Jesse Lége and Bayou Brew Cajunize The Burren

The Burren
Back Room at The Burren
https://www.burren.com
247 Elm Street, Davis Square
Somerville, MA 02144
February 7, 2019

You could be blindfolded but when you hear that voice you know damn well that’s Jesse Lége singing. He’s in rarified territory in the voice department. Deeply sonorous, freighted with emotion that channels the pains and joys of his Cajun forebears, Jesse projects his music like an old soul, all the way back to the enormously emotive Améde Ardoin.

His piercing singing register comes physically from his voice box and his diaphragm but psychically from DNA rooted in a rural upbringing, no electricity, in a one room house deep in the prairie. The week’s entertainment – tuning in the Grand Ole Opry or The Louisiana Hayride if the batteries for the family’s transistor radio had enough juice.

This is not a pretend act. He was born at home near Gueydan, LA, was suckled on the sounds of music heard on the porch on Saturday nights under skies so black you could see all the way to the Milky Way, back in the days when electricity hadn’t reached the prairies of Louisiana.

Tonight he’s playing with his trusty band mates The Bayou Brew who bring their own Cajun sensibilities to the stage. Jesse’s as much a story teller as a singer. He’s an ambassador to Cajun culture, especially in places far flung from Louisiana, where his audience knows such history.In an accent as thick as a good roux,he’s likely to introduce a song with an anecdote, background about the song, and who first sang it. A good one tonight was his explanation of the subjects of many Cajun songs. "The Rayne Bounce" - getting the title since Rayne, LA, is called the "Frog Capital of the World".

Usually, to hear music like this you have to be at the Café des Amis in Breaux Bridge, LA, or the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette. Not tonight.

What a gift.

Photo, videos  by Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.

Band L to R

Darren Wallace, fiddle; Missy Roser, fiddle; Jesse Lége, Accordion; Erica Weiss, rhythm guitar; Evelyn Schneider, bass

Kudos to the manager of The Back Room, who cleared away enough tables for the roomful of dancers to whirl the night away while Jesse and Bayou Brew played from the stage.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o22q1cHuboE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=P9YxiHNg1Ro

MORE VIDEOS COMING AFTER FEBRUARY 21

 

 

Comments

[Jesse Lege]

Hi Paul, I was blown away at the write up you did on the “Farewell Alligator Man” show in Lafayette. Wonderful writing,to put it lightly. You have a way with the pen,mon Amis.

I just got the write you did on us at the Burren ,and OH BOY am I walking an inch taller for your complimentary words on the “Brew”...
If I can figure out how to put this on Facebook...without appearing too boastful...would you be okay with it?
I will of course give you full compliment & credit for it.

I’ve had a few write ups on me & even that they’ve been correct I never felt real easy with how they were put together. But admire your writing.
Thank You,👍🏼

[Paul A. Tamburello, Jr. aka PT from Boston]

Hi Jesse,
I believe we are both walking and inch taller after this pair of emails. As you can tell I admire your voice, musicianship, and deep connection with the culture from which it all comes. I am grateful for your comments.
Please feel free to send any stories along using any social media you want and thank you for giving me attribution.
I am probably one of the few people on the planet not on Facebook so I won’t see it but I will certainly appreciate it.
I look forward to the next time our paths cross.
A bientôt
PT