Saturday, December 12, 2009

Buckwheat ZYDECO - Menagerie, The Essentail Zydeco Collection 1993


Buckwheat ZYDECO - Menagerie, The Essentail Zydeco Collection 1993

Blues

Menagerie: The Essential Zydeco Collection collects highlights from Buckwheat Zydeco's three albums for Island Records between 1987 and 1990. There are a number of really good songs here ("Ma 'Tit Fille," "Hey Good Lookin'," "Where There's Smoke There's Fire"), and the compilation actually distills his uneven Island albums into a strong single-disc collection. However, if you're looking for Buckwheat at his best, stick to the Rounder and Black Top releases.
By Thom Owens, All Music Guide.
**
Contemporary zydeco's most popular performer, accordionist Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural was the natural successor to the throne vacated by the death of his mentor Clifton Chenier; infusing his propulsive party music with strains of rock and R&B, his urbanized sound -- complete with touches of synthesizer and trumpet -- married traditional and contemporary zydeco with uncommon flair, in the process reaching a wider mainstream audience than any artist before him. Dural was born in Lafayette, Louisiana on November 14, 1947; with his braided hair, he soon acquired the nickname "Buckwheat" (an homage to the Our Gang character), and by the age of four was already touted as a piano prodigy. Although often exposed to traditional zydeco as a child, he preferred R&B, and by the mid-1950s was playing professionally with Lynn August; Dural's notoriety as a keyboardist quickly spread, and he also backed notables including Joe Tex and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown.

In 1971, Dural founded Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers, a 16-piece funk band which he led for the next half-decade; however, in 1976 he finally fell under zydeco's sway when recruited to back Chenier -- a friend of his father -- on tour. Originally brought on as an organist, Dural picked up the accordion within two years and began learning from the master himself; rechristening himself Buckwheat Zydeco, he formed his own combo by 1979, the Ils Sont Partis Band (translated as "They're off!, " so named in honor of the cry heard at the beginning of each horse race at the Lafayette track). Upon signing to the Blues Unlimited label, the group debuted in 1979 with One for the Road, followed in 1980 by Take It Easy, Baby. After 1983's 100% Fortified Zydeco, the group moved to the Rounder label, where they issued the Grammy-nominated Turning Point; its 1985 follow-up, Waitin' for My Ya Ya, was similarly honored.
In 1986, New York-based music critic Ted Fox helped Buckwheat Zydeco land a deal with Island Records, in the process becoming the first zydeco act ever signed to a major label; Fox subsequently acted as their producer as well. The group made their Island debut in 1987 with the acclaimed On a Night Like This, another Grammy nominee; that same year they also appeared in the hit movie The Big Easy, further increasing their public visibility. Taking It Home followed in 1988, but after 1990's Where There's Smoke There's Fire, Buckwheat Zydeco was dropped by Island, signing to Charisma for 1992's On Track. The years to follow saw the band drifting from one label to another, signing to Warner for 1994's Choo Choo Boogaloo, then hopping to Atlantic for 1997's Trouble; although their commercial fortunes may have dipped, they remained hugely popular as a live attraction, despite purists' charges of commercialism, and celebrated two decades of music in 1999 with The Buckwheat Zydeco Story: A 20 Year Party.
By Jason Ankeny. AMG.
**
Buckwheat Zydeco- Accordion,Keyboards
Dwight Yoakam- Vocals
Steve Berlin- Sax Baritone
Herman Brown- Drums
Anthony Butler- Sax Tenor
Gregory Davis- Trumpet
Stanley Dural- Piano,Accordion
Stanley Dural- Keyboards,Organ,Hammond,Vocals,Melodica
David Hidalgo- Guitar,Drums,Vocals
Robert James- Guitar
Nathaniel Jolivette- Drums
Calvin Landry- Trumpet
Patrick Landry- Rubboard
Roger Lewis- Sax Baritone
Mark Linett- Tambourine
Kevin Menard- Drums
Paul Senegal- Guitar
Dennis Taylor- Sax Baritone,Sax Tenor
Lee Thornburg- Trumpet
Efrem Towns- Trumpet
 Melvin Veazie- Guitar
Wilbert Willis- Rubboard
Lee Allen Zeno- Bass
Kevin Harris- Sax Tenor
**
01. Ma Tit Fille 6:52
02. Buck's Hot Rod 3:49
03. Drivin Old Grey 5:00
04. Hot Tamale Baby 4:08
05. Hey Good Lookin' 4:02
06. Where There's Smoke There's Fire 4:26
07. Taking It Home 4:15
08. What You Gonna Do 4:31
09. Pour Tout Quelque'un 4:38
10. Make A Change 4:02
11. Maybe I Will 3:45
**
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