As dancers and fans we often just see the fun side of the thousands of Cajun/Zydeco events around the world and don't realize all the time, effort and energy it takes to make these events happen. The vast majority of events of course are pulled off like clockwork but this is not always the case as recently reported where Zydeco artist Keith Frank recently sued a parish for an alleged breach of contract over the use of their venue.
Details are listed through the following LINK to Cheryl Devall's article with the Gannett Louisiana but I just wanted to share the world the Cajun/Zydeco artists need to navigate with their music carriers and it's not always an easy one....
Zydeco Crossroads always has some interesting info to share related to the Zydeco world and this month is no different, check out Jim Hobbs great post about the 9 places you must hear Zydeco at the following link...
This interview was interesting in many ways as the ambiance appears to be right after a gig as you see their instruments behind in the background. Also instead of having seasoned interviewers you have a kid just asking some typical but good questions of Buckwheat and he shared some great insight after having been on this planet for a while and having experienced a few things!
I am always amazed at how it's not the technical ability of perfection of this dance that's fun to watch, its the attitude or style of other dancers that really bring their great energy to the experience. These clips below also help to show why Zydeco is perhaps the best dance in the world of all the social dances out there... it's simplicity and yet ability to allow everyone's personality to shine in the joy of the music..
The example below is more of a Zydeco-swing style where 1/3rd of his steps are swing, 6 count based and others are 8 count based but that gives it a style all it's own not to mention the attitude that is very cool..
Something you see on LA and TX zydeco dance floors is the holding of the beer or cell phone while dancing...
I was recently looking into a new documentary that was in the works for a squeal to the original Zydeco - Nite 'n' Day video put out in the early 90's. The funding was going through Kickstarter so in the hunt for the status I found many Cajun/Zydeco related projects that were interesting to check out... and possibly support!!
Kickstarter is a website that people use to source funding for projects. In theory if you have a great idea and just need funding, sites like Kickstarter or Indiegogo could be your solution to make the project happen!
Check out a few of the Zydeco and Cajun related projects below...
If you have not yet been to Lafayette one of the most recommended first experiences is Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette. While the festival in itself is an amazing experience of music, culture, ambiance, people etc.. it's what else you can take in during those few days that also supports the Music Magic Around Lafayette.
Thanks to John who does a fine job videoing and sharing some of this magic he shot and put together one video clip showing the wide variety of other music dance related events that went on the same weekend of Festival Acadiens.
It has some great articles and interviews from the wide rage of Zydeco reaches.
Click on the image below or this link to check out the site and don't forget the link to the Archives which covers a lot of great content from previous months.
A big thank you to Philly's Allons Dancer, Rounder Records and The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage for the work to support this site!!
Louisiana is a place like no other and along with their wonderful music are the dances that are done to this music. While Zydeco is the dance most often done there is a growing number of people dancing the "Whiskey River Jitterbug". This dance is known best for being seen at a famous bar called "Whiskey River" outside of Lafayette and at various other Cajun music related events around the area. In the first video clip below Michael and Anna show how fun this dance can be: Click on the following link for details on ordering Michael's Whiskey River Jitterbug DVD... or you can email michaelseider @ mac .com
The great part about this dance is it incorporates 6 count swing dance patterns which have been popular for many many years. Check out the dance clips below to get a flavor of the dance and in addition some educational clips and video info as well to check out if wanted.
https://youtu.be/QS6Vk6iWLxQ
Keith Frank put out a recent CD called Live At Slim's Y-KiKi, Vol2 CD and it's Great!! Whoever wrote this great blurb below for Floyd's Music web site did such a great job I will post it with a link to Floyd's Record Shop where you got to get this music!
From Flattown Music:
"Keith Frank often asks his live audiences, "Do you wanna go back?" The question teases his crowd, hungry for another nugget in his endless string of greatest hits. But the question is also a statement of fact, a sly flex of muscle by a rare artist strengthened by family musical history that dates back to the 1800s.
Yet Frank's talent for reinvention keeps his music hot for generations raised on iPhones and Android devices. In today's world of zydeco, filled with talented newcomers, also-rans and pretenders, few can go back like Keith Frank. Since the early 1990s,
Frank has eared the title of Zydeco Boss with unending crowd pleasers, like "Get on Boy," "The Hamilton Club," "Casanova" and "Haterz." Frank's accordion-flavored version of "Moving on Up," the theme of the classic TV sitcom, "The Jeffersons," gave many in Generation X their first taste of zydeco. "Oh Mom" evokes memories of Louise Frank, Keith's mother, who dies in 2013 in a traffic accident.
Louise sat by the bandstand from the band's beginning, signed off on every song heard on this CD, including the sizzling swing-out, "Teddy Bear." Her spirit was felt in this live recording as the Zydeco Boss goes back yet keeps pushing zydeco forward. ~excerpt from Herman Fuselier. *NOTE: "Teddy Bear" is the only studio recording on this live album. Released in July 2014, 16 tracks."
In the past being a Zydeco artist has been a very inclusive club only ventured by those who have the persistence to figure out how to play the music, or happen to live in Louisiana or Texas and have access to the incredibly talented artists.
Thanks to special artists such as Andre Thierry and a few others who are sharing their talents with others we will be able to keep spreading the wonderful Creole music for years to come. As another example of people sharing information on playing Zydeco is at www.ZydecoAccordion.com and for Cajun music BigNick's web site at www.BigNick.net
This blog post was in relation to reading an interesting article from Adam Joseph with the Monterey County Weekly eNewsletter which did a great little interview with Andre at the link below. Click on the image below...
