ARTICLES 2 - CAJUN ZYDECO
Gary Hayman
................CONTINUED FROM PART I OF ARTICLES
*CAJUN/ZYDECO ACCORDIONS
*=======================
[ The USENET newsgroup, rec.music.makers.squeezebox contained an
interesting thread regarding accordions earlier this month. Here
are a couple of the messages. -gh ]
..........from Bob Vanarsdall
...instrumentation: the Zydeco players all use the English accordion (the
one with the piano-like keyboard on the right-side), Cajuns use the
French button accordion, which plays different notes on the push and pull
strokes....
..........from Nate Goldshlag
...This is not true! Many Zydeco musicians like Boozoo Chavis, Geno
Delafose, his father the late John Delafose, Beau Jocque and others also
use the diatonic accordion, which entered Cajun music via German
immigrants at the turn of the century (until then Cajun music was fiddle
based). In fact I prefer the rootsier sound of the diatonic accordion.
Some Zydeco musicians like CJ Chenier use the piano accordion exclusively
and also the 3 row is used....
..........from Michael C.
Right on Nate. Yes the early Cajun version were German Monarch's until
hand built Cajun country ones were used due to world war 2 shortage.
I guess the misconception comes from the fact that the most well known
Zydeco performers primarily play piano accordions. These would be, the
late great inventor of Zydeco - Clifton Chenier, C.J. Chenier (also a
good sax player) and Buckwheat Zydeco of the sound tracks to Budweiser &
Isuzu commercial fame.
In addition to Boozoo, Geno & John & Beau using Cajun diatonic accordions
there is Bois Sec Ardoin & his sons Lawrence & Morris & his grandson,
Chris Ardoin, Willis Prudhomme, Danny Poulard, Zachary Richard, Wayne
Toups, Roddie Romero (who plays a special double key 6 stop one I
believe) Also I believe Keith Frank plays one in addition to his triple
row. I think I forgot a few others that are not thought of as traditional
Cajun musicians but who also play diatonic Cajun accordions. When I think
of them I will post an update to this list.
Michael C. (born of a Cajun mother)
[posted July 29, 1996]
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*D.L. MENARD REPORT
*==================
by Mary Katherine Aldin
[ This writing appeared in the USENET newsgroup alt.cajun.culture
the other day. ]
Just got home from a great Cajun dance in Pasadena, CA at which D.L.
Meanrd and the Louisiana Aces were the entertainment. As some of you
know, D. L. had a heart attack not long ago, so I was concerned about
him. However, during ouur visit he laughed and said, "that heart attack
didn't know what it was getting into when it got into me!" He also said,
good news, that after more than 55 years of heavy smoking he has quit
cold. And, he SAYS, it was easy to quit. "I just stopped," he said. Also
mentioned that Lou Ella still smokes like a chimney but says it doesn't
bother him to have her smoking around the house all the time. His Aces
tonight were young Horace Trahan on accordion and Mr. Leo on fiddle. The
sound was excellent and the crowd (though small) was enthusiastic, and
they kept the dance floor full all evening.
Last night the group played the same venue and had a full house, but
tonight's show had competition from a Zydeco show across town. They
played for more than three hours, and the set included all the familiar
favorites ("La Porte Dans Arriere," :Lacassine Special") as well as
several songs from his newest CD, "Cajun Memories," on Swallow. Horace
was incredible -- this kid can sing, can play, and although barely twenty
has a strong sense of tradition and what D.L. calls "a really OLD
voice!". He took about half the lead vocals. D.L. seemed no slower since
his heart attack; he sang and played with all his usual energy. Tomorrow
morning, he said, he is flying from L.A. to Houston and immediately from
there to France. where he's appearing at a major music festival near
Bordeaux. Back in the USA August 7. If he plays near you, I hope you get
a chance to see him.
