Varise Conner
Louisiana Folk Masters Series
Louisiana Crossroads Records
Compact Disc
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BOOK SUMMARY
"The greatest [previously] unrecorded Cajun musician."
Submit a book reviewBOOK SYNOPSIS
Varise Conner (1906-1994) has been called the "greatest unrecorded Cajun musician." Now, with the release of "Varise Conner," the first title in the Louisiana Folk Master Series, music lovers everywhere have an opportunity to hear a man whose music has long been the stuff of legend.
The album brings together 72 minutes of previously unissued recordings from the Archives of Cajun And Creole Folklore at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The source tapes were recorded in the 1970s by renowned folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet. He recorded Conner as he played music at his home with family and friends. From hours of recordings, the producers of the album have selected essential renditions of waltzes, two-steps, blues, rags, a mazurka and a polka. This ground-breaking, 36-song collection also includes the "Lake Arthur Stomp," performed by its originator. In addition to the musical selections, the album also features the influential fiddler reminiscing in French and English. Many of Conner's' stories provide fascinating insights into the roots of modern Cajun music.
The CD project is the first on Louisiana Crossroads Records, a new record label launched by the Acadiana Arts Council and the Lafayette Economic Development Authority. This innovative collaboration aims to capitalize on community assets while building greater infrastructure for the region's burgeoning cultural economy.
"The University archives are an important resource," says John Laudun, Associate Director of the Center for Louisiana Studies and one of the album's Executive Producers. "The Louisiana Folk Masters Series was created to feature performances of amazing quality and content. We plan to release many more professionally created archival recordings of master artists playing at home, talking with family and friends between songs and swapping stories. These albums are really a unique form of cultural immersion. People listening to these discs will be transported into the homes of these musicians and get a much broader appreciation for how Louisiana's world-famous music is created and handed down."
"Louisiana Folk Masters: Varise Conner" was edited and mastered by Tony Daigle, who's worked on numerous Grammy-winning projects. Grammy nominated art director Megan Barra produced the deluxe package, which includes liner notes by Michael Doucet, David Greely, Carl Brasseaux and Barry Jean Ancelet as well as beautiful, historic portraiture by noted Louisiana artist Elemore Morgan, Jr.
"When we began this project more than two years ago, our goal was to produce materials of the highest quality to complement and contextualize the stunning recordings in the archives' holdings," says Todd Mouton, Louisiana Crossroads Director and the other Executive Producer of the disc. "This initial release is a great example of what's possible with hard work and dedication, and through wide-ranging collaboration. We were especially thrilled to work with Michael Doucet and David Greely on this initial release, because they've already done so much to advance Conner's musical legacy. The fact that they were both students of his style and now are two of Louisiana's pre-eminent fiddlers speaks volumes about how significant these recordings are."
Director of The Center for Louisiana Studies Carl Brasseaux has guided the Louisiana Folk Masters project since its inception. "When Barry started this work 30 years ago, we knew we wanted to make these valuable source materials as widely available as possible," Brasseaux says. "This release is just the first step in what we hope will be a larger dialogue with the community. There are more relatively unknown artists like Varise Conner out there. We hope that folks will come forward with their own recordings and allow us to include them in the Archives, so all of Louisiana's folk masters have a chance to be heard and appreciated."
