Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic
Live in Alaska
When you think of zydeco, you think of sweaty dancehalls in rural Louisiana or funky dives in New Orleans. You don’t think of Alaska. To Corey Ledet, the Anchorage Folk Festival felt like the perfect venue to record his first official live album (there are authorized soundboard recordings available of sets at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival available if you know where to look). Zydeco is party music, and there is no reason accordion-fueled swamp rock won’t light up the night, even in the shadow of glaciers.
Corey was born in Houston, Texas, but connected to his Creole roots spending summers in Louisiana with relatives. He caught the zydeco bug and has been been taking the music worldwide through constant touring and 15 highly regarded albums. Like his predecessors, Clifton Chiener and Buckwheat Zydeco, Ledet’s music is rooted in the Louisiana Creole traditions, while at the same time bringing in elements for pop, funk, reggae, and whatever feels right.
The recording from the Anchorage Folk Festival is a loose and funky set. Corey and his accordion (Black Magic) guide his supple backing band through a set that showcases his many influences. The set opens with his mission statement, “This Is All I Want,” where he proclaims his desire to just play music for you. “I Just Want to be Your Lovin’ Man” highlights the blues influence on his music. “Alaska Funk” is a loose, funk jam made up on stage for the Anchorage audience. Most of the songs are sung in English, but he does rock out on several songs sung in a Louisiana Creole dialect.
America is an amazing country made up of many different traditions. Right now, we’re being divided by people hating on each other for no good reason. It doesn’t have to be this way. As Corey says on the jazzy “Creole Cruising,” “I know we’re in some crazy times right now, but I think with just a little bit of love, we’ll be alright.”
