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January in Shades of Blue
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Washington Times, January in Shades of Blue >>
One of zydeco's rising stars, Geno Detafose. playing tonight at the Birchmere, has succeeded largely by staying true to the genre's traditions. Rather than modernizing by selling out zydeco's French Creole and Cajun roots, Mr. Delafose writes, records and performs in French, just like his father, the legendary John Delafose.
He does, however, invigorate the music with forward- thinking sensibility.
"We have that old-country feel, that soft swing," he once told an interviewer, "and then we have that loud, bluesy, get-down thing going on, too. We try to mix it up, give everybody something they can dance to."
Mr. Delafose began playing in his father's band when he was 7 years old. After starting on the washboard (or "frottoir" in French), he moved briefly to the drums and then took up the accordion when his father fell ill. Today, he's widely regarded as a master of the Cajun, piano and triple-row accordions.
When Mr. Delafose decided to front his own band in 1993, he was quickly signed to Rounder Records, where he released his debut, "French Rockin' Boogie," which took its name from his newly minted band.
The group released two more discs on Rounder, including "La Chanson Perdue," which Living Blues magazine called "one of the most remarkable releases in the new era of zydeco."
The group then went on five-year hiatus, returning in 2003 with a new label (Times Square); a new CD ("Everybody's Dancin"); and a new lineup, featuring John "Popp" Esprite on bass, Wilfred "Caveman" Pierre on frottoir, Lee Tedrow on guitar and Jude "Curley" Taylor Jr. on drums.
Mr. Delafose and his French Rockin' Boogie are known for keeping folks on their feet. So while there may not be much room for swinging tonight, the house is sure to be rockin' with a lick of real Louisiana zydeco. Don't miss it.
01/06/05
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