Personnel: Preston Manuel, Rodney Balfa (vocals, guitar); Nathan Abshire, Allison Young (vocals, accordion); Adausas Thibodeaux (vocals); Bessyl Duhon (guitar, fiddle); Lurlin Lejeune (guitar); Marc Savoy (fiddle, accordion); Hector Duhon, Milton Melancon, Sady Courville (fiddle); Hadley Fontenot (accordion); Armand Babineaux (triangle).

Liner Note Author: Gerard Dole.

Recording information: Basile (08/27/1975-09/24/1975); Mamou (08/27/1975-09/24/1975); Mire (08/27/1975-09/24/1975).

Photographer: Phil Gould .

This is a re-release of a Smithsonian Folkways recording which was neither essential nor representative when first put out in 1977. This, however, is not to disparage what is an important, in documentary way, series of studio and live recordings of Cajun musicians ranging from the obscure to the now well-known, such as Junior Basco, who offers a blistering rendition of his own "Basco Stomp" here. The album opens with the classic "Trape Mon Chapeau" and follows it with two nice instrumentals, of which "Tout Ca C' Est Duru a Croire" features some nice accordion work. Besides the Basco track, other highlights include a Creole version of "Midnight Special" and the double fiddle-led ballad "La Valse de Lawtell." A couple of two-steps round out the album. While it captures the continuing evolution of a unique musical culture and several spontaneous outbursts of true musical genius, this album is not epoch-making. ~ Brian Whitener