Mary Katherine Aldin
[posted July 29, 1996]
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*GOING TO BUFFALO GAP? DRIVING DIRECTIONS HERE
*=============================================
by Candace Clifford
[ As many dancers are going to the Buffalo Jambalaya Cajun/Zydeco
Dance Weekend either for the entire August 1-4 session or the
"open to the public" dancing on Sunday August 4 from 1 to 4 pm,
here are some detailed driving directions that Candace sent me.
-gh ]
Here are DRIVING directions to Buffalo Gap Community Camp, Capon Bridge,
West Virginia.
..........From Washington, D.C.:
1. Take the Beltway (495) to 66 West to 81 North to Winchester, VA. Just
south of Winchester, get on 37 North, which bypasses Winchester on the
west side. Go a few miles, then take 50 West, continue about 22 miles to
Capon Bridge.(@)
2. Take the Beltway (495) to 1193 West, which curves around and
eventually dead ends at 7 at Dranesville. Turn right onto 7 and go all
the way to Winchester (at Leesburg you have a choice of continuing to
drive through the small towns or bypassing them--the bypass is quicker,
though both are scenic). On the eastern edge of Winchester, to bypass
the city, take 81 North for a few miles, then exit and take 37 South for
another few miles. Take the exit for 50 West and go about 22 miles to
Capon Bridge.(@)
3. Take the Beltway to 66 West to 50 West. Take 50 to the eastern edge
of Winchester, then bypass the city by taking 81 North for a few miles,
then exit at 37 South for another few miles. Take the exit for 50 West
and go about 22 miles to Capon Bridge.(@)
4. If beltway traffic/construction is threatening, another option
(slightly longer, but potentially less frustrating) is to take 270 North
to Frederick and follow signs for 340 West. Take 340 past Charles Town.
At Berryville, exit to 7 West, and take 7 to Winchester. On the eastern
edge of Winchester, to bypass the city take 81 North for a few miles,
then exit and take 37 South for another few miles. Take the exit for 50
West and go about 22 miles to Capon Bridge.(@)
..........From Baltimore:
Take 70 West to Frederick. Get on 340 West, pass Charles Town, and at
Berryville, take 7 West to Winchester. On the eastern edge of
Winchester, to bypass the city, take 81 North for a few miles, then exit
and take 37 South for another few miles. Take the exit for 50 West and
go about 22 miles to Capon Bridge.(@)
..........From Philadelphia and points Northeast:
1. Take 76 (PA Turnpike) to Harrisburg. Exit at 81 South and continue to
Winchester, VA. Just north of Winchester, bypass the city by exiting
onto 37 for a couple of miles, then pick up 50 West and go about 22 miles
to Capon Bridge.(@)
2. Take 95 down the coast through Baltimore to Washington, DC. Then
follow any route listed under "From Washington."
..........From points West:
1. Take the Ohio Turnpike (if west of Pennsylvania) to the PA Turnpike to
the Breezewood exit. Take 70 East (follow the signs for Washington, DC,
and Baltimore) approximately 20 miles. 70 will merge with 522 for a few
miles, then split off--stay on 522 South (exit left lane) to Winchester,
VA. Just north of Winchester, bypass the city by exiting onto 37 for a
couple of miles, then pick up 50 West and go about 22 miles to Capon
Bridge.(@)
2. Follow above directions to Berkeley Springs, passing through town.
Pass Bambi Lee's Massage Parlor. About 21 miles past Berkeley Springs,
watch carefully for 127 West. Turn right onto 127 West. After 9 or 10
miles, 127 branches off to the right and 29 South continues on relatively
straight ahead. Continue straight on 29. About 4 1/2 miles past this
junction is a small town called Slanesville. Turn left at crossroads
onto Springfield Grade Road (follow the signs for Edward's Run Fishing
Area). Come down Springfield Grade about 7 miles. Watch for Buffalo
Gap's sign on the right. You'll be coming around a curve and look like
you're about to drive into an old two-story white house. (This route is
a little shorter than the one above and is not as confusing as it seems.)
