Yoo-Hoo from the Bayou from Johnette and Scott

American music casts a big shadow. There are many regional accents and generational evolutions, from folk music to jazz. Down in the Louisiana bayou, the creole cooking percolated with R&B, zydeco, and dixieland. Johnette Downing and Scott Billington have taken 20 years of firsthand experience to produce SWAMP ROMP, a collection of 16 Nawlins'-infused tracks.

The couple's roots are suitably and organically synched with the territory – Johnette growing up in the area listening to her parents and siblings playing ragtime in the French Quarter. Scott performed in New England coffeehouses working on his sound before meeting Johnette at a New Orleans music conference, leading to their marriage in 2013. There's a bouillabaisse of musicians contributing to the selections on SWAMP ROMP, from members of the Dukes of Dixieland, ReBirth Brass Band, and Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and such interestingly named individuals as "Washboard Chaz" Leary and Lee Allen Zeno (to pick a few).

SWAMP ROMP took five years to bring to fruition. For their labor of love,
Johnette and Scott provide both a sonic recreation of New Orleans as well as an education of the culture. "J'ai Vu Le Loup, Le Renard Et La Belette" retells on old French dance tune. "Bamboula Rhythm" recounts the African freed slaves who gathered to socialize. "How To Dress A Po' Boy" and its accompanying video could find a place on a cooking show, with an entree of "Crawfish Etouffée."

SWAMP ROMP comes with a booklet (if you get the physical CD) with descriptions and photos for each song. But the real attraction is the authenticity and simplicity of the music produced by Johnette and Scott, recorded at home in the bayou with longtime collaborator Steve Reynolds as recording engineer, and delivered directly to young audiences.

SWAMP ROMP is available on February 15 from Johnette and Scott's website, Amazon, and Apple Music.

Here is the brand new video for "Bamboula Rhythm":

Ben's Playlist - Friday, January 18, 2019

Can You Sing? – Dan Zanes
Animal Land – Bears And Lions
Peace Be To All – Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could
That's My Style – The Bazillions
Dozen Good Reasons – Danny Weinkauf
Swamp Romp – Johnette Downing With Scott Billington
Carefree – Frances England

Holiday Music Playlist, Johnette Downing's "How To Dress a Po'Boy" Video

Sugar Mountain PR, which represents a scary good number of children's musical artists, has released its 2018 holiday music playlist. It's available on Soundcloud and contains the following performers – 123 Andrés, Alphabet Rockers (with Genevieve Goings), Ants Ants Ants, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, Tim Kubart, Lisa Loeb, The Not-Its!, the Okee Dokee Brothers, Raffi, Ralph's World, Justin Roberts, Brady Rymer, Suzi Shelton, Trout Fishing in America, Key Wilde & Mr Clarke, and Kira Willey. It's live on Soundcloud, so go grab it!

Johnette Downing has gone cajun. For her 11th children's music CD, SWAMP ROMP (coming next February), Johnette spent five years in writing the material for the CD, the first recorded with her husband/producer Scott Billington, in New Orleans.

And if you're going down the bayou, you might as well bring along a bunch of top-notch supporting players. Guest artists on SWAMP ROMP include Irma Thomas, Roddie Romero, Joel Savoy, James Singleton, Doug Belote, Lee Allen Zeno, Matt Perrine, Wilson Savoy, Jake Eckert, C.R. Gruver, "Washboard Chaz" Leary, players in the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris and Kirk Joseph), the Dukes of Dixieland (Kevin Clark, Craig Klein and Tim Laughlin), the McCrary Sisters, and some of the ReBirth Brass Band (Keith Frazier and Derrick Tabb).

