Last week, Exclaim! shared a list of five "New Acadian Classics for Your First East Coast Kitchen Party," including a song by Louisiana-born Cajun musician Zachary Richard. Now, Lisa LeBlanc and Montreal-based Acadian trad supergroup Salebarbes are bringing the cultures even closer together by covering Cajun classic "Bonsoir Moreau."
"Bonsoir Moreau" ("Good Night, Bartender") was composed by Louisiana Creole duo Canray Fontenot and Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. While the pair's many recordings feature little more than Fontenot's yelping vocals and fiddle with Ardoin's accordion, LeBlanc and Salebarbes' rendition features a robust, hearty arrangement with a chorus of fiddles, tinkling percussion and jubilant harmonies.
LeBlanc first heard "Bonsoir Moreau" during a trip to Louisiana and recorded the track remotely this past winter.
"This is our humble tribute to the Cajun music of our southern cousins by a gang of northern Acadians," she said in a statement. "We are all lovers of our Acadian culture and I find it fascinating the history, similarities (and kinship!) that link us with Louisiana. Many of my happiest moments in life were spent there, so I have a very special bond with that place."
LeBlanc recently spoke to Exclaim! about the Acadian music scene in Canada's Maritime provinces. Listen to LeBlanc and Salebarbes' cover of "Bonsoir Moreau" below, followed by a classic 1966 rendition courtesy of Fontenot and Ardoin.
"Bonsoir Moreau" ("Good Night, Bartender") was composed by Louisiana Creole duo Canray Fontenot and Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin. While the pair's many recordings feature little more than Fontenot's yelping vocals and fiddle with Ardoin's accordion, LeBlanc and Salebarbes' rendition features a robust, hearty arrangement with a chorus of fiddles, tinkling percussion and jubilant harmonies.
LeBlanc first heard "Bonsoir Moreau" during a trip to Louisiana and recorded the track remotely this past winter.
"This is our humble tribute to the Cajun music of our southern cousins by a gang of northern Acadians," she said in a statement. "We are all lovers of our Acadian culture and I find it fascinating the history, similarities (and kinship!) that link us with Louisiana. Many of my happiest moments in life were spent there, so I have a very special bond with that place."
LeBlanc recently spoke to Exclaim! about the Acadian music scene in Canada's Maritime provinces. Listen to LeBlanc and Salebarbes' cover of "Bonsoir Moreau" below, followed by a classic 1966 rendition courtesy of Fontenot and Ardoin.
