Red Stick Ramblers, Bring It On Down (Memphis International Records, 2003)
I've heard more music since creating Green Man than you can possibly imagine. Or even want to imagine. Really. Truly. Some weeks I listen (in part or whole) to dozens of CDs that range from so awful that I wonder why they ever got made (lots of those, usually) to truly great CDs (rarer than one would hope they were). Most of these CDs show up at the mailroom here at GMR unexpectedly, as more often than not we didn't ask for them. But the CDs that we do ask for are awaited with a great deal of anticipation .
Such was the case with Bring It On Down, as I asked for a copy of this CD after seeing that they were playing in this city at the Center for Cultural Exchange, a small venue with a far too pretentious name! Of course, I suspected it might be good, as they were intelligent enough to put four tasty samples of their work on their site: 'Bring It On Down', 'Main Street Blues', 'Two Step des Condamnés' and '16 Tons'. Before we go any further together with this review, go listen to all of these!
Brilliant, aren't they? Certainly some of the best music my jaded ears have heard in years, bar none. What's really weird for me is how much they sound like (I kid you not!) the Red Clay Ramblers. I never though I'd hear a band anywhere that sound like the RCR, a band I consider among the best ever to record. Now, it's not precisely correct to say (as Brendan Foreman said in his review) that the Red Clay Ramblers span 'practically the whole Americana gamut from the New England sound and old-time country to cathouse jazz and vaudeville, and even a little bluegrass here and there. Rather coming across as a chaotic patchwork, though, this collection of music feels like a unified masterpiece, not the least through the sheer enthusiasm and top-notch musicianship of the Ramblers themselves.' But the Red Stick Ramblers accurately say they 'play a mixture of Cajun fiddle tunes, Western Swing, traditional jazz of the 1920s and 1930s alongside a steadily growing number of tradition-inspired originals. Based in Southern Louisiana, they build upon the songs of seminal fiddlers like Dennis McGee and Dewey Balfa, along with jazz and country swing bandleaders such as Bob Wills and Django Reinhardt, finding a common thread of danceable rhythms and strong, elegant melodies.'
More years ago than I care to admit, I was a contradancer. Due to a motorcycle accident that wrecked one of my knees, I am no longer. But the Red Stick Ramblers definitely had my toes tapping. It didn't surprise to see on their site that 'The Ramblers had been nominated for two 2004 Offbeat Magazine Magazine Best of the Beat Music Awards, 'Best Cajun Band of 2003' and 'Best Cajun Album of 2003'', as they are one of the finest sounding cajun bands I've heard, easily as good as the early incarnation of Beausoleil was. (Go read Gary Whitehouse's review of Beausoleil's 1976 CD, Arc de Triomphe Two Step, to see how good they could be early on. That group, in my opinion, was not one that got better with age.) And though their version of gypsy jazz ain't as good as Django Reinhardt himself -- who is? --, they are every bit as good as such masters as Kalman Balogh and the Gypsy Cimbalom Band or KlezRoym.
Yes, I know -- it sounds like a lot of unrelated musical styles that can't possibly blend together in any way that would make sense. I agree, but somehow it works just fine. As Linda Ronstadt, singer par excellence who was in the Stone Poneys, says on the Memphis International Records site, 'The Red Stick Ramblers are pure joy. They're a great band, crafty songwriters and faithful interpreters of the most authentic Cajun traditions.' I couldn't possibly say it better myself.
This CD is so good that we're going to buy -- yes, buy -- two tickets to their performance here this spring, as I'm very much looking forward to hearing them play live. I expect it will be one of the best concerts I've heard, if they are anywhere near as good live as they are recorded!
