Cajun Spotlight 

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest
 November 2005

HURRICANE RELIEF BENEFIT AT CEDAR

There will be a hurricane victims relief benefit concert/dance at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday, November 27th. Proceeds will go to the Tipitina Relief Fund and Higher Ground Fund, two organization working to help musicians and others suffering from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. Playing  will be JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt, the Faux Playboys, Sometimes Y, Jack Brass Band and many others. Check out the Cedar web site for updated information. Music begins at 2:00 pm and goes until 10:00 pm; there will be two stages so music will be non-stop. A $10 donation is requested. Food will be available from Hell’s Kitchen. C’mon out and support a worthy cause while passing a good time!
 

CD DANCE NOVEMBER 19 IN LINO LAKES

A dance party featuring recorded Cajun, zydeco and swing music takes place Saturday, November 19 at St. Joseph’s Parish in Lino Lakes.  Spinning the tunes and offering a dance lesson will be Maurine McCort. The dance lesson is at 7:00 pm and dancing is from 7:30 to 10:30 pm. St. Joe’s is located at 171 Elm Street in Lino Lakes.  Cost for adults is just $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth. Proceeds benefit the parish youth programs.
 

DANCE LESSONS WITH MAURINE MCCORT

Zydeco Dance Lessons with Maurine McCort  started in October at the Oddfellows Lodge. Lessons are $10 per person per lesson. The Oddfellows Lodge is at the corner of Raymond and Hampden in St. Paul. No partner needed. Lessons are on Saturdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. The schedule is: 
Working with the Feeling (Intermediate)
October 29; November 19
Rocking the Rhythm (Advanced) 
December 3, 10, 17 

TC (TWIN CITY) PLAYBOYS

A new band in town starts performing in November. The TC (Twin City) Playboys was formed by ace fiddler Kevin Anthony and includes John  Tallaksen (from Black Bear Bayou, Grande Prairie and the Smokey Hollow Ramblers) on guitar and Cajun accordion, Al Epp (from Black Bear Bayou, the Smokey Hollow Ramblers and Bridgling) on drums, Eric Paulson (from the Cajun Hot Soles and Skandilous) on upright bass and Ken Hippler on steel guitar. The TC Playboys perform a mix of old school country done in a decidedly Texas-style and traditional Cajun songs of Southwest Louisiana. It’s a good variety of music to dance to and includes two-steps, waltzes, fox trots and more. Expect songs by Ernest Tubb, George Jones, Ray Price, Balfa Brothers, Iry LeJeune and more.  The TC Playboys make their debut at Lee’s Liquor Lounge in Minneapolis on Thursday, November 10. They  play an opening set at 9:00 pm and will be followed by the Copperheads and Lazy Ike & the Daredevils. For a list of other appearances go to tcplayboys.com.
 

STAFF FOR BALFA HERITAGE WEEK

The next Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week is April 21-27 at Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, Louisiana.  There’s another great list of instructors, including Kenny Alleman, Al Berard, Jeffrey Broussard, Jonno Frishberg, David Greely, Ed Poullard, Dirk Powell, Lisa Reed, Steve Riley, Ann Savoy, Joel Savoy and Peter Schwarz. Registration has started and cabins are filling up fast. For complete information go to lafolkroots.org
 

BAYOU DANCER AND CO

David Jordahl offers Cajun and zydeco dance lessons. Get the latest schedules and lots more information at bayoudancer.com
 

WEEKLY CAJUN JAM 

A new weekly Cajun Jam has been started on Saturday mornings in south Minneapolis. The location is Betsy’s Back Porch Coffee at 5447 Nicollet Avenue (at the corner of Nicollet and Diamond Lake Road). They’re have been as many as ten people on some Saturdays, but usually a smaller group of regulars keep the tunes coming. Hours are from 10:00 am to  about 1:00 pm. Bring your fiddle, guitar, accordion, triangle, mandolin, dancing shoes or whatever. Great music, nice folks, good coffee and delicious sandwiches. An excellent way to start the weekend... 
 

CAJUN HOT SOLES AND SKANDILOUS IN DALBO     

Mark your calendars!  Coming to the Dalbo Town Hall on Saturday, November 12 from 7 to 11 pm  will be two great bands: Skandilous and the Cajun Hot Soles.  This unusual musical mix has been a popular fall event in recent years. Skandilous plays old time music of Norway, Sweden, and Finland on traditional instruments like the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, the Swedish nyckelharpa, and the Finnish harmonium.  The Cajun Hot Soles play a spicy mix of Cajun and Creole two-steps and waltzes.  A free dance lesson will be offered at 6:30 pm by Demi Miller. Everyone is welcome to attend - no dance experience is necessary. Delicious refreshments will be on sale by Mom's Food Co-op of Cambridge. Admission is $7 for adults, children are always admitted free.  The Town Hall is wheelchair accessible and smokefree. Dalbo is located about an hour north of the Twin Cities between Cambridge and Princeton. To get to the Town Hall from Dalbo: take Highway 47 north about 2.5 miles to County 16.  Go west (left) 1.8 mile to Jaspar St.  Go left 0.2 mile to 399th Ave. Go right 0.2 mile to Nacre St.  Go left to the Town Hall. Some overnight lodging is available at area motels and at nearby Sweetgrass Farm. For more information contact Amy at (763) 389-1536 or email: amy@amysabrina.com. [This activity is made possible, in part, by a grant from the East Central Regional Development Commission and the East Central Arts Council with funds provided by the Minnesota State Legislature.]
 

