I'm a Zydeco Hog: Live at the Rock 'N' Bowl. - CD

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There have always been two camps in the zydeco world of South Louisiana. The "song" camp takes its cue from Clifton Chenier, who used his big piano accordion and broad harmonic palette to develop distinct songs. The "riff" camp draws its lessons from Boozoo Chavis, who uses his small button accordion and hypnotic two-bar themes to create hypnotic dance rhythms. The differences are analogous to those between, say, T-Bone Walker and Muddy Waters, or Sam Cooke and James Brown. The "riff" school has dominated the Gulf Coast dance halls in recent years, but the "song" school still thrives in the music of C.J. Chenier (Clifton's son) and Nathan Williams. This album from Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, , includes two Clifton Chenier compositions and 11 Williams originals in the same style and with the same high standards. The album was recorded live at the Rock'n'Bowl, a second-floor bowling alley above a giant Thrift City in the Mid-City section of New Orleans. The bowling goes on while Louisiana's best bands play at one end of the broad walkway. Usually it's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. The combination of balls rolling down the lanes, musicians scraping rubboards and squeezing accordions, and dancers making the old wooden floors bend creates a dizzying atmosphere that is peculiarly Louisianan. Producer Scott Billington has captured that fizzy excitement on this joyful recording, which is the best possible introduction to Williams's music. Two of the most infectious numbers, "Zydeco Hog" and "Everything on the Hog," are variations on Chenier's classic "I'm a Hog for You" and a reflection of the music's rural roots. Several songs are sung in the ancient Creole dialect, and several more are interrupted by Williams's shouts of encouragement to the dancers. When they respond in kind, the energy level of the music seems to rise another notch.