UpRiver Fais Do-Do starring the Chicago Cajun Aces with the New Riverside Ramblers

Fais Do-Do, meaning "go to sleep" in French, is a dance tradition in Louisiana whereby adults dance long into the night after the kids fall asleep around the dance floor. But even the kids will have trouble snoozing as this Fais Do-Do promises to be a night of rockin' rhythms. This rare opportunity to hear the veteran Chicago Cajun Aces outside the Chicago area shouldn't be missed.Long before the aroma of blackened fish or the Cajun back-beat ever reached the Twin Cities, Charlie Terr had mastered the Cajun accordion. Following Dewey Balfa's 1967 appearance at the University of Chicago Folk Festival, he invited Charlie to visit him in Louisiana where Charlie started playing the accordion. He studied initially with Rodney Balfa and nearly 40 years ago became the one of the first non-Cajuns to capture the essence of their music. Over the last 18 years, many a burgeoning accordionist has studied under Charlie during the Cajun/Creole Weeks at West Virginia's Augusta Heritage Center absorbing his articulate, but passionate style. Long recognized as one of the best on the squeeze box, Charlie has played with numerous Cajun giants, including the Balfa Brothers, Nathan Abshire, Bois Sec Ardoin, Eddie LeJuene, The Sundown Playboys, Canray Fontenot, D. L. Menard, Lionel LeLeux, and Marc Savoy.

John Terr was introduced to Cajun music by his brother Charlie. As he puts it, "I came to visit in 1975, and Charlie said I could stay if I'd learn to play Cajun guitar." He was hooked and followed his initiation with a three-month sojourn to Louisiana in the mid-1970's to stay and study guitar with Rodney Balfa. As Cajun music had not yet spread outside Louisiana, John had the unique opportunity to absorb the distinctive Balfa guitar style before Rodney's untimely death in 1979. The influences of Shirley Bergeron, Hubert Maitre, and D.L. Menard also emerge as John's steadfast rhythm keeps the dancers moving through two-steps, waltzes and the blues. John migrated to Chicago, and in 1984 the Terr brothers formed their first Cajun band. John and his brother were invited to perform with renowned Cajun songwriter and fiddler Adam Hebert on Louisiana Public Radio's "Rendez-vous des Cajuns" in Eunice, Louisiana, recognition bestowed on few non-natives. John now resides in the Twin Cities and can be heard regularly with the Cajun Hotsoles.

One of the biggest challenges to non-native musicians is mastery of the Cajun dialect, and no one delivers the soul of Cajun lyrics with more authenticity than Will Whedbee. Not only will his vocals catapult the listener to the dance halls of Louisiana, his fiddling is true to the styles of old-timers Dennis McGee and J.B. Fuselier. Will first encountered Cajun music at a performance of Dewey Balfa's band at the 1985 Chicago Folk Festival, and as he recounts "It felt like I belonged to the music." He dove right in and within months was a founding member of the Chicago Cajun Aces. Both Will and Charlie are regarded as adopted sons in Cajun country, and their musicianship has earned them recognition as an "Honorary Cajuns".

Holly Whedbee's fiddling adds the captivating sound of twin fiddles, a hallmark of the best in Cajun traditions. She was first exposed to the Cajun sound by bandmates, Charlie and Will, but learned her first licks from Dewey Balfa and Tracy Schwartz. She didn't stop at fiddling, and Holly's inspired vocals are a real treat as few women have tackled that role in or beyond Louisiana. You'd have to travel all the way to Louisiana to hear it any better.
Opening for the Aces will be the Twin Cities' own New Riverside Ramblers, with dance instruction at 7:30, and Ramblers Paul Loughridge and Karl Smelker will round out the Aces rhythm section. Recordings by members of both bands have earned the Prix Dehors de Nous from the Cajun French Music Association, an annual award by Cajun musicians for the best Cajun recording outside of Louisiana. The night promises the best the Upper Mississippi has to offer, and in the words of the The Times of Acadiana, Lafayette, Louisiana ". . . who knew the bayous went all the way up to Minnesota? "

$6 seniors/children age 5-12

To buy tickets

Call Cedar ticket line 612-338-2674 ext 2

Free lesson at 7:30--8pm