LITTLE PLEASURES OF LIFE (Out of Print)

Description

Although this is out of print, we can make a copy for you if you want one. Thanks. We still play quite often with Scott and Linda – They are great folks and fine musicians.

This recording of the Eclectico Wing of Bayou Seco, i.e. Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie, with long time musical friends and partners, Scott Mathis and Linda Askew, represents a tune patchwork of heirloom melodies. This music has been an important thread in our lives, intertwined with our other work of making violins (Ken), teaching fiddle(Jeanie), and building our house in Silver City (K&J), bidding jobs for construction companies and studying Italian mandolin music (Scott), working in Early Childhood Special Education (Linda), and playing music in the USA, England and France (all). Old tunes collected from the master musicians in our communities and new songs and tunes gleaned from our hearts, combine to make the unique sound that Bayou Seco has become well known for. That’s the way it’s always been for Bayou Seco.

1. Little Pleasures of Life – 2:50
2. Cababi to Cuba – 4:02
3. Mabel’s Waltz – 3:00
4. Git Along Little Dogies – 2:21
5. Santa Rosa Processional – 4:27
6. Going Away/ Moonlight Chotis – 5:20
7. Chile Verde – 3:00
8. Linda’s Valse Linda – 2:55
9. Forky Deer – 3:35
10. Mercredi Soir Passe/ Reel de Marcantel – 3:41
11. Polka de Rapho – 3:01
12. The Thing That Makes You Beautiful – 4:09
13. Cleo’s Redondo/ Cuadrilla – 2:18
14. Josefinita/Toro de Once – 4:18
Total time: 49:40

All Rights Reserved © Bayou Seco 2000
All Compositions Public Domain unless otherwise noted.

1 Little Pleasures of Life – Jeanie wrote this song about the things that make her life special; eating together with the family, a warm bed in the middle of the night with the one you love, a fresh carrot pulled from the ground, goat cheese, red wine and good bread, sweet memories of your life held in your head, and the return to your house after a long trip. (© J. McLerie, Buvette Music BMI)
2 Cababi to Cuba – The first tune was one of the last we learned from from Elliott Johnson (d.1993), a great Tohono O’odham fiddler in Cababi, Arizona. He said it was called Rosalia. The Dm waltz and Cuna (cradle) were learned from 91 year old Vicente
Aragon (d.1996) in Cuba N.M.
3 Mabel’s Waltz – Ken and Jeanie used to sing this one for Mabel Savoy in Savoy, Louisiana. “I came and knocked at your door and you were not there. What hope have I?” We miss her and Joel.
4 Git Along Little Dogies – Ken and Jeanie learned this version from the wonderful old time fiddler Monroe Gilmore in Elida N.M.
5 Santa Rosa Processional – This exquisite tune comes from Elliott Johnson. It is the tune used as the Saint is paraded around the church on the town Saints day in Santa Rosa, a small town south of Casa Grande, AZ. The 3rd part had been forgotten, and Elliott made sure we learned it.
6 Going Away/Moonlight Chotis- The first song was written by U. Utah Puillips (© Bruce Phillips, On Strike Music, BMI) and the second is another wonderful O’odham melody from Elliott Johnson.
7 Chile Verde – A polka known as “Besos y Ceresos”, and from Kenny Hall’s “Fresno Chiles.” Jeanie wrote the SW flavoured words.
8 Linda’s Valse Linda – (The 2nd linda is pronounced in the Spanish way – leenda) This romantic tune was written by Scott for the lovely Linda, and cleverly means either Linda’s beautiful waltz, or beautiful Linda’s waltz.
9 Forky Deer – This 5 part version is from a fine old Tennessee fiddler, Charlie Bowman. We do like to play for square and contra dances.
10 Mercredi Soir Passe/Reel de Marcantel – Jeanie learned this Cajun version of Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot from a tape that Ann Savoy put together of field recordings of Edius Naquin. The reel is from Dennis McGee (d.1989), learned on the back porch of the Buvette, behind Marc and Ann Savoy’s house where Ken and Jeanie used to live on the Prairie Faiquitaique near Eunice, La.
11 Polka de Rapho – Scott wrote this Italian flavoured tune for Raphael Rangell, son of Paul and Emily, and a good fiddler in his own right.
12 The Thing That Makes You Beautiful – Jane Voss wrote this stunner. (© Obscure Origins Music, BMI – 122 N. Mesa Verde, Aztec N.M. 87410)
13 Cleo’s Redondo/Cuadrilla – K&J learned more than 75 tunes from Cleofes Ortiz (d.1996) during a 12 year friendship. He was one of N.M.’s great fiddlers and lived in Bernal, at the foot of Starvation Peak.
14 Josefinita/Toro de Once – (11th Bull) K&J learned the first tune from the great Purepecha fiddler, Don Pedro Dimas, in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico in 1988. The 2nd tune was learned at the Festival Of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Wash.

