Bébé La La—the multiaward-winning singer/songwriter duo of Alicia Ultan (viola, guitar, vocals) and Maryse Lapierre (accordion, harmonium, vocals), backed by longtime collaborators Micky Patten (bass) and Joe Chellman (drums)—celebrates its 15th (crystal) anniversary with a November 15 concert at the Outpost, presented by AMP Concerts.

Ultan and Lapierre were first pulled together for an a capella group formed for a mutual friend’s birthday. “It was pretty experimental,” says Ultan. “We played in a yurt,” Lapierre adds, the two of them breaking into eye rolls and laughter.

They got together at Ultan’s place to work on one of her songs for the performance. “I will never forget when she walked into my house—I had never met her—it was like a feather floating into the room. It was a certain lightness of being. It was almost dreamlike,” says Ultan. “When we started singing, I just thought she had such a beautiful voice, and she said she really liked my songs.”

“It was kind of a click,” says Lapierre. “The first time I heard her, I had just moved to Albuquerque. And I was, like, ‘Oh, she looks really kind. Oh, she plays—what is that?—viola? Cool. Oh, she sings. Oh, and her hair!’ You had a wild hair day!” More laughter. “And I was, like, ‘I need to meet this girl.’”

A few months after the yurt, they got together to work on more music. Their voices locked together sonically in an ear-pleasing way, the harmonies they developed opened the songs up nicely, and their personal energies complemented one another. Lapierre pulled out her accordion, which, as a beginner, she was hesitant to play, but with Ultan’s encouragement—“Just play one note!” Ultan said—she dove in and has made it part of the duo’s signature sound.

It turned into an “easy and fun collaboration,” says Ultan. “I learned from her singing, and she learned from my songwriting.”

Before long, they had a name for themselves, inspired by a song they were working on. “Bébé la la” is a French-Canadian idiom, says French-Canadian Lapierre, “that can mean you’re kind of behaving in a foolish way, which we like to do, and not thinking too much ahead of time—in the present.” The name also reflects their desire for “playfulness and lightness” in their performances.

That playfulness and lightness threads through their performances and both of their award-winning albums, High Wire and A Curious Series of Unexpected Events. Their material covers a wide range of topics, from spiritual grounding and nature’s beauty to income inequality and difficult love affairs—some in English and some in French, and all of it undergirded by a compassionate and life-affirming perspective and a healthy self-respect.

A few years ago, they decided to expand their sound and their expressive palette, adding a bassist and a drummer, with Patten and Chellman now filling those roles and making significant contributions to the arrangements. “We wanted to explore the possibilities of growing the songs,” says Ultan.

Chellman has been a big part of the growing process, and while he has played in a wide variety of musical contexts, he had some growing to do, as well. “The French aspect of things is different,” he says. So is Bébé La La’s rhythmic approach. “That was something Alicia told me about before I started with them. So there’ll be different elements—time signatures and interesting phrasing, and things like that. As a drummer, that’s the kind of stuff that perks my ears up.”

Patten, too, has grown into the role, noting that he does a lot more arco than he typically does in his jazz gigs, and he has nothing but praise for Ultan and Lapierre. “They’re talented singers, talented songwriters, cool as hell, both of them,” he says. “It’s exciting. They bring it every performance.”

What’s kept them bringing it for 15 years is the sense of trust they’ve developed, both musically and personally, says Ultan, “and the feeling that we can be ourselves,” Lapierre adds. Plus, people want to hear them, says Ultan, which tells them that they doing something worthwhile and meaningful, something good for the world—and for themselves.

Helping them bring something good at the Outpost will be several guest artists, including Ultan’s sisters Jacqueline (cello) and Deborah (aka The Dill) (vocals), Alex Murzyn (sax), Roger Jameson (harmonica), Frank Leto (steel pan), and Laura Di Mauro (guitar). Offstage, Bébé La La will have, in addition to the usual merch, special 15th anniversary memorabilia on hand, including a bespoke Bébé La La Anniversitea from New Mexico Tea Company, mugs, possibly some of Ultan’s famous scones, and hand-pressed posters.

The Bébé La La 15-Year Anniversary Concert and Celebration
Saturday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Weil Hall at the Outpost Performance Space
210 Yale SE, Albuquerque
Tickets: $20–$30
For tickets or more information, go here.

For a live preview of the concert, check out the “Studio 505” show on KUNM (89.9 FM and streaming on kunm.org), on Tuesday, November 11, 7:30–8:30 p.m., with DJ Leah Tevis.

Check out the limited-edition T-shirts and
fridge magnets at the Musically Speaking store.
Your support is much appreciated.

© 2025 Mel Minter