The first video from SWAMP ROMP comes with animation from the picture book of the same name, "How to Dress a Po'Boy":

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, May 23, 2013

Last First Kiss – One Direction
Peaceful – Cat Doorman
Four Presidents – Johnette Downing
Noite De Lembrar – Márcio Faraco
Snail Mail – Dean Jones
Love Song – Sara Bareilles
Bike  – Charity And The JAMband
Worms – Dog On Fleas
Wander 'Round the World – Key Wilde and Mr. Clarke
No Homework – The Bazillions

Ben's Playlist - Friday, April 26, 2013

Beautiful – Carly Rae Jepsen Feat. Justin Bieber
Brian Wilson – Barenaked Ladies
Carry On – fun.
Shrimp – Recess Monkey
Red – Taylor Swift
Groovy Day – Jambo
Heart Attack – Demi Lovato
I'm Your Boyfriend Now – They Might Be Giants
Four Presidents – Johnette Downing

Ben's Playlist - Thursday, November 1, 2012

We lost power on Monday afternoon.

Ben did not make a playlist for Tuesday because we could not power up the laptop anywhere.

Tuesday, I went to a friend's house and powered up and Ben made a playlist but we had no network connection to share it.

Here is today's selections.

Five Minutes More - AudraRox
Today is Monday in New York - Johnette Downing     
Come To California - the Hipwaders
Turning Tables - Adele
Puzzle Pieces Within - Lunch Money
Sleepover  - Ellen & Mark
Clap Your Hands  - The Time Outs
Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart - Fountains Of Wayne
Green Green Rocky Road - Randy Kaplan

Ben's Playlist - Monday, October 29, 2012

Glad You Came - The Wanted
Barely Breathing - Glee      
Great To Be A Kid - The Not-Its!
We Just Won't Be Defeated - The Go! Team
Gingerbread Man - Lunch Money
Escalator - David Tobocman
Wimoweh  - Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights
Mammal - They Might Be Giants
Reading Rocks!  - Johnette Downing   
Rocketfuel - Secret Agent 23 Skidoo
The Great Outdoors - Ralph's World

Cagey Cajun Style Delivers Reading Advice

When Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans, there were numerous side effects. One positive headline was the re-cultivation of an international interest in the musical traditions of the area. For a brief period of time (far less than 15 minutes), people remembered Allen Toussaint.

Fanning the flames of the New Orleans sound for children's music is Johnette Downing. An educator who has spent 20 years traveling the world, Downing has recorded 10 CDs as well as numerous children's books. Her efforts have garnered 21 national awards (check her website for the complete list).

Her latest CD, READING ROCKS!, stresses an obvious point. How do you get kids ages 2-8 to open a book? Well, you could do worse than have Downing sing them a story, which she does on "Why the Oyster Has the Pearl" and "Why the Crawfish Lives in the Mud." As you might expect from the titles, there's a strong, admirable respect for the culture and sensibilities of Louisiana.

"Books and music played an important role in my childhood and I wanted to share the thins I love with others," Downing explains. "My greatest musical influences came from having the good fortune to have been born and raised in Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz, Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music."

Downing uses those influences on two versions of "Today Is Monday..." one set in Kentucky:

Monday burgoo
Tuesday sorghum
Wednesday hot brown
Thursday Bibb lettuce
Friday rolled oysters
Saturday derby pie
Sunday spoon bread
Come and eat it up.

And the other in New York:

Monday is apples
Tuesday pastrami
Wednesday Buffalo wings
Thursday Nathan's Hot Dogs
Friday cheesecake
Saturday pizza
Sunday bagels and lox
Come and eat it up.

As regular blog readers know (come on, there are some of you), I have a natural aversion to "message" songs and concept CDs. Downing does everything but hit kids over the head with her message. "Pick up a book and read," she sings on "R*E*A*D." The emphasis is hers, not mine. Okay, that song is barely more than 90 seconds, but we get the point.

However the stories are amusing and the tunes are catchy. Downing has been at this game a long time and she executes an amiable game plan: Deliver a message, teach kids about the music of her beloved New Orleans, and get out before they realize they've learned something. Mission accomplished. Have some creole.

READING ROCKS! is available on November 20 from Johnette Downing's website, Amazon, CDBABY, iTunes, and her Facebook Fan Page.