Cajun Saturday Night Dance

The Saturday fais do do is a Cajun tradition. You work hard all week and on Saturday, you party. The dancing starts at nine in the morning, at Fred's in Mamou, and runs into the night at the taverns and roadhouses that dot the landscape of southwest Louisiana. This CD, from Robert Jardell, features a selection of dance tunes that one might hear at just such a soirée. The award-winning Jardell and his band have made a name for themselves by keeping the flame of traditional Cajun music burning. They play the old tunes the old way, and Jardell writes new songs that have the old country Cajun sensibility. His acoustic squeezebox is a favorite of the Cajun crowd who come out on Saturday night to "pass a good time." The band plays waltzes, such as "Alleman Waltz," "Cowboy Waltz," "Wedding Waltz," and "Waltz of No Return." It wouldn't be a dance without a lot of good waltzes. There are plenty of chances to two-step as well, as on "Chez Tanie" and Jardell's humorous "Robert Can't Dance," a takeoff on the Cajun classic "Johnny Can't Dance." Jardell pays tribute to his mentor, Nathan Abshire, when he plays the accordion master's "Musician Blues." The music on this CD is as real as a warm night in the bayou country of Acadiana.