Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet with The Sweet Colleens
NEWSFLASH: BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET WIN IN THE 51ST GRAMMY AWARDS FOR BEST ZYDECO OR CAJUN ALBUM FOR: Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival! Since forming in 1975, Grammy winners BeauSoleil have claimed their undisputed role as the most esteemed Cajun group in music. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more into a delectable musical recipe. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil continues to captivate audiences the world over. On their brand new studio album Alligator Purse (Yep Roc) released last month, BeauSoleil's fearless captain Michael Doucet leads the next installment of his musical journey along the lifeline of Cajun music, this time with an all star crew including Natalie Merchant ("Little Darlin'"), Garth Hudson ("I've Spent All My Money Loving You") John Sebastian, Roswell Rudd, Bill Keith and others.
Doucet's notable friends help him bring the rich folk traditions of south Louisiana into the 21st century through the genius interplay of a new take on Cajun favorites ('Marie') and the 'Cajunization' of modern folk classics. A French language reworking of Bob Dylan's cover of Muddy Waters' classic "Rollin' & Tumblin'" ("Rouler et Tourner") and J.J. Cale's "The Problem" stand alongside Cajun and Creole history lessons like "Reel Cajun (451 St. Joseph St.)," "Les Oignons" and "Theogene Creole", originally sung for John and Alan Lomax's historic 1934 field recordings.
This new work continues a tradition of culturally significant output from Doucet and company. Doucet's solo work is distributed by Smithsonian Folkways records and Michael has received a grand from the National Endowment of the Arts for his work rediscovering the originators of early Cajun music.
Despite Doucet and the band's lofty intellectual pedigrees Alligator Purse is the funkiest history lesson ever created. It's a sweaty sweep through the lore of one of the most vital veins of America's musical heritage and a stark reminder that musical history is best served by a dance floor, not a museum.
The Sweet Colleens have mostly made a name for themselves with their rootsy interpretations of traditional Irish fare, but they also adeptly delve into other musical traditions, including Caribbean and Cajun. A few years ago, Michael Doucet took a liking to what he heard and paid The Sweet Colleens a huge favor by playing fiddle on several of the tracks on the group's second album Half A Mile From Home. Now The Sweet Colleens get to return the favor by opening the show tonight.
Tickets are on sale now from Cedar Ticketline (612-338-2674 ext 2), Cedar outlets, and online at Ticketweb.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS WILL BE A SEATED CONCERT. WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE THERE WILL BE ROOM FOR CAJUN DANCING.
Sponsored by 
"That's my kind of music!" - Bob Dylan, upon listening to BeauSoleil during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival“The remarkable thing about Cajun revivalists BeauSoleil is that...they are still inviting us to ask what’s new. BeauSoleil isn’t neo-...
Michael Doucet (born 1951) is a Cajun fiddler, singer and songwriter who founded the Cajun band BeauSoleil from Lafayette, Louisiana.
In 2005 Doucet was one of 12 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA...
The Sweet Colleens are Jeremy Greenhouse, Pete Sandvik, Dave Bade, Dave Bille, and Wolf Loescher — accomplished multi-instrumentalists who together fuse their diverse musical backgrounds into a high-energy, infectious, and crowd-pleasing mix of “Celtic folk-...
Major Funders
This activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008