..........From points South:
Pick up 81 North to Winchester, VA. Just south of Winchester, get on 37
North, which bypasses Winchester on the west side. Go a few miles, then
take 50 West about 22 miles to Capon Bridge.(@)
..........(@)From Capon Bridge:
When you reach Capon Bridge, go through town, cross the blue bridge over
the river and take the first road to the right, immediately over the
bridge. This is Springfield Grade Road, but a more visible sign says
"Edwards Run" (public fishing area). Two other landmarks on this corner
are a white church with a tall steeple and a pizza/sub shop. Go about 4
1/2 miles up Springfield Grade and watch on the left for a sign to
Buffalo Gap Camp. Turn left at the sign, go about 1/2 mile, then turn
right at the next sign, at the foot of the camp's driveway. Come up the
driveway; parking area is on your right.
---------------------------------------------
Candace Clifford
Cypress Communications
cyp...@vais.net
http://www.vais.net/~cypress/
---------------------------------------------
[posted July 29, 1996]
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*1ST ANNUAL BAYOU FESTIVAL (SOMERSET NJ) - REVIEW
*================================================
by Steve Hendel
[ Here is Steve's contribution regarding this event. As he
is an individual on the Zydeco-go, he has promised to furnish
reports of other events that he attends during his travels. ]
Gary,
Since I'm pretty sure that none of your other informants were at this
festival, I thought I'd write a few notes. Who knows, this may be an
historic review if this particular festival goes beyond this first
incarnation.
The food was advertised as hot enough to require lots of beverages to
quench the FIRE. But beverages weren't needed because there was lots of
rain. An abbreviated performance by Buckwheat Zydeco and his Ils Sont
Partis Band was bracketed by two mighty thunderstorms. Held on Saturday
evening, July 14 at the Duke Island Park Bandshell in Bridgewater
Township, New Jersey, the performance was part of the First Annual Bayou
Fest. Even though the VooDUDES, the scheduled opening act, was rained
out, the large crowd got far more than its moneys worth, especially
because this was part of a free concert series held by the Somerset
County Park Commission and sponsored by several local companies.
The crowd was not deterred by the rain and the soaking grass, as the
parking lots were overflowing. However, since the bandshell was not
covered, the concert could not go on until things were dried off a bit.
So instead of music from 5:30 to 8:30, we were only treated to BZ from
7:20 to 8:20. But what a treat it was! Buckwheat and the Band were in
good form, considering the weather. Just about every other song had some
type of audience participation, usually with the music cutting out and
the crowd singing the chorus. The only negative item in the band was that
the rubboard microphone did not come through the main speakers.
Unfortunately for the dance crowd, my 9 year old daughter, who I just
taught to Zydeco dance (thanks Ben Pagac) earlier in the day, was
probably the second best Zydeco dancer there. But there was no shortage
of bobbing and bouncing and some apparently experienced festival goers
made dashes across the grass in front of the stage waving their arms like
birds in flight.
There was good food, including jambalaya, crawfish etoufee and alligator
sausage (I didn't try the sausage). There was no dance floor, but the wet
grass in front of the stage was adequate for the occasion.
Maybe next year the weather will improve and we'll have a bigger turnout
of dancers. Let's hope so.
-- Steve Hendel (Danc...@aol.com)
[posted July 16, 1996]
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*OUCH! MY ACHING FEET!
*=====================
by Gary Hayman
You've had a great evening of Zydeco dancing. Returning home you take off
your favorite dancing shoes, peel off your socks and begin to rub your
aching feet. Ah! that feels good.
I bet that I'm not the only one that has experienced the above. No matter
how "minimalistic" we perform our Zydeco dance, our feet do take a
pounding.
I'm going to start with three suggestions that I not only hope will help
our readers ease their foot problems but will inspire them to submit
their own ideas for a future article about how we solve the problem. I
welcome suggestions including foot baths with a secret sauce to pounding
the soles of our feet with split bamboo canes (the Shanghai technique.)
