Just days ago I received the 2012 album “Mosaïk” by the Canadian roots music collective Vishtén. The group’s energetic sound reminded me immediately of the toe-tapping, foot-stomping, sing-along style of two other Quebec groups, La Bottine Souriante and Le Vent du Nord. All three represent what some see as a revival of Acadian music with Vishtén leading the way.
Acadian music is the ancestor of modernistic Cajun music centered in the French-Canadian regions of Eastern Canadian provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Vishtén’s style of music includes some key elements unique to the Acadian brand where traditional playing is represented by ‘Down East’ fiddling, a touch of bluegrass, unique bowing, a good deal of syncopation, call and response suited for audience participation and transformative for those addicted to dancing.
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If Vishtén is indeed leading the renaissance charge for exposing Acadian music to a wider audience, I’m certainly willing to help carry the flag on Higher Ground.
Vishtén, “Mosaïk”, Distribution Plages, 2012
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