Cajun SpotlightCajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest January 2004 HACKBERRY RAMBLERS FILM PBS DEBUT(PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE]John
Whitehead’s documentary MAKE ‘EM DANCE: The Hackberry Ramblers
Story will have its national broadcast debut on PBS In January. The
Hackberry Ramblers were formed in 1933, and co-founders Luderin Darbone
and Edwin Duhon still lead the band today. They have toured the
world, been on the Grand Ole Opry and on MTV. John Whitehead
(a Saint Paul resident) has presented the film at festivals here
in the Twin Cities and in France. It‘s a history of the group and a
portrait of a musical partnership that has remained strong
and vibrant. The local debut will be on Sunday,
January 18 at 10:00 pm with a rebroadcast Monday morning, January 18 at
5:00 am, both on Channel 2, KTCA. Viewers in other parts of the country
should check their local PBS affiliate schedules for broadcast of
the Independent Lens series.
LOOKING AHEAD IN 2004Here
are the dates and lineups (where available) for area Cajun/zydeco weekends
and festivals in the first half of the new year.
1)
Lake of the Torches Casino in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin presents a Mardi
Gras Weekend March 12 and 13. On Friday, March 12 Doug Kershaw appears.
The next night Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas perform
2)
The Cajun Music Dance and Heritage Weekend at Folklore Village in Dodgeville,
Wisconsin is April 23-25. Not all the staff has been announced yet, but
Robert
Jardell is said to be on board on accordion.
3)
The Budweiser Taste Louisiana Cajun Fest in Amana, Iowa is May 29-31. Scheduled
to perform at the popular event are Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys,
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars, Jamie Bergeron and the
Kickin’ Cajuns, Hadley Castille and the Sharecroppers and Dennis
Stroughmatt & Marce Lacouture. The festival in Lincoln, Nebraska
will take place in the fall.
CAJUN HOT SOLES IN RED WINGThe
Cajun Hot Soles will play for a dance at the Music Loft at Hobgoblin
Music in Red Wing, Minnesota on Saturday, January 17. The Loft is a great
venue for concerts and dances. The address is 920 State Highway 19. There
will be a dance lesson at 7:30 pm with dancing from 8 to 11 pm. For more
information call 877-866-3936 or go to stoneyend.com.
THE KREWE PRESENTS...The
Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association present a Mardi
Gras Dance at the spacious Medina Entertainment Center on Saturday, February
28th. Performing will be The New Riverside Ramblers, JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt
and
The Faux Playboys. Cost is $12 for Krewe members, $15 for costumed
non-members and $17 for non-members without costumes. Music starts at 8:00
pm. On Friday, March 12 the Krewe presents Nathan & the Zydeco
Cha Chas at the Marion KC all in Bloomington. More about this in the
next issue.
Don’t
forget that before zydeco dances at the Half Time Rec on Sunday night the
Krewe presents a zydeco lesson by Maurine McCort. To learn about
the Minnesota Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance Association check out www.krewedewalleye.com.
ZYDECO LESSONS WITH DAVID JORDAHLEach
Sunday David Jordahl and Deb Clark offer beginning and Intermediate
zydeco lessons at Four Season’s Dance Studio in Minneapolis. The classes
are open to all who want to get to the next level of zydeco.
Each week will begin with the basic step and find that Zydeco groove.
After the first half hour, students are welcome to request moves and aspects
on which to focus. Individual attention will be given as much as possible.
Bring your music requests, too. Classes are held from 4 to 5:30 pm
every Sunday and each class is $10.
Four
Seasons Dance Studio is located at 1637 Hennepin Avenue South near
Loring Park It has wood floors, a great sound system, places to sit
and relax, and a refrigerator and serving counter. For more information
on the lessons and other topics related to Louisiana music and dance check
out David’s Web site bayoudancer.com.
You can also call David at 612-226-1851 or email david@bayoudancer.com.
DALBO TOWN HALL DANCEThe
next Dalbo Town Hall Dance will be on Saturday, January 24. It Will feature
music by The Mad Cow Band and some basic dance instruction by Demi
Miller. The Mad Cow Band plays a little of everything - polka, Irish,
old-time, square dance tunes and more. Hours for this fun event are 7 to
11 pm. Featured in the Dalbo Town Hall Art Gallery will be works by Gary
Moss. Admission is $7 for adults and children are admitted free.
The Dalbo Town Hall is wheelchair accessible and smoke free. Mom's
Food Co-op of Cambridge will sell tasty refreshments. Dalbo is located
about an hour north of the Twin Cities between Cambridge and Princeton.
From Dalbo, take Highway 47 north approx. 3.3 miles to County 16.
Go west (left) 1.8 miles to Jaspar St. Go left .2 mile to 399th Ave.
Go right .2 mile to Nacre St. Go left to Town Hall. For information
Call Amy at 763-389-1536 or asabrina@ecenet.com.
On March 13 there will be a Mardi Gras Dance at the hall featuring the
Cajun Hot Soles, Black Bear Bayou and the Smokey Hollow Ramblers.
THIS AND THAT...the
new release by Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Bon Reve, has
been nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album...a newer
zydeco group based in the Twin Cities features accordion whiz Patrick
Harison, who plays several types of music with great ability. 6-1-2
Zydeco Crew has performed at a few Midwest casinos already. They are
definitely worth seeing...Louisiana Folk Roots presents the Dewey Balfa
Cajun and Creole Heritage Weekend April 2-4 at Lake Fausse Pointe in Louisiana.
For information about this weekend of workshops and dances contact CAJUN
SPOTLIGHT...
UPCOMING CAJUN/ZYDECO EVENTS
NOTE:
Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on list.
RELATIVELY SPEAKINGThe
end of the year was a pretty hectic time at the offices of CAJUN SPOTLIGHT/NOTES
& STEPS. We decided to have the staff invite their Families (nuclear,
extended and otherwise) to our annual holiday gala. A lot of folks turned
out and everyone had a good time. It was sometimes difficult to remember
who all the relatives of the staff were. We had some name tags available,
and some folks just wrote in their relationship to the staff member through
whom they were invited (‘John’s Grandmother’ or ‘Linda’s Cousin’). It was
a great party. Our quiz this month features song with the names of relatives
in the title. Can you match the performer with the song?
* Special Internet Bonus QuestionBack to Cajun Spotlight PageBack to Newsletter PageBack to Main PageNOTES & 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
|