Liquid Foot Powder
There is a product on the market called Liquid Foot Powder (for dancers).
The particular brand that I recently purchased was by Capezio (you know,
the dance shoe company) and was distributed by Ballet Makers, Inc, Totowa
NJ 07512. It claims "to help keep feet dry and reduce friction." One
applies a small amount to the foot and the liquid, through evaporation,
quickly drys to a powder consistency. It works great, but not better than
regular foot powder WITH THE EXCEPTION that you don't get powder all over
the bathroom or bedroom floor and rug. This in itself draws my
recommendation. The price of 4 oz of this product may range from $3-$6. 4
oz does go a long way. You can keep it in your dancing bag and use it
without making a mess at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki.
Moisture Removal System Liner Socks
Skiers, runners, sports people have been aware of this product for many
years. Whether made from polypropylene, Tactel, Cool-Max, etc., these
sock liners are designed to wick forming moisture away from the feet
sending it to the upper sock where it will be absorbed, dispersed, and
evaporate. This system keep your feet dry and comfortable and provides
some medical protection benefits as well. There is also an additional
advantage of wearing two socks during demanding foot activities of which
athletes are aware. The Sports Authority, a national chain for sports
supplies and clothing, carries the Aquator Moisture Removal System
quarter liner socks and longer socks at starting prices of $4. Bike
Nashbar, the renoun, bicycle equipment and clothing mail order house
(call 1-800-627-4227 for a catalog) carries several varieties of this
type of sock from $3.33 to $5.90 a pair. Campmor, a mail order outdoor
sports establishment (call 1-800-230-2153 for a catalog) has Thor-lo
Trekking socks and Coolmax ultra-thin Cycling socks for about $6.50 -
$7.50 a pair. These socks can also be found at skiing and hiking stores.
I have tested the Sports Authority's Aquator and the Nashbar's Cool Max
and Aquator models. When washed these types of socks dry quickly. All
work well and are recommended by me.
Sorbothane Insoles
The beauty of Sorbothane insoles (innersoles) is that shocks transmitted
through the shoe meeting the sorbothane layer are dispersed laterally
through the material rather than to the bottom of your foot. This greatly
reduces foot fatigue and the punishing that your body experiences as you
dance to Geno, Roy, Steve, Nathan, Boozoo, etc. I've had mine for years
and I have transferred them from shoe to shoe (dress or athletic). I
can't give you the exact price but I would imagine that they retail for
about $10 -$15 a pair now. A very good investment considering the value
and longevity of the insoles. You might look for them in the same
department where you might find Dr. Scholl's products. These insoles are
highly recommended by me.
Well, there's your start. If you have some help tidbits please share
them with our readers by writing to gha...@capaccess.org. Remember, as
Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron 1788-1824) said in his 'Childe Harold',
"...On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the glowing hours with flying feet...."
So keep YOUR feet flying with proper Zydeco foot care.
-- Gary Hayman
[posted July 14, 1996]
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*THE SNAP BEANS AREN'T SALTED!
*=============================
by various
(Sales = Salis)
[ This time we are going to visit the newsgroup
'bit.listserv.blues-l' for some interesting discussion on our old
friend "Les Haricots Sont Pas Sales." Let's see what's going
on.... ]
----------Tom Morgan asked...
Does anyone know the earliest version of "Les Haricots Sont Pas Sales"?
This is supposedly the song the gave birth to the term Zydeco.
I know that Clifton Chenier did a later version but I'm looking for one
from the 40s.
----------Chris Smith (Chris is in the UK) responded ...
The earliest one I know is the "J'ai Fait Tout Le Tour du Pays" by
Jimmy Peters and ring dance singers, recorded June 1934 for the Library
of Congress at Jennings LA
It starts:
O mom, mais donnez-moi les haricots
O yaie, les haricots sont pas sales.
