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The Essential Collection

Artist: Various Artists

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• Includes liner notes by Scott Billington.
  
• Digitally remastered using HDCD technology.
  
• This is part of Rounder Records "The Essential Collection" series.
  
• Personnel: Dennis Paul Williams (vocals, guitar); Scott Billington (vocals, harmonica, background vocals); Stanley Dural (vocals, piano); Geno Delafose, Gerard St. Julien, Jr. (vocals, drums); Chris Ardoin, Charles Chavis (vocals, rub-board, background vocals); Brian Terry, John Delafose, Lynn August, Nathan Williams, Beau Jocque, Boozoo Chavis, Bruce Daigrepont (vocals); James Benoit, Shelton Broussard, Jimmy Reed Jr., Charles Prud'homme, Selwyn Cooper, Rick Williams (guitar); Sonny Landreth (electric guitar); David Greely, Dirk Powell, Gina Forsyth (fiddle); Allen Broussard, C.J. Chenier (alto saxophone); Derek Huston, Joe Cabral, Doctor John Wilson (tenor saxophone); Bill "Foots" Samuel (baritone saxophone); Calvin Landry (trumpet); Michael Lockett (keyboards); Germaine Jack (drums, rub-board); Charles "Red" LaMark (drums, background vocals); Rellis Chavis, Dexter Ardoin, Steve "Skeeta" Charlot, Leroy Etienne, Brian Brignac, Johnny Batiste, Nathaniel Jolivette, Sean Ardoin, Kevin Dugas (drums); Tammy Ledet (rub-board, background vocals); Elijah Cudges, Clifford Alexander, Mark Anthony Williams, Steve Nash, Ti Don Landry, Waylon Thibodeaux (rub-board); Sue Daigrepont (triangle); Charles Elam III, Chuck Bush (background vocals).
  
• Audio Mixers: David Farrell ; Glenn Berger; Sue Daigrepont; Mark Wessel ; Rob Feaster; Steve Reynolds.
  
• Liner Note Author: Scott Billington.
  
• Recording information: Blue Jay Recording Studio, Carlisle, MA (04/1983-01/2000); Blues Club, Lafayette, LA (04/1983-01/2000); Dockside Studios, Maurice, LA (04/1983-01/2000); El Sid O's, Lafayette, LA (04/1983-01/2000); New Orleans Recording Company, Metairie, LA (04/1983-01/2000); Ultrasonic Studios, New Orleans, LA (04/1983-01/2000).
  
• Editor: David Farrell .
  
• Illustrator: Christian Clayton.
  
• Photographer: Barbara Roberds.
  
• Unknown Contributor Role: Charles "Red" LaMark.
  
• As part of Rounder's 30th anniversary celebration, this album collects the finest zydeco available on the label within the last 30 years. As Rounder is one of the premier forces in archiving traditional musics, the liner notes are outstanding, with a nice history of the genre paying heed to the original innovators. Having paid the proper dues to the founders of zydeco, it proceeds to throw the listener into a musical collage of the more previous material (that which has been available on Rounder, that is). This newer material is essentially split stylistically into the followers of Clifton Chenier and those of Boozoo Chavis. In the Chenier camp are Nathan Williams, Lynn August, Li'l Brian Terry, and the outstanding Buckwheat Zydeco. In Boozoo Chavis' camp is Beau Jocque, among others. Every aspect of the genre is covered in some manner or another here, with the high-energy party zydeco of Buckwheat Zydeco, the funk-influenced Beau Jocque, the more Cajun end of it in Steve Riley, and the Delafose family providing numbers. There's even a nod to the founder, Amede Ardoin, in a couple of songs with his descendants, Chris and Sean Ardoin, who show off some incredible accordion work along the way. Throughout the album, it's a rollicking affair as the party-makers from throughout southern Louisiana make appearances with a song or two. As far as zydeco collections go, this is an outstanding one with all the necessary bases touched upon. For the newcomer, then, it's a wonderful album. For the initiated, it's still a good album for its breadth, though single albums by a number of the artists might serve as a longer lesson in the history of the genre. ~ Adam Greenberg