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BEAUSOLEIL AVEC MICHAEL DOUCET

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016
5:00 PM
CHESTER MEETING HOUSE

SPONSORED BY FIRST NIAGARA BANK

About BeauSoleil

BeauSoleil’s distinctive sound derives from the distilled spirits of New Orleans jazz, blues, rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass, captivating listeners from the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans to Carnegie Hall and across the world.

In 1998, BeauSoleil was the first Cajun band to win a Grammy. They won a second Grammy in 2010 and have had 12 Grammy nominations. We’ve all heard BeauSoleil on Garrison Keillor’s NPR show A Prairie Home Companion, where Keillor has dubbed them the “best Cajun band in the world.”

For 37 years, their leader Michael Doucet has been defined by his deep connection with, and dedication to, the music of the sacred French-Cajun culture. A Folk Arts Apprenticeship from the National Endowment of the Arts spurred Doucet to seek out every surviving Cajun musician and learn from them in person. In 2005 the National Endowment of the Arts again recognized Doucet’s integral involvement with the Cajun world, awarding him the esteemed National Heritage Fellowship. Two years later he won a United States Artists Fellowship.

The Boston Globe brilliantly noted, “The remarkable thing about Cajun revivalists BeauSoleil is that they are still inviting us to ask what’s new. This ensemble finds freshness not by infusing vintage styles with contemporary sonics, but with vibrant, thoughtful fusions.”

Indeed their presentation of newness combining with reverence of tradition is the heart of the band. “People know Cajun music as being from Southwest Louisiana but it has influences from Nova Scotia, France, delta blues, the islands and the traditional improvisational aspects of New Orleans. We’re always pushing that envelope,” commented Doucet. “All the songs are different – there aren’t two songs that sound remotely alike though they are played with the same set of instruments. That comes from these rebellious hearts we have always had. We’ve always taken chances. To attempt to create great music of any kind, one has to take chances.”

Program will be announced from the stage.
There will be one intermission.

At the conclusion of the program, members of the audience are invited to meet the artists in a reception and share refreshments generously donated by Dough on Main.