Cajun Spotlight
Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper
Midwest
January 2002
ZYDECO DANCE LESSONS CONTINUE
Maurine McCort again offers Cajun and zydeco dance lessons starting
in January. Classes are held on Saturday from 4:30 to 6 pm. The location
is the Oddfellows Lodge at 2382 Hampden in Saint Paul. For information
and to confirm the dates call Maurine at 651-488-6269 or contact her via
email at maurine@spacestar.com.
The schedule for the first months of 2002 is:
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Beginning Cajun: Two-step, Waltz, Jitterbug
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January 12, 19, 26, February 2
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Cajun Jitterbug
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February 16, 23, March 2
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Zydeco 1
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March 9, 16, 30
CAJUN WEEKEND AT FOLKLORE VILLAGE
The Cajun Music, Dance and Culture Weekend at Folklore Village near Dodgeville,
Wisconsin will be March 22-24. On staff will be The Chicago Cajun Aces,
accordion player Paul Daigle and fiddler Dennis Boudreaux.
Both Paul and Dennis are members of the group Savoir Faire). Other
special guests will be named soon. The Folklore Village web site (folklorevillage.org)
will be updated in early January; CAJUN SPOTLIGHT should
have flyers available in a few weeks.
DALBO TOWN HALL SOCIAL DANCE
There will be another great evening of music and dance at the Town Hall
in Dalbo, Minnesota on Saturday, January 19. Three bands will be featured:
The
Cajun Hot Soles, The Mad Cow Band and Skandilous. Skandilous
is a Twin Cities group that performs traditional Scandinavian dance music.
Other music this evening includes Cajun, Creole, Irish, old-time and a
few surprises. Dalbo is located north of Princeton about an hour from the
Twin Cities. Admission is $5 and free for children. For more call Amy at
763-444-8390 or email asabrina@ecenet.com.
From Dalbo, take Highway 47 north about 3.3 miles to County 16. Go west
(left) 1.8 miles to Jaspar St. Go left .2 miles to 399th Ave. Go right
.2 miles to Nacre St. Go left to Town Hall. You can also find a link to
a map at the Cajun Hot Soles Web page: http://www.cajunhotsoles.com.
CAJUN HOT SOLES POTLUCK AND DANCE
On January 12 the Cajun Hot Soles present a potluck and dance at
Lake Harriet Church. The church is located at 4401 Upton Avenue South in
Minneapolis. This event is open to the public. The potluck begins at 6
pm. There will be a dance lesson at 7:30 pm and the dance begins at 8 pm.
Word is that the dance floor here is a good one, so come on out and spend
a sociable, tune-filled evening.
C. J. CHENIER AT FIRST AVENUE
C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band appear at First Avenue
in Minneapolis on Thursday, January 17. Performing an opening set will
be Rockin' Daddy & the Rough Cuts (with Karl Smelker on bass)
It's an early show: music should start around 6 pm.
BAYOU HAZARD
Appearing for their first headlining gig at the Half Time Rec in January
will be Bayou Hazard. The group was part of the line-up at the Red
Cross Benefit last October and impressed everyone. Members of the group
include Gabriela Sweet and Michael Bruns, members of ZoloGo.
Catch Bayou Hazard at the Half Time on Sunday, January 27.
MIDWAY RAMBLERS PLAY JANUARY 4
The Midway Ramblers, a fine Cajun band from the Chicago area, will
perform in Chicago at the Irish-American Center on Friday, January 4. The
center is located at 4626 North Knox. Music starts at 8 pm and lasts until
11 pm. Be sure to ask about the new CD by The Midway Ramblers while you're
there. For more information call 773-282-7035 or 630-833-3515
MARDI GRAS YANKEE-CHANK SWAMP JAM
by Nancy Weston
The 9th Annual Mardi Gras Yankee-Chank Swamp Jam will take place on Monday
February 11, 2002, 11: 00 am, at McGee's Landing in Henderson, Louisiana.
For those of you who have joined us before, this trip needs no introduction!
For those of you who haven't been, what we do is this: drift for almost
2 hours through the Atchafalaya Swamp on a motorized flatboat. You can
jam or dance. There will be two boats this year to accommodate the demand,
and spots are first come, first served. PLEASE INDICATE if you are a musician!
This is very important to ensure even and adequate numbers of musicians
between the two boats. The cost is $12 per person. Send me a check ASAP
(made out to Nancy Weston) to reserve your spot. Send check to 19 Purcell
Dr., Danbury, CT 06810, and include a stamped-self-addressed envelope for
confirmation and a map to the site OR (preferred) send me your e-mail and
I will e-mail your confirmation and directions. If you choose to wait until
the last minute, you can call me at the Millers (337-779-2456) starting
Friday Feb. 23 and reserve a spot if there are any left, or find out about
cancellations. This trip is lots of fun and a chance to relax with music
and friends from around the country. (There may be some smuggled live Cajuns
on the boat, such as the infamous "Tee Larry" of Iota!) Don't miss the
boat!
Note: After the boat jam, at about 1:15 pm we go to Pat's Fisherman's
Wharf Restaurant (where the town road meets the levee road) to eat and
continue jamming and dancing. Feel free to join us there even if you do
not make the boat ride.
JUMBO YA YA REUNION AND FAREWELL
Jay Peterson has been in a number of bands in the Twin Cities, doing
fine work on guitar and vocals whether the sound was Cajun, zydeco, Latin,
blues or Western swing. He is soon moving out of the area. As part of a
special Jay Peterson Appreciation and Farewell Party there will be a reunion
of Jumbo Ya Ya at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday, January 20.
