Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records

Various Artists - International - North America - Cajun/ Zydeco, Various Artists - Blues - Modern/Electric | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 30, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0000004DS
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,503 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #8 in Music > Jazz > Traditional Jazz & Ragtime > Boogie-Woogie
  • #13 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Cajun & Zydeco > Zydeco
  • #13 in Music > Blues > Regional Blues > Cajun & Zydeco > Cajun & Creole

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

From its humble beginnings in 1970 as a free concert for a few hundred locals, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has grown into one of the world's largest music gatherings, each spring drawing hundreds of thousands from all over the world. Jazzfest, as it's known locally, has both stimulated and reflected out-of-state interest in Louisiana music. It was once a rarity for Cajun, zydeco and second-line R&B acts to ever leave the state; now dozens of them make the circuit of baby-boomer, roots-music dance clubs. Most of that exponential growth has occurred in the last 10 years, and Rounder Records, which made a major commitment to Louisiana music in the mid-'80s, has reaped the benefit of the scene's growing popularity. Here the Boston indie label celebrates its own prescience with a two-CD anthology. Despite the title, most of the tracks were recorded within the last 10 years, but they cover a lot of ground--from the old-fashioned brothel piano of Tuts Washington to the funky brass arrangements of the Rebirth Brass Band, from the ancient Cajun song styles of David Doucet to the hip-hop-influenced zydeco of L'il Brian and the Zydeco Travelers. The first CD or "City Disc" focuses on 14 New Orleans artists, ranging from such late piano masters as Champion Jack Dupree and James Booker to such smooth soul crooners as Dalton Reed and Chuck Carbo. The second CD or "Country Disc" presents 18 Cajun and zydeco acts from French Louisiana, including such well known names as D.L. Menard and Buckwheat Zydeco as well as such emerging talents as Geno Delafose and Bruce Daigrepont. Holding the set together is the slippery sense of syncopation most Louisianans seem to be born with. Whether that pelvic pulse is dictated by fiddle or tuba, button accordion or upright piano, the infectious rhythms could only have come from that particular stretch of the Gulf Coast.--Geoffrey Himes

Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Cajun & Zydeco
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 13-MAY-1993

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best deals you will find, July 25, 2000

By 

David J. Rosen (Birmingham, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records (Audio CD)

While label compilations often come across as self-serving and/or limited, this nifty collection avoids that pitfall. By including both a New Orleans blues collection and a Zydeco/Cajun collection, "Louisiana Spice" manages to give an adequate picture of the various modern Blues and Cajun styles that you will find throughout Louisiana. In fact, if you are looking at the full equation of variety + quality in Louisiana music, you're not going to find many better collections out there. Better ones definitely exist, but factor in price and it becomes apparent that this is one of the best deals on any type music you will ever find.

"Louisian Spice" is very professionally put together. Most 2-CD-for-the-price-of-1-real-cheap-CD deals (such as those you find in the budget bins of Musiclands and Camelots) will usually give you a *very* inadequate picture of that artist's or genre's music, but it is excusable because the price is right. With "Louisiana Spice," the price is right and so is the quality--a priceless combination in budget packages.

The main reason I picked up this CD was because of Marcia Ball's "That's Enough of that Stuff" and the Rebirth & Wild Magnolia duet performance of "Shoo-Fly"--two of the most energetic performances ever put on record. I've always wanted to get both of the original albums those numbers appear on just for those songs alone, but when I saw them together on the same album, plus an excellent array of classic Louisiana artists such as James Booker, Tuts Washington, and Johnny Adams, the decision of whether or not to buy became very easy. I consider "That's Enough. . ." and "Shoo-fly" to be two of the major peaks in the modern era of New Orleans music (as do many other fans). Thus, as they say, "no music collection is complete without them."

While I've always enjoyed Cajun and Zydeco music, I do not enjoy it enough to buy CDs from either genre (at least no song or album has caught my ear enough *yet*). However, as a huge fan of Louisiana music and everything that has come out of it and into it, I recognized that this left a huge hole in my collection. This album presented the perfect opportunity to fill that hole, all the while buying the album principly for other reasons. In other words, the second album serves as an excellent bonus for my musical tastes. Perhaps there are many others out there who can relate to this idea.

Both newcomers to Louisiana music and long-time connoisseurs alike should be more than satisfied with this CD. As it did with me, it offers the opportunity to fill many holes in your own collections, as well as those that you did not even know you were missing. Word of caution: while this double CD will only cost you around 10 bucks, the paths to which it leads you will undoubtedly cost you more money in the future. That, in the end, is the litmus test for all music compilations.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records, January 30, 2005

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records (Audio CD)

It may seem odd, but Massachusetts-based Rounder Records has become the pre-eminent label recording the music of Louisiana. From such classic New Orleans artists as Professor Longhair, Johnny Adams and Irma Thomas, to Cajun stalwarts D.L. Menard, Bruce Daigrepont and Steve Riley, to the Kings of Zydeco, Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque, Rounder is dedicated to playing its part in continuing this rich tradition of joyous and unique music. This budget priced double CD features these artists, as well as Marcia Bell, Champion Jack Dupree, James Booker, The Balfa Brothers, Jimmy C. Newman, Buckwheat Zydeco, Beausoleil and others, making this one of the finest and most comprehensive colllections of Louisiana music available.

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Cajun/Zydeco Primer, August 20, 2011

By 

K C 5 J K "KC5JK" (TX) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Louisiana Spice: 25 Years of Louisiana Music on Rounder Records (Audio CD)

Great Cajun/Zydeco Primer

For those new to the genre, this compilation is the right place to start. It introduces the listener to a good cross section of both artists and styles, and presents a showcase of the rich diversity found in Louisiana music. There is probably something for just about everyone here.