FRENCH WORDS
(PE) TITS PLAISIRS DE LA VIE
1. Toute la famille autour de la table, pain perdu avec sirop d’érable, danser, chanter et rire ensemble, les ‘tits plaisirs de la vie. Un pique-nique sur l’herbe avec une vieille amie, un bon lit chaud au milieu de la nuit, de l’eau très froide tirée du fond du puits, les ‘tits plaisirs de la vie.
2. Fromage de chèvre, du vin rouge et bon pain, le retour à la maison après un voyage très loin, les ‘tits…. La richesse dans l’âme, un coeur satisfait, la joie dans le matin d’un travail bien fait, les mémoires de la vie gardées dans la tête, les ‘tits plaisirs de la vie.

MABEL’S WALTZ – Quand j’ai arrivé hier au soir à la maison, j’ai cogné, j’ai crié mais pas de réponse. J’ai connu à c’moment, t’étais pas là. Mais quel espoir et quel avenir mais moi j’vas avoir ? Bambocheur, traînailleur et gros gambleur, c’est tout j’étais toute ma vie jusqu’au présent. Je t’ai promis, j’vas quitter tout ça, mais quel espoir et quel avenir mais moi j’vas avoir ?

MERCREDI SOIR PASSÉ –
1. Et où toi t’étais mercredi soir passé ? Après boire ce bon vin doux, après char avec une jolie fille qu’avait pris mon coeur à moi. Viens ma chère, casse pas mon coeur, faudra j’t’entends pleurer. tu connais c’est dur pour se séparer, pour séparer toi et moi. Oh, mais quand j’étais p’tit, j’aurais jamais cru d’avoir des larmes à jeter pour cette jolie fille.
2. Oh, écoute, j’entends le char(iot) qui vient, faudra j’prends mon ticket. Qui qui va mettre les ‘tits souliers ma chère, qui qui va mettre tes chers ‘tits gants, qui c’est qui va embrasser tes chères petites joues, quand moi j’vas être loin de toi ? Oui, mais oui, j’vas aller m’battre, j’vas aller m’battre, pour toi et mon pays, ouais ma chère c’est beaucoup dur.

The Musicians
JEANIE McLERIE – vocals and 5-string Keppeler/White fiddles (cfcgd & cgdae)
KEN KEPPELER – 1 & 3 row diatonic accordions, Keppeler fiddle, harmonica, vocal and Thornbird fretless banjo on 4
SCOTT MATHIS – Gregory mandolin & mandola, vocal on 6, harmony vocals
LINDA ASKEW – early 50’s J-45 Gibson guitar, vihuela on 11

The Bayou Seco family formed as an idea by Ken and Jeanie and became a band in 1982 with Paul Rangell and Emily Abbink. The band has remained a vital force in the Southwest through active collecting and befriending of the older musicians. Most of the music that this band plays is learned directly from people. Sometimes the band is totally acoustic, as on this disc, and sometimes wildly rocking with a heavy rhythm section, but the main thread is always the sheer joy of the music.

Recorded by Ken Keppeler – March – May, 2000 in Scott and Linda’s living room on a Denon DAT with an Audio technica stereo microphone. Tracks 8 And 11 recorded by Bob Ford on A-DAT.
Mastered by Quincy in Albuquerque, N.M