Zydeco: The Early Years
doesn't necessarily represent the early years of
zydeco
itself, which had probably been around in several variations for decades prior to these tracks, most of which were recorded in the early '60s. This was still years before
had reached anything close to the level of international esteem it now enjoys, and
Chris Strachwitz
, who made most of the recordings, was among the first to recognize the form's importance. In comparison to the boisterous full sounds of
stars of the '80s and '90s, this is fairly primitive-sounding; usually there's nothing more than accordion, vocals, and washboard, although drums are sometimes present. It could use more variety, frankly, but these are significant documents of how
sounded when it was music for friends and house parties rather than records or
House of Blues
clubs, and the music -- by artists including
Albert Chevalier
,
Pete King
Willie Green
, and
Sidney Babineaux
-- does have a rough, unforced, upbeat charm. As a nice bonus, both sides of
Clifton Chenier
's 1954 debut single are included (they're far more
R&B
-influenced than the
field recordings
here), and there's a 1949
jump blues
-
hybrid by
Clarence Garlow
"Bon Ton Roulet."
~ Richie Unterberger