Louisiana Saturday Night
by Alex V Cook
Buy on AmazonMusic critic Alex V. Cook uncovers south Louisiana's wellspring of musical tradition, showing us that indigenous music is not an artifact to be salvaged by preservationists, but a living, breathing, singing, laughing, and crying part of Louisiana culture. Louisiana Saturday Nights takes the reader to both offbeat and traditional venues in and around Baton Rouge, Cajun country, and New Orleans, where we hear the distinctive voices of musicians, patrons, and owners -- like Teddy Johnson, born in the house that now serves as Teddy's Juke Joint. Along the way, Cook ruminates on the cultural importance of the people and places he encounters, and shows their critical role in keeping Louisiana's unique music alive.
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"Alex is one of those guys where if you are driving down a little country road and you see a little sign and it advertises some kind of nightclub or dance hall he will have been there. He spent a good amount of time researching all these tiny local dance halls. Some of them are Cajun; some of them are rhythm and blues. Many of them are on the outskirts of New Orleans in south Louisiana. He just immersed himself in this culture, travelling around getting to know the owners and the customers. He wrote what is essentially a guidebook crossed with a travelogue of these places. Some of them really are like travelling back in time. They hark back to 40 or 50 years ago and they are still there to be enjoyed. Whenever you get juke joint in the name that is a good sign that it will be somewhere interesting. Teddy’s – from what I understand – certainly lives up to the legend of what you expect in a country juke joint. It is going to be a little bit ramshackle for sure. Not a whole lot will have been spent on the sound system or lights, but it will have an owner who is very hands-on and is there to make sure everyone has a good time. There will be a jukebox but they will also have live music on a regular basis. Sometimes the owner will act as the DJ and even though it might look a little scary from the outside it will be a lot of fun once you get in."
The Music of New Orleans · fivebooks.com