La Bastringue – Til Louis GO1623 – recorded 1985

La Bastringue:

Jes Kroman – Violin/one row accordion feet, vocal
Ole Pettersson – Guitar, vocal
Lars Christensen –  2-row accordion, sticks, vocal
Thomas Olorénshaw Piano, vocal
Cover: Ole Pettersson
Cover foto: Jes Kromann

Da jeg – sidst i 1970erne – første gang hørte en LP med spillemanden Louis Beaudoin fra Burlington i Vermont, forstillede jeg mig ikke at det skulle føre til dette bånd, men også senere ændre mit liv radikalt. Fakta er, at jeg dengang blev så glad for Louis og hans musik, at jeg næsten glemte den danske folkemusik.
Det var dengang en lang kamp for at finde materialet. Der var jo intet internet, så i første omgang betød det fra 1981 tre ture til Paris, hvor jeg blev mødt af Francine Reeves som nænsomt førte mig ind i den fransk canadiske musikverden. Senere flere ture til Quebec, hvor jeg mødte de bedste af de bedste musikere. Dette møde betyder, at jeg i dag betragter Quebec som mit andet hjem og mange af musikerne der som min familie.
I begyndelsen var det en kamp at gøre danske musikere interesserede i denne her nye og ukendte musik. Vi startede i det små og tingene udviklede sig efterhånden. Efter flere forsøg fik vi samlet gruppen La Bastringue og interessen for ”la musique quebecoise” eksploderede nærmest mellem fingerne på mig,  og nu i 2023 spilles Louis Beaudoin, Louis Boudreault, Jos Bouchard, Joseph Allard og andre stadig over det ganske land.

Dette bånd blev til under La Bastringues turne på Færøerne i Juni 1985.
Desværre nåede jeg aldrig at møde Louis selv, idet han døde inden jeg kom til Quebec og Vermont første gang. Men da vi lavede den oprindelige optagelse, var tanken at lade dette bånd være en forsinket tak til Louis Beaudoin, som har sat så meget i gang i Danmark.
Tak LOUIS!

Jes Kroman 19. Marts 2023

English text

When – in the late 1970s – I first heard an LP with the fiddler Louis Beaudoin from Burlington, Vermont, I did not imagine that it would lead to this tape, but also later change my life radically. The fact is that at the time I was so fond of Louis and his music that I almost forgot the Danish folk music.
It was then a long struggle to find the material. There was no internet, so initially from 1981 it meant three trips to Paris, where I was met by Francine Reeves who gently led me into the French Canadian music world.
Later several trips to Quebec, where I met the best of the best musicians.
This meeting means that today I consider Quebec my second home and many of the musicians there my family.
In the beginning it was a struggle to get Danish musicians interested in this new and unknown music. We started small and things gradually developed.
After several attempts, we gathered the group LaBastringue and the interest in “la musique quebecoise” exploded almost between my fingers, and now in 2023 Louis Beaudoin, Louis Boudreault, Jos Bouchard, Joseph Allard and others are still played all over the country.
This recording was made during La Bastringue’s tour of the Faroe Islands in June 1985. 
Unfortunately, I never got to meet Louis himself, as he died before I came to Quebec and Vermont the first time. But when we did the original recording, the idea was to let this tape be a belated thank you to Louis Beaudoin, who has started so much in Denmark.
Thanks LOUIS!

Jes Kroman 19. Marts 2023