There are a bunch of Cajun/Zydeco festivals on the west coast and one of the biggest coming up is Gator By The Bay in San Diego. This Cajun/Zydeco band line up was recently announced and it will be humming!!
Brian Jack & the Zydeco Gamblers - Houston based Zydeco All Star is Back!!!!
Terry and the Zydeco Bad Boys - A seasoned pro and this is the first time ever that we have been able to get him for Gator By The Bay
The Pine Leaf Boys - Amazing Cajun talent and it's been a while since we have had these guys on the west coast!
Beausoleil with Michael Douset - Grammy winning artist straight from the heart of Cajun Country.
Book your hotel rooms, flights now to save a few bucks!!!
I knew Lafayette Louisiana was a special place when you combine the warm hospitality, music, dancing and other factors but I didn't know it was rated the happiest place to live in the US along with several other cities in Louisiana's Cajun/Zydeco country.
The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch published a report with Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Houma and other towns being at the top of the list.
While New York was the unhappiest click on the following link and scroll down for the list of all the cities considered:
There are many different styles in Zydeco dance and one you will often see in Louisiana and Texas are slides. This is where the couple will move horizontally back and forth in sync with each other. While it appears easy, the lifts are different than the standard weight changes so it will feel a little odd at first.
Learning the Basics of Lifts...
1. Watch the "pro's" through the first link below to see what it looks like with slides with some other fancy techniques thrown in...
2. BEFORE we can start putting the fancy footwork into slides, we need to practice the basic of the lifts which are different than normal "Slow quick quick Slow" weight changes in Zydeco....
In the video clip shown below.. you DON'T NEED A PARTNER to get the lifts and weight changes of the footwork down. Watch the video clip below and just practice the weight changes of the slides with lifts... Once we are comfortable with lifts we can start crossing over on the push step and throwing our lifts behind which is what you see in the first video clip above...
3. The clip below is from a workshop in Lafayette Louisiana.
It reviews basic weight changes of slides with lifts and also shows how to incorporate some moves into the slides once your comfortable with them.
Once you get comfortable with the footwork you can work on the hand toss next as you typically don't keep the partners hand the whole time during the slides.
4. Starting at 1:53 on the video clip below along with dancer extraordinaire, Chearl McKee, we demo the basics at a faster speed at first and then break down the slides again... once you have this down you can start embellishing the pattern as the video clip at the bottom shows where they start sliding the lifts and crossing over. I can post a follow up video clip on this fancy footwork but it's essential you have the standard lifts down first as shown below.
5. The video clip below from a Trail Ride in Houston is a great example of how the dancers embellish the basics of the slides with lifting behind and crossing over.
This additional clip below reviews slides with lifts from the Gator By The Bay festival in San Diego and also shows some quick reviews of some moves as well.
6. The last video clip listed below is review from a dance workshop at Tio Leo's in San Diego. It shows the slides first with out lifts, and then adds them as a variation. Either way you do the slides "works" visually and it's actually easier to not do lifts at first, but in Louisiana and Texas they do put in the lifts which also allows you to do a bunch of other moves that incorporate the lifts. Its good to also see how the hand toss works with the footwork of the slides with the clip below.
As we all seem to connect to one or more genres of music there are many who are "Zydeco Addicted". This video clip really expresses these magical qualities between the connection of the dance to each other as well as the music and ambiance of the Zydeco locations. This was shot at Cafe Des Amis outside of Lafayette Louisiana which hosts a Saturday morning dance every week with seasoned artists.
The seasoned Pros in this video are Little Wayne & Same Old Two Step.
Check out their website at www.sameol2step.com/
The reason this video captures the energy so well... is because of the extra time, energy and effort it took to make it. They used 2 cameras at least..
A big thank you to Fredo Zydeco for posting the work to make and share it..
Outside of Louisiana and Texas you don't see young Zydeco players so here are a few recent video clips of up and coming Zydeco artists that you maybe hearing about in a few years.
Chole of Moscow, TX is the daughter of Kid Reece and Mo Live. Zydeco is in great need of future female accordion players so it's great to see her pushing and pulling!
Listed below the son of "Kid Reece and Mo Live" It's amazing how cool and collected he is which comes from one place... lots of practice.
Zydeco artists are not "Zydeco Artists", they are artists who happen to play Zydeco. Often they have a huge variety of music they perform and there was a recent example with Sean Ardoin with the YouTube clip recently released..
From YouTube: Zydeco artists Sean Ardoin & ZydeKool do their tribute to Pharrell's 'Happy' by adding some creole flavor. Shot on location in Sean's hometown of Lake Charles, La., "Zydeco Happy" shows the city in all its glory and diversity.
There was a recent article on the origins of playing Cajun/Zydeco music and I thought I would share
The link is listed below to the article. The article is interesting in many ways... such as why more traditional Cajun accordion players sit vs those who don't sit while playing accordion...
Considering the shear number of other artists who could have one it was a great tribute for the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier to win this years Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's.
Clifton Chenier was a Creole French-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana. He won a Grammy award in 1983, honored as a National Heritage Fellow in 1984 and entered into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2011.
Check out the great little article from the Grammy's web site at the following link:
