How much joy does zydeco music bring?
Terrance Simien never stopped smiling throughout his 2-hour performance Friday evening at Fitzgerald's nightclub in Berwyn.
Simien began the evening with a few short songs before announcing that it was time to get real with some zydeco music. He took out his accordion while his bandmate strapped on a washboard, and the tempo picked up. The audience responded, moving from their seats to the dance floor.
Simien was born into an old Louisiana Creole family and began playing zydeco music at an early age. Five decades and two Grammy Awards later, he is still loving it. On this night, he paused only occasionally to highlight his backing band - drums, keyboards, bass guitar, saxophone, and trumpet - or to show off his Grammy trophy or toss beads into the crowd. All six instrumentalists were excellent, but the bass player and saxophone player particularly impressed.
He interspersed with his compositions cover songs, such as Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry," Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With" (he told us that one was for the hippies in the audience), and a soulful version of Professor Longhair's "Big Chief."
At one point, half the band left the stage and snaked through the audience, playing their instruments. It felt like a New Orleans festival.
For an encore, the band pleased with "Amazing Grace," followed by "Shout" and a medley of "Down by the Riverside," "Amen," and "This Little Light of Mine."
By the end of the evening, everyone was smiling.