Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008 - (Page 94)

A continuing creative surge in Lafayette New and historic recordings reflect the city’s eclectic momentum As previously noted in this column, Lafayette is home to a rich, cross-pollinated and ever-expanding music scene. At its core are the homegrown genres of Cajun music, zydeco and swamp pop, alongside a wealth of national and global styles that are filtered through local sensibilities. An already-impressive burst of creativity in recent years has further intensified of late, as evidenced by a spate of new releases and archival material alike. On From The Reach (Landfall), Lafayette guitarist Sonny Landreth amply demonstrates his instrumental mastery, expressive vocals, and eloquent song-writing. A long-time fixture on the South Louisiana scene — from his 1970s work in Clifton Chenier’s zydeco band to guest appearances with Cajun innovators BeauSoleil, and acclaimed solo albums such as Levee Town — Landreth is especially renowned for his technique as a slide player. This means that he places a cylinder over the little finger of his left hand and essentially slides from fret to fret on the neck of his guitar. Landreth does not always play each note separately, therefore; instead he touches on the entire incremental spectrum between notes, to great dramatic effect. This striking sound, which can mimic the nuances of the human voice, dates back in America to antebellum music and early blues tradition; in the latter genre it was also known as “bottleneck” guitar. Prominent bottleneck/slide practitioners in blues include Robert Johnson, in the 1930s, JACK SPENCER and Muddy Waters. Variants of slide technique are also heard in Hawaiian steelguitar music, which enjoyed a flurry of pop-culture fascination during the early 20th century. This Hawaiian fad brought the steel guitar into country music and western swing — and Cajun music — where it remains prominent today. In the late ‘60s, rock guitarists such as Duane Allman applied slide technique to a wide range of new material. Sonny Landreth likewise incorporates a variety of music to craft an instantly-identifiable slide style that has brought him deserved acclaim on the world stage. Such elevated stature is underscored by the celebrity guests who join Landreth on From The Reach. They include guitarist Eric Clapton — a rock icon since his mid-‘60s work with the British band Cream — who rarely descends from his pinnacle to collaborate with anyone. In a pleasing paradox, the most impressive aspect of such stars’ appearances with Landreth is that they absolutely don’t stand out. Instead, Landreth reigns as the obvious band-leader and featured artist, while his guests contribute, without fanfare, as team-player peers. As a result, From The Reach attains a high level of consistent quality that super-star collaborations often lack. The album succeeds on two levels that, in many cases, are mutually exclusive. It has sufficient polish and star power for heavy airplay in the massappeal arena of commercial rock radio, but also presents an earthy, soulful, and sincere evocation of South Louisiana. One telling indication of Landreth’s cultural credentials is the fact that, last spring, he was chosen to play at a small rural church in Vermilion Parish for the funeral of the beloved landscape artist Elemore Morgan, Jr. Sonny Landreth Landreth also appears on the two-CD compilation Festivals Acadiens: Live 1981 (Louisiana Crossroads). This anthology comprises material from an LP, long out-ofprint, along with previously unreleased performances that were recently discovered in the archives of Cajun and Creole folklore at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The repertoire runs the complete stylistic gamut of Creole and Cajun music of the day. Today the older aspects of that repertoire have largely faded from first-hand, ingenuous currency 94 LOUISIANA ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES\Winter 2008-09

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008 Contents Friends Editor's Column Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Prospect.1 New Orleans The Historic New Orleans Collection The Enduring Performance of Michael P. Smith Jazz Notes Louisiana Foodways Birds of a Feather: Windfowl Carvings in Southeast Louisiana Louisiana Association of Museums Louisiana Architecture O. Winston Link in Louisiana The Ogden Museum of Southern Art The Colfax Massacre Louisiana State Museum Unlocking the History of Greek Key Architecture Bookstand Sound Advice Forum

Louisiana Cultural Vistas - Winter 2008

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