Album Notes

LITTLE RED WAGON: "The New Orleans folk duo's sound runs the gamut like no other, spanning across folk, cosmic country, Western swing, jazz and gypsy, all melded together into some kind of esoteric concoction that works well. The humor's wonderfully dry, but Ramsey can strike an introspective mood. The other side of the duo's personality lies in their delightful, unorthodox melodies. Through it all, Vaan's fiddling flows freely and similarly, this bunch of merrymakers never feels constrained."
~ Dan Willging, Offbeat, New Orleans

Guest musicians featured on the album are Rob Halverson (guitar/mandolin), Peer Wassenaar (bass), Tim Paco (bass),
Johnny Vidacovich (drums), Michael Messer, (drums), Reggie Houston (saxophone), David Leonard (trumpet), Theresa Andersson (backing vocals), Chip Wilson (guitar), and Ben Schenck (clarinet).

Originally from Chicago, singer/songwriter and piano player BART RAMSEY has lived in New Orleans for half his life, give or take a few years in West Africa, Central America, and Europe. His first professional gig was in Bamenda, Cameroon, when he became the regular organist for the traveling Nigerian band "Jerry Cooper and the Jark Brothers." Once the band dissolved, he moved to New Orleans to write a couple of novels and soak up the music of his adopted hometown. Bart is a prolific songwriter with twisted tales to tell and an off-beat sense of humor. His lyrics have been described as "vivid, evocative mini-epics." He also writes cross-cultural instrumentals that sound like classics, especially since he started carrying the accordion with him everywhere. It also serves as a bullet proof vest. Bart's singing voice has been described as "whiskey-soaked," although he prefers red wine. Besides piano, he also performs on guitar and accordion, and records with a variety of other instruments, including harmonica, jaw harp, glockenspeil, percussion and toy piano. He currently fronts "Zazou City" in New Orleans, playing a mix of gypsy swing and his own compositions, and has recorded and performed with many notable New Orleans swing bands including "Miss Sophie Lee.".

Fiddler NETI VAAN is fascinated by the varied fiddle traditions she has encountered on her musical journey. In her work and recordings with Bart Ramsey she adapted easily to a wide range of styles and drew on her extensive repertoire of traditional and original fiddle tunes, as well as contributing spot-on harmonies. She started her travels at an early age, when her family moved from the Netherlands to Texas by way of five years in Uganda and Kenya, always bringing along her fathers violin. Eventually, Neti got started on that same violin as a teenager in Dallas, Texas. There she discovered the local western-swing, tex-mex and bluegrass styles. After many years of honing her skills as a street musician on sidewalks from New Orleans to San Francisco, living in a converted Dodge van as a modern-day nomad, Neti moved to London in 1987. She went there to visit a friend and stayed long enough to become a founding member of the folk-roots bands "Companions of the Rosy Hours," "Bill Caddick's Urban Legend" and "Zumzeaux." Since moving to New Orleans she has been a member of many excellent bands including "New Orleans Jazz Vipers," "Vavavoom," "Arpa," "Washboard Rodeo," "Wasted Lives," "Hannah KB Band," and her own project "Toonzville."

In their work together from 1994 to 2006, Bart Ramsey and Neti Vaan divided their time between home in Louisiana and touring in Europe. They worked primarily in New Orleans, Texas, New Mexico, Britain, France and Italy. The result of their years of collaboration is an extensive and varied discography, and they continue to work together occasionally in New Orleans either with "Zazou City" or in other constellations.