Manitoba, eh?

J. B. Ledoux

Born: approx. 1915
Died: approx. 1982

Recording Situation: These two selections and the next four are made from tapes made by Albert Sutherland on a home machine at parties in Camperville around 1967 - 68.

1. Romeo’s First Change (with call) - The pickup (usually three notes at the beginning) was cut off in the original recording. Romeo’s First Change is the name given by Andy De Jarlis to this tune, but it seems to have been well-known before he recorded it. Today, most versions are regular in phrasing, much closer to De Jarlis’s recording, whereas, this one has several shortened phrases. The opening phrase is much the same as that of Little Burnt Potato and Bride of the Wind, both old ‘Down-East’ standards. However, the rest of the tune does not correspond to either of these two.

Gilbert Delarond, a local resident, is calling a First Change, but some of it is indecipherable from the recording. Notice that the calls occur often in the middle of musical phrases, in a ‘prompting’ rather than ‘patter’ style.

“The allemande left... (unclear)... and you go all down, all the way to the right, the four a way down the center...(unclear)... See your way there and all the way back... ...The allemande left with the old right and the old left hand, all the way down the middle... (unclear)... then meet your own and give her a... (unclear)... ...Second couple into the race, then put away... and go under ...back and right and left through. right away back to you places all. All, bring the left back.... (unclear)

2. G Two-Step - Unknown