BEAUSOLEIL MAKES VANGUARD RECORDS DEBUT WITH GITANE CAJUN, THEIR FIRST STUDIO ALBUM SINCE 1999

ALBUM INSTORES SEPTEMBER 14

SANTA MONICA, CA -- On September 14, BeauSoleil, one of the best known and most highly respected Cajun bands in the world, will make their Vanguard Records debut with the release of Gitane Cajun. Produced by Michael Doucet, David Doucet and David Egan, Gitane Cajun is the band’s first studio album since 1999’s Grammy nominated Cajunization. Including original Cajun Gypsy tunes (a first), new Cajun two-steps and traditional waltzes, new ballads, early swamp pop, new Cajun swing tunes, Zydeco classics, and heartfelt modern Medieval tunes, the album gives you BeauSoleil at its best.

Recorded in just four days (March 23-27, 2004) at Dockside Studios in Milton, Louisiana by Curry Weber and Bill Bennett, Gitane Cajun features nine original compositions by Michael Doucet and pays homage to deceased music masters with the inclusion of songs from Canray Fontentot, whom Michael Doucet recorded with, Boozoo Chavis, a great originator of the rural Zydeco sound, and Lawrence Walker, a phenomenal accordion player and composer who sang both in English and French during the 1950s-60s. The title, Gitane Cajun, represents the Cajun French culture’s ability to "go with the flow" while maintaining the synthesize of the Acadian ancestry that has remained in North America since 1604. "The French music that is played today in Southwest Louisiana is a great example of the ‘gypsy’ culture that had been uprooted from Nova Scotia in 1755, and found its home in the bayous of Louisiana," says Michael Doucet. The greatest homage paid to the masters is found in the original composition titled "Me and Dennis." "Known as the ‘godfather’ of the Cajun fiddle, I spent many hours with him learning, playing and touring in the 1970s and 80s. It is with great craftsmanship that a new fiddle tune can incorporate the nuances of such a unique individual," says Doucet.

Since its early beginning, BeauSoleil "continues to bring the traditions, sometimes kicking and screaming, up to date" (Los Angeles Times). Led by one ferociously talented fiddler, singer/songwriter, Michael Doucet, beside him, his brother David, one of roots music’s most innovative guitarists, the traditional Cajun accordion of Jimmy Breaux (grandson of Cajun accordion pioneer Amedee Breaux), drummer Tommy Alesi and percussionist Billy Ware provide a rich, rhythmic texture, while Al Tharp contributes everything from banjo to bass to second fiddle. For more than a quarter-century, BeauSoleil has played concert halls, festivals, and dances around the world; been featured on film and television soundtracks; garnered nine Grammy nominations and won a Grammy in 1997 for L’amour ou la Folie. The band has appeared on countless major television and radio shows, often providing spellbound viewers and listeners with their first taste of Cajun music. It’s no wonder A Prairie Home Companion’s Garrison Keillor called his frequent guests "the best Cajun band in the world."

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