Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler

August 28, 2014

Destination: Skirball Cultural Center

Cost: $10.00 parking plus gas

The nights in LA are still deliciously warm, but, alas, the summer outdoor concert season here is drawing to a close. I was listening to KCSN and heard about the final performance of the season at the Skirball Cultural Center – music by Jeffrey Broussard & The Creole Cowboys. As a longtime fan of zydeco and Cajun music, a trip up the Sepulveda Pass was in order.

Admission to the galleries is free on Thursdays, and there’s no charge for the concert – so with your $10.00 parking ticket (which you must show at check-in) you gain entrance to the galleries and the Taper Courtyard music venue.

Pre-concert, I toured The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats exhibit. While not familiar with this children’s book author and illustrator, I enjoyed his blocky prints and warm palette. The whimsical artwork belied the serious themes of his books.  I was particularly drawn to the collages he created with marbleized papers.

Back outside, a large crowd assembled in the courtyard. This is a lovely space, with the stage set in a pool filled with floating lilies. A large dance floor

had been placed at ground level, surrounded by groups of chairs, mostly reserved for dinner guests and VIPs. I toured the upstairs gallery, which provided some nice views and a fresh breeze, but was unable to find an open seat with a view of the stage, so I stood next to the sound technician as the concert got underway.

The band played lively Creole music and soon the dance floor was filled with smiling couples. Jeffrey Broussard is an accomplished accordionist and good singer, but the band’s sound was a bit thin, since they only had a drummer, bass player and Jeffrey’s son on the rub-board.

This was a “feel good” evening that made me wish summer nights would linger.