CEDRIC WATSON & COREY HARRIS

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that two ultra-talented, hugely curious, phenomenally music-literate musicians have teamed up to stir a plethora of musical spices into a shared gumbo. Needless to say, its gonna be tasty. 

Spearheading the emerging generation of Cajun and Creole musicians, CEDRIC WATSON is a fiddler, vocalist, accordionist and songwriter of enormous talent and regard, resurrecting the ancient sounds of the French and Spanish contra dance and bourré alongside the spiritual rhythms of the Congo tribes of West Africa, who were sold as slaves in the Carribean and Louisiana by the French and Spanish. Heavy on personality and ingenuity, Watson’s unique take on traditional Creole music expands the genre, while respecting its roots. All his albums have been nominated for Grammys. Moving with ease between fiddle and accordion, and boasting soul-tinged vocals, Cedric’s music is a tapestry of pulsing rhythms and Creole poetry encompassing everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to modern Cajun and Zydeco songs to original tunes written on his double row Hohner accordion that channel his African, French, Native and Spanish ancestry. Also, he’s super fun live.

Acclaimed bluesman COREY HARRIS has been a street singer in New Orleans, a musical guest for a year in West Africa (an experience documented in 2003’s Mississippi to Mali album and on the Scorsese film Feel Like Going Home), a musician and writer on Wilco’s classic Mermaid Avenue albums of rediscovered Woody Guthrie songs, a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship’s “genius award,” and a collaborator with the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Tracy Chapman, and Dave Matthews. The singer-guitarist’s deep blues journey began with his 1995 debut album Between Midnight and Day, topical songs bursting with relevance, yet steeped in tradition and informed by his musical explorations, which have expanded over the decades to include reggae, Piedmont blues, Malian traditional music, Creole flavors, and even hip-hop. Corey’s performances at early Thirsty Ear Festivals are near legendary, and it’s a thrill to welcome him back.

$27 advance, $30 door, no opener. Doors 60 minutes before show.