Everybody's Dancin' is a snapshot of a top zydeco band hitting full stride. The elements are all here: Geno Delafose's playing is characteristically versatile and his singing is strong, and his band -- John "Popp" Esprite on bass and vocals, Wilfred "Caveman" Pierre on rubboard, Jude Curley Taylor Jr. on drums and vocals, and Lee Tedrow on guitars and vocals -- is propelling. The past and present -- and future -- of south Louisiana music are seamlessly represented in what seems like a set list lifted straight from a good night at the Rock 'n' Bowl.
Delafose's reach extends back to the Creole songbook, with hot new versions of "Le Bluerunner," most associated with the late fiddler Bebe Carriere, and "Les Flammes D'Enfer," a traditional tune played memorably by the late Canray Fontenot. Delafose knew these musicians, and he knows these songs better than most young players. (He's aided by Michael Doucet, who contributes fiddle to three songs, including "Les Flammes D'Enfer.") Delafose also remakes tunes by Cajun pioneers Nathan Abshire and Adam Hebert, and zydeco master Rockin' Sidney Simien. His "He-Haw Breakdown" is a scorcher that conjures the fiery spirit of Boozoo Chavis, and his version of "Gotta Find My Woman," a song by his father, the late John Delafose, is a highlight.
So is Geno's first recording of the crowd-pleasing zydeco version of Sam Cooke's paean to selective intelligence, "What a Wonderful World." Geno Delafose says he may not know much about a "science book," but he certainly knows the richness of the zydeco and Cajun tradition, and he mines it all in Everybody's Dancin'. -- Tisserand
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie play Jazz Fest at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 1, on the Sheraton N.O. Fais Do-Do Stage.
04/30/03 
