I had a toe-tapping good time at a Creole Stomp concert at Theatre at the Center. I’d seen one of their shows in 2019 and loved it, so I jumped on the chance to see them again. The concert felt a little like going to a party on the bayou.
Their music captures the spirit of Louisiana – moving easily from zydeco to a Cajun reel to Creole blues to jazz improvisations. Some of the songs they played were familiar to the audience like Iko Iko and Jambalaya (recorded by Hank Williams). Others, like Jolie Blonde, Gardez Donc, Down Yonder and Pipeliners Blues, not so much.
Creole Stomp is led by Dennis Stroughmatt, a French-speaking accordionist and fiddler. Most of the Cajun zydeco music required the accordion, the Creole blues, the fiddle. Many of the songs were things Stroughmatt learned while playing with the Savoy Family Band. He credits fiddle-player Doc Watson for showing him how to be a better fiddle player.
Stroughmatt was joined by Robert Russell playing lead guitar, Greg Bigler on the bass and Jimmy Willis on drums. Both Russell and Bigler joined in on many of the vocals.
