Cajun music in celebration of the
French spirit of joie de vivre.
The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band
Saturday, April 11, 2015, 8:30 PM
Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Rd.
The Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band continues a Cajun French
tradition of Acadian music as genuine as can be found in the 21st century. Marc
Savoy (accordion, vocals), wife Ann Savoy (guitar,
frequent lead vocals), and Michael Doucet of BeauSoleil
(fiddle, vocals) comprise the trio, which has been performing
and recording together since 1977. They bring the raw energy of the dancehalls
of southwest Louisiana to the stage, peppered with humorous and informative
anecdotes about life on the Louisiana prairies.
The instrument Marc Savoy plays in the band is an Acadian accordion of his
own manufacture. He has been making accordions since 1960, and builds them in
his own shop – the Savoy Music Center, in Eunice, Louisiana.
Savoy-Doucet has recorded five CDs on the Arhoolie label.
They have traveled all over the world, appearing in many prestigious venues,
including the Newport Folk Festival, the Berlin Jazz Festival, the Festival of
American Fiddle Tunes at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Geographic
Concert Series and the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, England. The United
States Department of State has taken them on numerous tours, featured them in
national festivals, and awarded Marc Savoy the National Heritage Fellowship
Award – the highest honor in the country for traditional artists. Michael
Doucet was awarded a Grammy for his work with his other band, Beausoleil. Ann
Savoy was awarded the Botkin Book Award for her definitive book on the history
of Cajun music, and she recently appeared as a musician in the film Divine
Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.
Although the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band insists upon maintaining a more
acoustic approach to Cajun music the band can hold its own amongst Cajun music
lovers everywhere. In fact, the band loves seeing how much power and sound they
can get out of just three instruments.
Each member of the band can play numerous instruments and they sometimes
trade instruments during stage performances. Early French ballads are added to
the program to show other historic elements prevalent in early southwest
Louisiana. Between the songs, the Cajun French poetry of the songs is often
briefly translated by Ann so that the feeling can be better understood. Their
repertoire is chosen carefully – popular dancehall tunes interspersed with
soulful ballads, fiddle or vocal duets, or blues. The songs show the spectrum
of Cajun life from sorrow and lost love to nonsense and the joy of dance.
It should be noted that the
correct pronunciation of Savoy-Doucet is that of the French, i.e.: Savoy:
Sah-Vwah; Doucet: Doo-Say. In both cases, the accent is on the 2nd of the two
syllables.
During the full month of April, FLA-FRA
(Florida-France), a Tigertail project in its second year,
celebrates art from France, Florida and the
Francophone world. FLA-FRA, a community-wide fête of dynamic, robust
concerts, films, pop-up performances and other events happens throughout Miami
at theaters and unexpected locations. Dispersed throughout the month are daily
sunrise meditations, Django Gypsy music, Miami artist-created five-minute
Culture Clicks, French Cajun music, Cocteau films, contemporary African dance
from the Ivory Coast, chasse au trésor (a treasure hunt) – quixotic, fun,
events reflective of Miami and the French spirit of joie de vivre.
Most events are free.
Direct
support for FLA-FRA comes from:
the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part of its Knight Arts
Challenge. The Knight Arts Challenge funds the best ideas for bringing Miami
together with the arts.; FUSED: French U.S. Exchange in Dance, a program of the
New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, the Cultural
Services of the French Embassy in the United States, and FACE (French American
Cultural Exchange), with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional funding from the
Florence Gould Foundation; The French Embassy Cultural Services and the
Consulate General of France in Miami; Books & Books; City of Miami Beach
Arts in the Parks; City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts
Council; Miami Beach Cinematheque; ArtCenter/South Florida; Miami-Dade County
Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners;
Miami Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black Box; The Law Offices of Linda M.
Smith; and Bresaro Suites at the Mantell Plaza; Greater Miami Convention and
Visitors Bureau; Mad Studios; Miami-Dade College, Kendall Campus; South Arts;
State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the
Florida Council on Arts and Culture; The Related Group; TV5Monde; WDNA &
WLRN FM.
Season
partners and supporters for our 35th season include: Aquarius Press; ArtBurst; ArtCenter/South Florida; The
Betsy Hotel; Books & Books; Brave New Voices; Bresaro Suites; The Childre's
Trust; Cinedans; City of Miami Beach Cultural Affairs Program, Cultural Arts
Council; William J. and Isobel G. Clarke Foundation; Consulate General of
France; Consulate General of the Netherlands; E.S. Moore Family Foundation;
Films on the Beach; France Foundation; FUSED: French U.S. Exchange in Dance, a
program of the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project, the
Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, and FACE (French
American Cultural Exchange), with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable
Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional funding from the
Florence Gould Foundation; The Galler Group; Greater Miami Convention and
Visitors Bureau; Inkub8; John S. & James L. Knight Foundation; Mad Studios;
Magic City Casino; MiamiArtZine; Miami Beach Botanical Garden; Miami Beach Cinematheque;
Miami-Dade College, Kendall Campus; Miami-Dade County Auditorium On.Stage Black
Box; Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Mayor and Board
of County Commissioners; Miami-Dade County Public Library; Miami-Dade County
Public Schools; National Performance Network (NPN) Performance Residency
Program; Netherlands-America Foundation; PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP; PAMM;
Publix Super Markets Charities; Safe Schools South Florida; The Law Office of
Linda M. Smith; South Arts; State of Florida, Department of State, Division of
Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; The Miami
Foundation; The Related Group; TV5Monde; WDNA & WLRN FM; Wells Fargo and
our many private supporters.
Tigertail
Productions, founded in Miami in
1979, is Florida's pioneer of innovative cultural work, and produces a full
season of contemporary performance, along with projects in the literary and
visual arts. Also see Tigertail's Facebook page for occasional updates – www.facebook.com/tigertailmiami.
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