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Title: Amateur music, amateur performances
Review: Edmond Dédé was a free-born Creole of color born in the 1820s in New Orleans. He moved to France and lived most of his adult life in Bordeaux, where he had an active musical life, primarily as a theatre conductor. The music on this disc is presented primarily, I imagine, because it represents music by an early African-American composer. It is primarily in the form of quadrilles, galops, waltzes and the like. One can easily imagine some of this music played at house parties or dances. Unfortunately, I can't imagine wanting to hear it more than once. And the performances themselves, although spirited, are pretty clunky.I admire Naxos for recording so much unknown American music, but I think they might have picked something better than this.
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