Cajun Spotlight

May 1997

VOLUME V, NO. 4

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS

  1. Madison's Grand Chien Cajun Band play at a Ronald McDonald House  benefit in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday May 3. Mardi Gras Gala with a Heart includes a Cajun dinner dance and a silent auction. It will be held at the CUNA Building. For more information call Patti Farley at (608) 271-8031.
  2. Al Rapone's latest CD (recorded with local blues band The Butanes) is ready for release. It's a tribute to Clifton Chenier and on the  Atomic Theory label. A CD  Release Party/Dance with The Butanes and Mr. Rapone will be held at the Cabooze on Friday, May 16. Expect a heady mixture of blues and zydeco with mostly uptempo songs.
  3. Schullers in Golden Valley bills itself as "The Last Roadhouse". The Swamp Sextet play there Friday, May 30th. If the response is good they may appear more often at this venue. It's located at 7348  Country Club Drive (one block north of Hwy 55; 2 blocks east of Winnetka) . Call (612) 545-9972.
  4.  Some folks have already got their rooms reserved for the Northern  Lights Casino Cajun Fest in Walker, Minnesota. Dates are August 21-24. Haven't heard if the bands will be the same this year as last, but The Bone Tones will be there. They will also be there the weekend of June 20-22. For more information call the casino at (800) 252-PLAY.

CAJUN/ZYDECO LESSONS IN CHICAGO

An eight week series of Cajun and zydeco dance lessons at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago begins on Sunday, May 4. The first four classes will teach the basic Cajun two step and waltz and the Lafayette jitterbug. The instructor is Joan Letendre. The second half of the series will be on the zydeco waltz, two-step and variations. Teaching will be Louis Stallone. Classes meet Sundays from 3 to 4:30 pm. Cost of the series is $105. For more information call (773) 525-7793.

ANNUAL CAJUN/ZYDECO FISHING OPENER

May in Minnesota means several things: the unofficial end of snow, the beginning of gardening and the opening of fishing season. It also means the annual fishing opener Cajun and zydeco dance with The Bone Tones and the Swamp Sextet. It's on Saturday May 10 at the Medina Entertainment Center (just west of Minneapolis on Highway 55). Admission for the dance, which  starts at 8:00 pm, is just $8. At 7:00 pm Millie Ortego will give a  zydeco dance lesson; cost of the lesson is $6. Cajun food is also available at additional cost. For more information call (612) 721-8026.

TWIN CITIES ZYDECO LESSONS

A Note from Maurine Powell  We are melting away the winter blues as we step into the last three weeks  of  a nine-week run of Zydeco classes. We've gone through Zydeco B(basics), Zydeco X(eXtreme) and now -- look out! -- Zydeco Z. As was mentioned before, this is not for the faint of heart. We will learn some hot-stepping footwork and moves to warm the blood. The Zydeco Z class will run May 3, 10 (with live music) and 17. Sessions are held at the Oddfellows Hall at 2382 Hampden in St. Paul (corner of Hampden and Raymond just north of University Avenue). For more information call Maurine at 298-0909 or e-mail maurine@spacestar.com. 

CAJUN HERITAGE

(From the TWO STEP TATTLER, newsletter of the Baton Rouge Chapter of the Cajun French Music Association and reprinted with their kind permission. Compiled by Maurice Lasserre)

Did You Know? That Louisiana is home to six species of wrens. Most are so elusive they are seldom seen even by active outdoorsmen. William Reed lists three Cajun names for these small birds in his 1931 publication on Louisiana French:

  1. Prie-dieu (pree-dee-yeu), which literally translates to "pray (to) God", but also means "a kneeler", is the most descriptive of the three. The name describes the bird's incessant habit of squatting, curtsying or bobbing up and down, as if kneeling...
  2. Benari or bennari (ben-nar-ree) according to Reed is a Cajun name that attempts to imitate the wren's call as "ben-nar-ree"...
  3. Roitelet (roi-tee-lay) Roi means king, and the origin of this name involves a fable. "It seems that the fowl of the air once resolved to choose their leader by electing the one which could fly the highest;  the feat was accomplished by the eagle. Unknown to all a small wren had concealed itself in the feathers of the eagle's back. After the flight the name roitelet was bestowed on the tiny bird."  Roitelet means "little king" in standard French.

REFERENCES:  W. A. Reed, Louisiana French,1931 and George H. Lowry, Louisiana Birds, 1955.

LAGNIAPPE

 ... Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas will soon release an album recorded live  at popular New Orleans night spot the Rock-N-Bowl...Geno Delafose, who appeared in Turkey last fall and put on a great show here in town back in January, travels to the Netherlands in  late May for an appearance at the 5th International Raamsdonkveer Cajun and Zydeco Festival.  Other performers lined up include The Boat Band (from the UK), The Zydeco Playboys (from Germany) and Blue Bayou (from France). Eighteen bands are scheduled for the two stages at the festival...Chubby Carrier's brother Troy will soon have an album out on the Lanor label.......Chris Ardoin & Double Clutchin' have signed with the Rounder label...The Bone Tones appear again this year at the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old Time Music Association's annual festival the first weekend in August. It's held near Zimmerman, Minnesota. Look (or listen!) for some Cajun jam sessions that weekend!...

GUMBO YA-YA FESTIVAL IN ROCK ISLAND

 The Gumbo Ya-Ya Festival in Rock Island, Illinois is June 6 and 7.  Artists lined up for the two stages include Rosie Ledet, File, Chubby Carrier and Li'l Brian and the Zydeco Travelers. For more information call (309) 788-6311.

KFAI BLUES & BBQ FUNDRAISER

  The annual KFAI Blues & BBQ Concert is scheduled for Sunday, May 18 from 4:00 pm to closing. The event is a fund raiser for KFAI (Fresh Air) Radio and will  be held at Whiskey Junction (near the Minneapolis West Bank). Performers are Dave Ray, John Koerner, The Swamp Sextet, Big George Jackson, Grana Louise, Big Walter Smith, Willie Murphy, the WCCO Blues Band and more. With only $5 admission, you can't go wrong with this one. Great music and you're supporting the most diverse radio station in the metropolitan area.

UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS


NOTE: Please call to confirm events more than six weeks from first item on calendar.

THE MERRY MONTH OF MAY...

As mentioned elsewhere in this issue, the start of fishing season in Minnesota and Wisconsin is just around the corner. The theme of this month's quiz is fish-related songs. Can you match the performer with the song? Answers are available at notessteps@aol.com 


01) FISHING BLUES a) The Marvelettes
02) CATCH US IF YOU CAN  b) Country Joe & the Fish 
03) THE FISHERMAN c) B. J. Thomas
04) I SHALL BE RELEASED d) Henry Thomas 
05) THREE LITTLE FISHES   e) Ray Price
06) HOOKED ON A FEELING   f) Dave Clark Five 
07) THE FISH CHEER  g) Bob Dylan 
08) REELING IN THE YEARS  h) Leo Kottke 
09) TOO MANY FISH IN THE SEA   i) Kay Kyser & His Orchestra 
10) RELEASE ME  j) Steely Dan 

 

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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 $8.00. Email Notessteps@aol.com or NOTES & STEPS/CAJUN SPOTLIGHT, John Tallaksen, 2425 East Franklin, #211 Minneapolis, MN 55406.