BOOK EXCERPTS
1. Valse --†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Milton (2:10)
2. Polka --†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Varise (1:46)
3. Drunkards Waltz (1:15)
4. Kentucky (1:31)
5. La Caroline (:53)
6. Lake Arthur Shuffle (1:07)
7. Jimmy Bryant's Waltz (1:33)
8. Aguillard Two-Step (:50)
9. Andy's Waltz (1:07)
10. L'Histoire du violon de Varise (2:20)
11. St. Louis Blues (1:46)
12. You've Got to See Mama Ev'ry Night (Or You Can't See Mama at All) (1:34)
13. Creole Waltz (1:10)
14. Ch--†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¨re Bouclette (2:19)
15. La Mazurka d'Eugene Michon (:56)
16. R--†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ªve du Diable (1:23)
17. Hobson (1:30)
18. Down South (2:59)
19. Lake Arthur Stomp (2:06)
20. Sawmill Two-Step (1:57)
21. Lake Arthur Two-Step (1:44)
22. Valse --†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Abe (1:32)
23. Valse --†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ Elise Mallet (1:19)
24. La Malheureuse (1:57)
25. Sabine Blues (2:22)
26. Perrodin Two-Step (1:23)
27. Old Cajun Waltz (2:22)
28. Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin (2:53)
29. Bascom Mouton Remembered (2:11)
30. J'ai --†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚©t--†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚© au bal (1:19)
31. Grand Mamou (2:04)
32. Grand Basile (1:33)
33. Ch--†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¨re Bassette (1:35)
34. Goodnight Waltz (2:25)
35. Sawmill Rag (1:02)
36. Varise Conner Rag (1:12)
37. Memphis Blues (1:37)
38. Chacoter (1:13)
39. Varise Remembers (5:13)
SUGGESTED LINKS
Louisiana Crossroads Records
BOOK REVIEWS
The Center for Louisiana Studies
Review from The Independent, September 15, 2004
by Scott Jordan
Fiddler Varise Conner was part of the storied line-up of the first Festivals Acadiens in 1974, then dubbed the Tribute to Cajun Music Festival. As headliners such as Dewey Balfa, Jimmy C. Newman, and Bois Sec Ardoin performed sets that helped shine a new spotlight on indigenous south Louisiana music, Conner was perfectly content contributing in an unassuming way, accompanying fellow fiddler and friend Lionel Leleux and accordionist Marc Savoy. That was Conner's personality; he had no designs on being a star, instead focusing on his carpentry, his family, and playing the occasional dance.
Conner died in 1994, but to his peers and Cajun music aficionados, he remains an unsung hero. Now thanks to a collaboration between Louisiana Crossroads Records, UL Lafayette's Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore, the Acadiana Arts Council and the Lafayette Economic evelopment Authority, Conner's music and story is ensured immortality. A new CD, "Louisiana Folk Masters: Varise Connor," is Louisiana Crossroads Records' debut release, and it's nothing short of stunning. The music consists of Conner interviews and field recordings at his Lake Charles home made by folklorist Barry Ancelet from 1975-1977, digitally remastered with pristine clarity by renowned Lafayette engineer Tony Daigle.
Equally impressive is the CD packaging. In today's era of cost-cutting at most record labels, Louisiana Crossroads Records produced a project that rivals the work of veteran reissue labels such as Rhino Records. The list of contributors to the project reads like a roll call of some of Lafayette's most creative minds: renowned photographer/painter Elemore Morgan Jr.; Grammy-nominated designer Megan Barra; Louisiana Crossroads Director Todd Mouton; UL Center for Louisiana Studies Director Carl Brasseaux and Associate Director John Laudun; and master contemporary fiddlers Doucet and The Mamou Playboys' David Greely. Through a brilliant combination of design, photos, and essays, the 28-page deluxe booklet lovingly illuminates Conner's legacy and music - giving even Conner devotees such as Greely a new appreciation for his gifts.
In his signature song, "Lake Arthur Stomp," and the 35 additional songs that make up the CD, including "Perrodin Two-Step" and "Sabine Blues," Conner's fiddle playing resonates with an airy and lilting sweetness, standing in stark contrast to the rough, visceral playing of counterparts such as Dennis McGee. His fiddle and bow work seem to defy the laws of physics, as Conner was a physically imposing giant of a man who probably could have snapped a fiddle in two with ease.
For everyone involved in the Louisiana Folk Masters: Varise Conner CD, the ultimate reward is being able to preserve and promote Conner's legacy for future generations. "For years, younger fiddlers would ask me, 'Do you have recordings of Varise?," says Greely. "It was a luxury to go through these recordings and find the best version of every song; we had three to five versions of every song. Now all the guys who've heard about Varise are going to get a chance to hear him."
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 149
Copyright: 2004
Binding: Other
No. of Pages: 28
