons have been offerred for the Ocean State's obsession with accordion power, some attributing it to a break out performance by legendary Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival , said to be the first time the music was showcased outside Louisiana. Most agree that Little Rhody's fondness for "les bon temps" is primarily due to Chuck Wentworth and Lagniappe Productions, producer and promoter of the state's premiere Labor Day weekend event, the Rhythm and Roots Festival as well as this year's nineteenth annual Mardi Gras ball. I was gratified to discover that the event benefits Very Special Arts Rhode Island, an organization that provides artistic outlets for physically or mentally challenged individuals, and one that I was briefly involved with at its inception - but that's another story,
Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet is an old fashioned dance hall, with a roomy stage, strategically-placed bars, lots of seating, and plenty of space to move. The festive atmosphere was heightened by the mosaic of costumes created by the inventive crowd, the themes running from the topical - a black shell supported by two shoulder straps intended to represent the spill in the Gulf, festooned with pictures of idle shrimp boats and oil soaked wildlife - to the fanciful, with both the Queen of Hearts and the Queen of Diamonds in attendance, a cadre depicting characters in The Phantom,a profusion of harlequin faces, joker hats, boas, Hawaiian shirts, and a giraffe (Which earned top honors in the costume contest) , with a pair of dancers representing the front legs and towering head.
Leroy Thomas and his band were already playing by the time Sue and I got there , the robust melodies already luring partygoers onto the dance floor even though it was barely seven o'clock. We quickly joined them to start a pattern that would last all night - dance until you're about to drop, rest , then dance again. It wasn't hard to move to the energetic upbeat sound.
For Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys,the performance was bitterwseet, marking the official "retirement" of fiddler David Greeley (see the ProJo article published 3/3/11). Their latest CD is a testament to the BP disaster, entitled "Grand Isle", depicting an oil soaked bird, and the title tune is a sampling of Greeley's memories of the way things were before the spill. The Playboys' set featured spirited trade offs between Riley on the accordion and Greeley's fiddle, with a special presentation for Greeley from Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chaffee at the end.
By the time C.J. Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band took the stage, I was just about boogied out, but C.J.'s frenetic playing had me quickly back on my feet. Unfortunately, after just a few of their red hot licks, I began to remember how much my body ached and quickly caved in.
It was a memorable night full of music and merriment, a fitting salute to Mardi Gras and the Cajun culture. I'm already looking forward to next year.
Monday, March 14, 2011
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