After two decades of entertaining local audiences (and earning multiple Cincinnati Entertainment Awards nominations) with a brilliantly swinging and stylistically improbable blend of Cajun, Zydeco, Gypsy Jazz, Dixieland, Tin Pan Alley and more, Lagniappe finally got around to recording their debut CD last year (an unofficial 1990 cassette and 1997 demo notwithstanding). Titled after an economic phrase coined by ’90s Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, Irrational Exuberance is every bit as descriptive as the band’s name.
Irrational Exuberance, which is selling well, is a cross section of everything Lagniappe does so well, from the Tin Pan Alley jaunt of “The Sheik of Araby” to the Dixieland swing of “Fidgety Feet” to the Creole classic “Jolie Fille,” made possible due to Berne’s clarinet skills. Converse and the band are all quick to credit producer Ted McConnell with Exuberance’s sonic success.
They play Arnold's Friday and the Crow's Nest Saturday as part of Bockfest. Get show details and read Brian Baker's interview with the band here.
