Concert Review: Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole / Old-Fashioned Aces @ Music Haven, 08/20/2023

Zydeco is as easy to dance to as reggae, and many, many did Sunday when Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole brought souped-up swampy bayou two-steps and waltzes to Music Haven.

This last musical offering of the season filled the dance floor below the stage, and sometimes the aisles and the air rang with zippy beats that activated the feet.

Before the Music Haven main floor was paved, such a ruckus would have raised a mighty cloud of dust. Sunday night, however, the music stood out for its clarity as much as its high energy. As Zydeco goes, this stuff was tight.

Thin and tall behind a shiny big belt buckle and under a wide hat, Watson suggested “a fire starts” in his shows. He soon made it so, launching the two-chord two-step “Gard La Bas” (“Look Over There”) with his flashy accordion surrounded by a joyful clatter: the metallic scrape of rub-board, bluesy electric guitar, and locked-in bass and drums.

Everything was simple, smart and in the right place; dancers took note, jumped up, and joined in. In addition to those who ALWAYS dance at Music Haven, there was Barefoot Kilt Guy, several fearless barely-walking-but-could-they-dance young girls who all but disappeared in the throng – even Watson himself.

In the sizzling “Reno Waltz,” Watson high-stepped away from the mic and danced a few steps before changing his mind to zip back and play a tasty accordion break. The more skillful dancers – those who could Cajun two-step and waltz for real, rather than doing the Writhe, the Afro-Beat Jump, or the Post-Hippie Thang – changed partners from song to song.

Watson introduced his funkiest material – “Reno Waltz “ and “Cornerpost“ – promising to take us back into the swamp. Hip-hop style, he urged, “make some noise!” or “Somebody SCREAM!” but nobody needed much urging. Equally unnecessary was the invitation “Allons dancez” – Come on and dance.

The songs didn’t have to stretch much to energize, but when they did, things got hot. “Zydeco Gris Gris” packed punchy fiddle (by Watson) and guitar (by Chris Stafford) solos into eight minutes of rocking blues before “Pa Janvier” eased back on the throttle, a waltz with stop-time coda, also more fiddle and guitar breaks.

Zydeco pioneer Clifton Chenier’s bluesy “I’m on the Wonder” served up heartbreak poignant as most everything else was uplifting. But even here, a couple danced past my aisle seat, skillfully evading a walker parked there.

Watson shared the spotlight generously, citing Latasha Covington’s rub-board (frottoir) playing as “heavy metal” and handing her a verse of “Bonsoir Moreau” to sing. He often hailed Stafford’s on-the-money guitar solos.

Watson announced Sunday was Stafford’s birthday and praised his band-mate as impresario-host Mona Golub brought out a birthday cake amid a singalong in salute; this turned into a boisterous boogaloo.

A few more propulsive dance tunes later, Watson said, “Merci, merci beaucoup” from the stage, and that end-of-a-hot-show emotional echo spread through the sweaty crowd.

The evening felt like a two-act snapshot of the Fais Do Do Stage at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, as the Old-Fashioned Aces opened with old-school French Creole dance music. The folkloric stuff dance-y stuff that preceded zydeco, they played it without drums or bass. Armed with guitar (Amelia Biere), fiddle (AJ Srubas), and either another fiddle or accordion (Blake Miller, veteran of the Pine Leaf Boys, the Red Stick Ramblers – and Bijou Creole), the trio evoked plantation-era parties of noisy, happy Cajuns.

Their waltzes – “Let Me Stay In Your Arms” was a standout, in French and English – and two-steps – their last song recounted a cousin’s consummately unlucky day – offered a tasty glimpse of the antique musical materials that later African American innovators such as Clifton Chenier mixed with soul and amped up as zydeco.

The Music Haven Summer Social preceded the show, a paid-admission gathering with buffet, drinks, and the first of two presentations honoring 2023 Music Haven Maven Eileen Handeslman, one of 40 volunteers to make the place work. Nippertown’s Jim Gilbert and Laura DaPolito were honorary chairs for the evening.

NEXT!

Music Haven onstage offerings continue next weekend with Will Kempe’s Players performing “The Taming of the Shrew” (Aug. 25) and “Two Gentlemen of Verona” (Aug. 26).

Then the Passport Series – a seven-show world-music exploration curated by Music Haven’s Mona Golub – begins October 7 with Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto at the GE Theatre at Proctors. Several shows in the series are presented at Universal Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs, another venue of the Proctors Collaborative.

Photo Gallery by Stan Johnson