It's on Swallow LP-8003-2 "Louisiana Cajun and Creole Music 1934: The
Lomax Recordings", a fabulous double album. Good luck finding it!
----------Shane Bernard contributed....
Hmm? The earliest version of "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salis" (aka
"Zydeco est pas sali"). It's supposedly a very old black Creole tune
(who knows who composed it), and the earliest recording I know of (and
that I can find listed in books like Broven's "South to Louisiana" and
Savoy's "Cajun Music") is Chenier's from 1965.
However, "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salis" is, oddly enough, essentially
the same composition as another Cajun/black Creole classic called "Hip
Et Taoaut" (pronounced like the cowboy yell "Hippy Ti Yo," which,
incidentally, folklorist Alan Lomax suggests comes from the Louisiana
French expression "Hip Et Taoaut").
Clifton recorded "Hip Et Taoaut" (the spelling of which varies
greatly) in 1964. The earliest version of "Hip Et Taoaut" dates to
1934, when it was recorded by Cajun musician Amidi Breaux under the
title "Ils Volet Mon Trancas." Compare their lyrics and melodies and
you will see that "Hip Et Taoaut" is similar, if in some instances not
identical to, "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salis".
The earliest version of "Hip Et Taoaut"/"Les Haricots Sont Pas Salis"
that I know of on CD is called "T'as Voli Mon Chapeau (You Have Stolen
My Hat)," on Various Artists, "Cajun, Vol. 1 -- Abbeville Breakdown,
1929-39," Columbia Roots 'n' Blues Series, CK 46220; it was recorded
in 1935 by the Breaux Freres for Vocalion.
As for Zydeco's blues connection, premier Cajun/black Creole
folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet writes in his article "Zydeco/Zarico:
Beans, Blues, and Beyond" that "Zydeco" is a corruption of the French
"les haricots," meaning "beans," and "the beans are unsalty because
the cook has no meat to add to the pot. Before the days of
free-running table salt, the most common way of salting sauces, soups,
and beans was to add salt meat. Families too poor to afford salt meat
ate unsalted beans. "Les haricots sont pas salis" ["The Beans Aren't
Salted"], then, refers to hard times and, by association, to the music
that helped to endure them. In the black American tradition this
music is called the blues. . . ."
As for the song/expression "Les haricots sont pas salis" being the
original, popularizing source of the term "Zydeco," Ancelet observes,
"Native Louisiana [black] Creoles explain that the word ['Zydeco']
comes from 'les haricots' because of the expression, "Les haricots
sont pas salis," heard in traditional songs . . . The explanation that
'Zydeco' comes from the expression . . . was generally 'taken for
granite' by musicians, record producers, and scholars, myself
included. . . ." Ancelet then goes on, however, to show that the word
"Zydeco" exists in songs from as far away as Rodrigue, a remote island
in the Indian Ocean populated by French-speaking blacks. He argues
that the term "Zydeco" as a musical expression predates the popularity
of "Les haricots sont pas salis."
If you think this is bizarre and complex, I won't get into the history
of "Colinda," the popular Cajun/black Creole song that descends from a
16th-century slave dance from the Gold and Slave Coast of West Africa.
----------Shane Bernard added (referring to Chris Smith's contribution)
That's an unusual version of "Zydeco sont pas salis" and, in fact,
perhaps except for the use of the phrase "Zydeco sont pas salis" it
may not be related at all to the better known version . . . but I
could be wrong.
Jimmy Peter's version, however, is available on CD on Various Artists,
"J'ai iti au bal (I Went to the Dance): The Cajun and Zydeco Music of
Louisiana," Vol. 2., Arhoolie CD-332, 1990.