Jay was an integral part of Jumbo Ya Ya, a very popular band with dancers
because of the range of the material they covered. This will be an afternoon
event, starting at 2 pm. Also appearing will be Paradise Ranch,
another of the groups that Jay is a part of. Call the Cedar to confirm
the time. A great chance to dance, visit with friends and wear a cowboy
hat.
FROM THE KREWE DE WALLEYE
The Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association (The Krewe de
Walleye) presented a great New Year's Dance on Saturday, December 29. After
a basic dance lesson The Bone Tones took the stage for a great set,
showing once again why some Cajun radio stations in Louisiana feature their
tunes. After a short break JJ's Zydeco Paydirt got the crowd back
in the groove, raising the temperature in the Polish American Hall even
higher. It was a great evening.
The next event by the The Krewe is a Mardi Gras Party on Saturday, February
23rd. It will be at the Everett McClay VFW in Bloomington, There will be
a dance lesson, costume contest, and three bands. As we go to press the
bands have not yet been finalized, but expect great Cajun and zydeco tunes
from your favorites. The hall will be decorated; the costumes will be colorful
and the music will be hot. Tickets for the Mardi Gras Party are $15 for
Krewe members and $20 for others.
The Krewe is also working on another Cajun Cruise. The date is Saturday,
June 15 and the live band is The Bone Tones. There will again be
an hors d'oeuvres dinner. but the Krewe is working to avoid the long lines
experienced last year. Cost is $35 per person. You can order tickets now
by sending a check to Carroll Franco at 1455 Osceola Avenue, Saint
Paul, MN 55105 (be sure to include your phone number). You can also reserve
tickets by emailing cafzydeco@yahoo.com.
All tickets must be paid for by May 15.
The Krewe needs volunteers to help out at upcoming events. You don't
have to be a member and you earn credits towards free admission to future
dances. For information on membership in the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco
Music and Dance Association (The Krewe de Walleye) check out the web site
at www.krewedewalleye.com.
UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZUDECO EVENTS
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January 04 - The Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO,
IL
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January 06 - The Cajun Hot Soles : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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January 09 - Cajun Jam: HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9 PM)
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January 11,12 - C. J. Chenier: FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN, IL
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January 12 - The Cajun Hot Soles: LAKE HARRIET CHURCH, MPLS (6 PM POTLUCK;
7:30 PM LESSON)
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January 13 - Help Us Name This Band : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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January 17 - C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band: FIRST AVENUE,
MINNEAPOLIS
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January 18 - Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas: FORD CENTER FOR PERFORMING
ARTS, CHICAGO
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January 19 - The Cajun Hot Soles, Skandilous: DALBO TOWN HALL, DALBO, MN
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January 20 - The New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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January 27 - Bayou Hazard: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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February 01 - The Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO,
IL
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February 02 - The New Riverside Ramblers: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
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February 03 - NO DANCE (Superbowl): HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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February 09 - The Cajun Hot Soles: MMSA SCHOOL BENEFIT, 592 ARLINGTON AVE
W, ST. PAUL
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February 09 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt: FLOYD'S BAR, VICTORIA, MN
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February 10 - Frogtown Hotshots: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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February 10,11 - Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie: FITZGERALD'S,
BERWYN, IL
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February 13 - Cajun Jam: HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9 PM)
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February 17 - NO DANCE: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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February 23 - Mardi Gras Dance w/ several bands: EVERETT MCCLAY VFW, BLOOMINGTON
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February 24 - The New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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March 03 - The Cajun Hot Soles: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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March 10 - The New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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March 13 - Cajun Jam: HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD, MN (7-9 PM)
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March 17 - NO DANCE (St. Patrick's Day): HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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March 22-24 - Cajun Music, Dance and Culture Weekend: FOLKLORE VILLAGE,
DODGEVILLE, WI
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March 24 - To Be Announced: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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March 26 - Beausoleil: VITERBO FINE ARTS CENTER, LACROSSE, WI
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March 31 - Help Us Name This Band: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
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June 15 - Cajun Cruise w/ The Bone Tones: ON THE ST. CROIX OUT OF STILLWATER
NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item
on calendar.
A RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES
Over the holidays our Music Quiz staff braved the cold weather and the
hordes of fantasy fans to see the new "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship
of the Ring" movie. Given that the quiz staff rarely agree on anything,
including who the current President is and what color the back of a greenback
is, they were in surprisingly general agreemant that the movie is pretty
good. One staffer was particularly fascinated by Mount Doom, the foreboding
peak wherein the One Ring to Rule Them All was forged. This month's quiz
looks at other mountains in song titles. Can you match the performer with
the song. Beware the Ringwraiths!
| 01) WOLVERTON MOUNTAIN |
a) Flatt & Scruggs |
| 02) BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN |
b) Neil Young |
| 03) FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN |
c) Claude King |
| 04) SUGAR MOUNTAIN |
d) Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye |
| 05) BLACK MOUNTAIN RAG |
e) Harry McClintock |
| 06) FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN |
f) Rankin Family |
| 07) SMOKY MOUNTAIN MEMORIES |
g) Doc Watson |
| 08) TALKING BEAR MOUNTAIN PICNIC |
h) Mel Street |
| 09) ROCKY MOUNTAIN WAY |
i) Bob Dylan |
| 10) GILLIS MOUNTAIN |
j) Marshall Tucker Band |
| *11) AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH |
k) Joe Walsh |
*Special Internet Bonus Question
NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT is an independent newsletter
about Cajun, zydeco and other traditional music & dance events and
news in the upper Midwest and beyond. A one year subscription is $10.00.
E-mail: Notessteps@aol.com
or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, P.
O. Box 582192, Minneapolis, MN 55458-2192
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