I thoroughly enjoyed the series. I too learned many things about country music even though I have been surrounded by it all my life and been a fan of it for a long time. The series featured many of my favs and surprises. Who would know that Marty Stewart was a historian and great spokesman of the genre. I didn’t even know he was a star mandolin player.
My only complaint is that not enough performances were played.
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution
Me as well. I get drawn in when I see musicians openly and obviously having that much fun----and the audience as well.
I'm sure I have put this one up before but I love it---watch for the little girl who climbs a street light pole to get a better view---and direct the orchestra while at it
I have to confess to a bit of envy---I enjoy what I do but I don't have that much fun
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
That is pretty awesome. I think I may have seen it, or something similar in the past, but it was worth watching again.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
On our trips to our favorite casinos in Louisiana we travel through and sometimes stay in Evangeline country. While it is only about 200 miles away it is like going to a foreign country. The culture is so different it is hard for me to remember we are only 200 miles from home. Walk through the isles at any kind of store and you are almost as likely to hear French being spoken as English. I love the music and the food. As soon as we get close enough I put the radio on a Cajun music channel. I always bring home many pounds of link sausage and boudin to be vacuum packed and frozen.
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
Are Cajun and Zydeco one and the same?
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
You are getting beyond my knowledge, but I can say no. I am a aficionado of the music only in I know what I like. In my mind, Cajun music is like
country music only in the Cajun style. Zydeco is Cajun music taken to the country rock level. I struggle with these descriptions because I am not educated in the genre. I do know I like both but prefer Cajun.
While I like the music, I mostly have no idea what they are saying because most of it is in Louisiana French which is a different version of French spoken elsewhere. Because of the isolation of the French speaking people, the language didn't evolve like it did in the rest of the world so they speak what is probably a purer version of French than what you would hear in France or Canada.
I found THIS that might help.
The best thing I can say is Evangeline country in Louisiana is a really cool place to visit!
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
Austin National Anthem ....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySNON249yes
Wow---what a treasure chest of information Mike---thank you
First, the instrument the young lady was playing in the song that got this started, I now know is a button accordion and is and Irish instrument.
Regarding the changes to French in LA, the same happened in Quebec. I learned French Canadian while living in Montreal. It is of questionable value to me in France. Depending on the location and the individual, I am speaking to in France, I might be better off using English---many look down their upturned noses at French Canadian.The accordion is an important instrument in Irish Traditional Music, including the ever-popular Ceili style, as is the concertina, and has been since its arrival in the country in the latter half of the nineteenth century. The ten-key form of the instrument (the melodeon) is still played in some parts of Ireland, most notably in Connemara, though most Irish musicians prefer the more standard two-row button version or the Button and Piano Accordion.
The German dialect that I spoke as a child, is exactly the same--for the same reasons. The "separated development" of the dialect was not only independent of what was going on in Germany--there are very distinct differences in the dialect here in very small areas. As an example, a manure spreader, (which did not exist in Germany at the time of immigration and thus was "created" here) can have 3 or 4 terms used for it within a 30 mile radius.
Some years ago, I took a German to English primer from our Catholic grade school from the turn of the 20 century with me to Germany and asked a number of people from different regions to read from it. We (PA Dutch) mostly come from the black forest region or Palatinate. Only older people from that region could read the text, and even there they had blanks.
Having spent cumulative years in Germany, I have relearned current German but it is not unusual for the dialect to sneak in on me while in Germany.
Moving to the Canadian origin of the Acadians and their exile from what is called the maritimes, my mother's family (my Grandfather to be precise) came from Nova Scotia. His family was English, but there is some foggy connection to the Acadians in general and to Evangeline in particular--although I'm not convinced she was a real person
Many claim the Acadians were victims of ethnic cleansing. I can believe that, while hunting in Newfoundland I asked my guide about the indigenous people. His response---"there aren't any". My question: "what do you mean there aren't any?" His answer, "because we killed them all". I latter verified the accuracy of his response!
And now: back to the original music link, this was preformed not in Cajun country---but in a major music festival in Ireland and it is an Irish Folk Song: The Galway Girl:
Galway Girl
Ed Sheeran
She played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an English man
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "Baby, I just wanna dance"
I meet her on Grafton street right outside of the bar
She shared a cigarette with me while her brother played the guitar
She asked me, "What does it mean, the Gaelic ink on your arm?"
Said, "It was one of my friend's songs, do you want to drink on?"
She took Jamie as a chaser, Jack for the fun
She got Arthur on the table with Johnny riding as a shotgun
Chatted some more, one more drink at the bar
Then put Van on the jukebox, got up to dance
You know, she played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an English man
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "Baby, I just wanna dance"
With my pretty little Galway girl
You're my pretty little Galway girl
You know she beat me at darts and then she beat me at pool
And then she kissed me like there was nobody else in the room
As last orders were called was when she stood on the stool
After dancing to Kaleigh, singing to trad tunes
I never heard Carrickfergus ever sang so sweet
Acapella in the bar using her feet for a beat
Oh, I could have that voice playing on repeat for a week
And in this packed out room swear she was singing to me
You know, she played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an English man
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "Baby, I just wanna to dance"
My pretty little Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl
And now we've outstayed our welcome and it's closing time
I was holding her hand, her hand was holding mine
Our coats both smell of smoke, whisky and wine
As we fill up our lungs with the cold air of the night
I walked her home then she took me inside
To finish some Doritos and another bottle of wine
I swear I'm gonna put you in a song that I write
About a Galway girl and a perfect night
She played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an English man
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "Baby, I just wanna to dance"
My pretty little Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl
My, my, my, my, my, my, my Galway girl, hey
Last edited by Dave Grubb; 10-05-2019 at 10:43 AM.
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty” ---Sir Winston Churchill
"Political extremism involves two prime ingredients: an excessively simple diagnosis of the world's ills, and a conviction that there are identifiable villains back of it all." ---John W. Gardner
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” ---C. S. Lewis
The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
Flaco Jimenez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6bm2GQ4CBc
At the risk of repeating myself, I am posting Suzanne, one of Leonard Cohen’s great songs, as sung by Neil Diamond from his 1972 album “Stones” on which he sung other songwriters’ masterpieces he admired. The album is stacked with some of my favorites in arresting arraignments worth your searching them down if you like syrupy songs like I do.
https://youtu.be/AmP5jXZV4kY
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution
I have found I do not care much for opera, but there are some arias which are stunning to the bone. Un Bel Di Vidremo from Puccini’s Madam Butterfly may be the most stunning of female such. If it is sung well and does not not give you goose bumps, then forget about the genre. The song is a forgotten lover’s cry before she commits seppuku, so the drama is not overdone. Some time ago I went on a search of YouTube to find my favorite performance of the aria and found I like the singer, Renata Tebaldi, best. She is a mezzo-soprano in contrast with the usual soprano version, which adds a bit more to the richness to my hearing. This performance was from the later stage of her career in which she had a vigorous dispute and rivalry with her contemporary soprano diva, Maria Callas. You might pull down Callas’ version to compare for yourself, if you are interested.
https://youtu.be/IYE99lyfzrw
Last edited by wacojoe; 10-07-2019 at 04:06 PM.
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“You can vote your way into socialism, but you have to shoot your way out.” — Too fundamental to have an attribution