10 NOVEMBER/THE GALES OF NOVEMBER

Ten November was a play with music written in 1986 by Steven Dietz and Eric Peltoniemi. It’s about the 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior.  A special narrative presentation of the work is scheduled at the Fitzgerald Theater on November 10 and 11. Kevin Kling will be the  narrator, and music will be by Prudence Johnson, Ruth MacKenzie, Claudia Schmidt, Eric Peltoniemi, Dan Chouinard. Peter Ostroushko and Jeffrey Willkomm. Check with the Fitzgerald Theatre for ticket information. Other performances are scheduled in November in other Minnesota locations. [Note: NOTES & STEPS has two tickets available for the Thursday (the 10th) performance. Email or call if you’re interested in buying them.]
 

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

  • November 04 - JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt: WITHROW BALLROOM, HUGO (8:30 PM)
  • November 04 - The Midway Ramblers: IRISH AMERICAN HERITAGE CENTER, CHICAGO (8:00 PM)
  • November 05 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • November 06 - Savoy Family Band: OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, CHICAGO
  • November 06 - JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • November 10 - Rockin’ Pinecones: MINNEAPOLIS EAGLES CLUB (7:30 -10:30 PM)
  • November 10 - TC Playboys: LEE’S LIQUOR LOUNGE, MPLS (9:00 -10:00 PM)
  • November 11 - C. J. Chenier: CEDARBURG CULTURAL CENTER, CEDARBURG, WI
  • November 12 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • November 12 - Cajun Hot Soles, Skandilous: DALBO TOWN HALL, DALBO, MN (7:00 PM)
  • November 12 - C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band: FERMILAB, BATAVIA, IL
  • November 13 - Jumbo Ya Ya: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • November 19 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • November 19 - Cajun/Zydeco CD Dance with Lesson: ST. JOSEPH’S PARISH,LINO LAKES (7:00 PM)
  • November 20 - New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • November 25 - Mudbug Zydeco w/ Daddy Squeeze: TIMES BAR AND CAFE, MPLS (9:30 PM)
  • November 25 - TC Playboys: TILLIE’S BEAN, MINNEAPOLIS
  • November 26 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • November 27 - Hurricane Relief Musical Benefit: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MPLS (2:00 PM-10:00 PM)
  • November 27 - Faux Playboys: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • December 03 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • December 04 - New Riverside Ramblers: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • December 09 - TC Playboys: LEANING TOWER OF PIZZA, U OF M CAMPUS, MPLS (9:00 PM)
  • December 10 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • December 10 - JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt: WITHROW BALLROOM, HUGO (8:30 PM)
  • December 11 - Faux Playboys: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • December 17 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • December 17 - New Riverside Ramblers: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS (7:30 PM)
  • December 17 - TC Playboys: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS
  • December 18 - Cajun Hot Soles: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • December 31 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • January 01 - TBA: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • January 07 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • January 07 - New Riverside Ramblers: CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER, MINNEAPOLIS (7:30 PM)
  • January 08 - TBA: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • January 14 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • January 15 - TBA: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • January 21 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
  • January 22 - TBA: HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL (8:00 PM)
  • January 28 - Cajun Jam: BETSY’S BACK PORCH COFFEE, MINNEAPOLIS (10:00 AM-1:00 PM)
NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than four weeks from first item on calendar.
 

A RAKE AND RAMBLING BOY...

Recently our staff spent several hours on an unseasonably warm day raking leaves in the backyard.  It was one of what the advertisers used to call a “Kodak” moment, with bright leaves against the still-green grass and the surrounding trees and bushes laden with a varied palette of leaves yet to fall.  Before we got around to bagging all this color up, though, it had begun to rain. When we do get around to completing the job it’s unlikely that it will be as pleasant. Nonetheless, this is the time of year when you especially appreciate nice weather. The quiz this month has songs with leave or leaving in the title. Can you match the performer with the song?
 
01) I’M LEAVING IT UP TO YOU a) The Beatles 
02) LEAVING ON A JET PLANE b) Randy Newman
03) LEAVE A TENDER MOMENT ALONE c) Dale & Grace
04) LEAVING LOUISIANA IN THE BROAD DAYLIGHT d) Frank Sinatra
05) LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT e) Art Mooney
06) 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER   f) Billy Joel
07) YOU CAN LEAVE YOUR HAT ON  g) John Denver
08) SHE’S LEAVING HOME h) Paul Simon
09) LEAVING HOME   i) Ernest Tubb
10) AUTUMN LEAVES j) Oak Ridge Boys 
*11) I'M LOOKING OVER A FOUR LEAF CLOVER m) Charlie Poole
* Special internet bonus question.
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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. Email Notessteps@aol.com or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, 2425 East Franklin, #211 Minneapolis, MN 55406.