I posted a sizable note to the list yesterday in regard to Tom
Morgan's original question, and what happened to it, I don't know . .
maybe I accidentally e-mailed to Tom? Anyway, in the note I point
out that the earliest version I know of "Zydeco sont pas salis"
(excluding the Peter's version) is Chenier's 1966 version. But I also
pointed out that "Zydeco sont pas salis" and the Cajun/black Creole
song "Hip et Taoaut" are practically one and the same, and the
earliest version I know of "Hip et Taoaut" dates to 1934, when it was
recorded by Amidi Breaux. (There are many, many version of "Hip et
Taoaut," even a bilingual swamp pop version from 1958 played with R&B
instrumentation -- a '50s sax, piano, guitar rocker version.) The
earliest version I know on CD is the Breaux Freres' 1935 version
called "T'as vole mon chapeau (You Stole My Hat)" on Various Artists,
"Abbeville Breakdown: Cajun, Vol. 1," Roots 'n' Blues Series, Columbia
CK 46220.
Incidentally, Chenier recorded "Hip et Taoaut" in '64.
I also pointed out that folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet argues that
"Zydeco" as the name of the genre does not hail from the phrase/song
title "Zydeco sont pas salis", but, rather, he claims that "Zydeco"
has appeared in black Creole music for much longer, and he has even
found use of the word "Zydeco" in music from a fairly isolated island
(Rodrigue) in the Indian Ocean populated by French-speaking blacks!
----------JukeFreak prodded Shane about the "Colinda" statement with....
Gosh, I wish you would tell it! "Colinda" is one of my favorite songs!
Please?
----------to which Shane replied....
Here's that "Colinda" info:
Like "Zydeco Sont Pas Salis"/"Hip Et Taoaut," the folksong "Colinda"
(also called "Allons Danser Colinda" or "Danser Colinda") has been
recorded in Cajun, Zydeco, and swamp pop versions (the three
indigenous styles of South Louisiana music).
Prior to the 20th century, however, variations of the phrase "Danser
Colinda" appear in black Creole slave songs, forerunners of the modern
"Colinda" . . . but in these instances "Colinda" (spelled "Calinda")
referred not to a girl's name, but to a slave dance repeatedly
outlawed by white authorities because of its perceived lascivious and
threatening nature. (The earliest known slave song using the phrase
is "Lizette to quiti la plaine," first published in Louisiana in 1859,
but published in Philadelphia in 1811, and, oddly, published in France
in 1740 by Jean Jacques Rousseau, who used the song to demonstrate a
new system of musical notation.)
All these slave songs refer to the Calinda, a dance imported from the
Gold and Slave Coast of West Africa as early 1562. In 1678 the
government of Martinique outlawed the Calinda, and in 1698 Phre Labat
described the Calinda at length; it also has appeared in Haiti,
Trinidad, and New Orleans, where as late as 1885 writer Charles Dudley
Warner observed a voodoo ritual near Congo Square and wrote, "A
colored woman at the side of the altar began a chant in a low,
melodious voice. It was the weird and strange 'Dance Calinda.'"
From all this derives the seemingly harmless Cajun/Creole/swamp pop
song, "Colinda."
----------James Rothe commented....
BTW, you know so much about this stuff. When's the book coming out?
----------to which Shane advised....
I dedicate about a dozen pages to all this in my forthcoming book, due
out late next month, and swamp pop versions of "Hip Et Taoaut" and
"Colinda" appear on the book's optional CD.
[posted July 14, 1996]
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{LEVEL 2 STOP}
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6. CLASSES & LESSONS ........(C/Z Dance and Instruction in Metro DC)
7. DANCE CLUBS/HALLS/ORGANIZATIONS..........(Venues and Clubs, Metro
DC/Baltimore)
PARTS 6 & 7, which do not change frequently, are furnished to NEW
subscribers of the mailing list, then issued only when requested
via e-mail to: gha...@capaccess.org
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WETA ______________________________________________________________ WETA
_____| Arts & Entertainment Manager | CAJUN/ZYDECO |______
\ | Gary Hayman | DC METRO EVENTS SCHEDULE | /
\ |E-mail: art...@capaccess.org |E-mail: gha...@capaccess.org| /
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