RENDEZVOUS DES CAJUNS {FEATURING JOE SIMON & THE LOUISIANA CAJUNS; LES DAMES DE LA PRAIRIE; AND D.L. MENARD & THE LOUISIANA ACES} {KOSOFSKY ETHNIC RADIO COLLECTION -- CAJUN FRENCH AND ENGLISH} (RADIO)
Summary
One in this weekly series broadcast live from the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana, which focuses on Cajun music and humor. The evening begins with a set played by Joe Simon and the Louisiana Cajuns, featuring Simon on drums and Horace Trahan on accordion. The band performs several numbers, including "The Lovesick Waltz," "La Valse de Tout le Monde," "The Lacassine Special," and "La Valse de Samedi Soir." After guest host Paul Marx of radio station KBON gives a brief preview of the following week's special Christmas program, he asks for a special round of applause for the Cajuns, who conclude their portion of the program with "La Valse de Grand Chemin." Marx takes a few moments to go out into the auditorium and welcome out-of-state visitors to what he calls "Cajun Country." He then introduces Les Dames de la Prairie, Lois Franois and Olga Manuelle. Franois explains that the pair work at the Jean Lafitte Center, next door to the theater, demonstrating old-fashioned crafts and lifestyles to tourists. She and her friend have brought a number of foods and gifts from their mothers' and grandmothers' eras to share with the audience, she adds. They show off such comestibles as "boules rouges," sweet, red coconut balls; benne candy, made with sesame seeds; and popcorn balls. They also discuss the changes in holiday gift-giving and decoration over the years. They share handmade toys with audience members, encouraging them to be creative with their children and grandchildren. And they talk about the challenges people faced preparing and preserving Christmas dinners in Louisiana before the advent of refrigeration. Les Dames leave the stage, and after a brief pause Marx returns to make small talk while the next band sets up. He then greets D.L. MŽnard and the Louisiana Aces. One of the group's first songs is "C'est Juste les Anges Qui Fait Pleurer," a song MŽnard explains was inspired by a remark made by his wife, Louella. Marx asks guitarist and vocalist MŽnard about his tours as a musician, and MŽnard says that he has been to forty-three states and thirty-six countries. He and the Aces play "La Porte en Arrire" and "J'Etais au Bal Hier Soir" before stopping to banter further with Marx, who points out that accordionist Horace Trahan is playing with this band, as he did earlier in the evening with the Louisiana Cajuns. After a bit more music, including the song "Listen to Me When I Talk to You," Marx asks MŽnard, who is known as "the Cajun Hank Williams," to discuss his meeting in 1951 with Williams himself. MŽnard elaborates on the lessons he learned from the music legend, which included enriching the emotional impact of his performances by internalizing their sentiments and basing his compositions on his everyday life. The band finishes with a final group of songs, including "Rebecca Ann" and an encore of "La Porte en Arrire," which is in progress as the program ends.
(This program contains minor technical problems. This represents the best copy of this program currently available to the Museum.)
(This program is in Cajun French and English.)
The acquisition and cataloging of this program were made possible by Marvin and Jacqueline Kosofsky.
Details
- NETWORK: KJJB-FM
- DATE: December 12, 1998 6:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:01:17
- COLOR/B&W: N/A
- CATALOG ID: R:17707
- GENRE: Radio - Music
- SUBJECT HEADING: Cajun French dialect; Christmas; Music
- SERIES RUN: KRVS (Lafayette/Lake Charles, LA) - Radio series, 1987-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Paul Marx … Host
- Moody, Jenny (audio i.d. only) … Announcer
- Louisiana Aces, The … Music Group
- Louisiana Cajuns, The … Music Group
- D.L. Menard … Performer
- Joe Simon … Performer
- Horace Trahan … Performer
- Dames de la Prairie, Les … Guests
- Francois, Lois (audio i.d. only) … Guest
- Manuelle, Olga (audio i.d. only) … Guest
- Louella Menard
- Hank Williams