Cajun SpotlightNovember 1998 - Volume VI, NO. 10Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper MidwestNOTE FROM THE EDITORTwo of our staff (Ross Grotbeck and Dawn Hughes) were over in Finland this summer and have written about it for this issue. Ross has previously appeared in these pages describing the Cajun scene in England and the Netherlands. While in Finland Ross and Dawn went to the Arctic Circle and were married! All of us wish them much happiness as they travel their lives' path together.UPCOMING CAJUN & ZYDECO EVENTS1) Halloween is on Saturday and there are a couple of places to howl. The Swamp Sextet is playing at the Viking Bar in Minneapolis; if you want a little more dance room, ZoloGo are playing at the Saint Paul Curling Club located at 470 Selby (not far from the St. Paul Cathedral). There will be a lesson at 8 pm; food and beverages are available.2) The New Riverside Ramblers appear at the Como Park Conservatory in St. Paul on Saturday, November 7 at 1 pm. They also play at the Half Time Rec on Sunday, November 15. 3) Relatives in town for Thanksgiving and looking for a good time? Take ‘em dancing! The Swamp Sextet play at the Cedar on Wednesday, November 25 and at the Viking Bar on Friday the 27th. The Bone Tones are at the Cedar on Saturday, November 28. Finally, ZoloGo plays at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul on Sunday, November 29. 4) Crawfish Hotdish returns to Dunn Brothers at 50th and Xerxes in Minneapolis on Saturday November 21. Music starts at 7:30 pm. 5) JJ’s Zydeco Paydirt play for a zydeco dance at the Half Time Rec on Sunday November 8. 6) The BIG event in November in the Twin Cities in the Upriver Fais
Do Do on November 7 with Balfa Toujours (see article below). Don’t
forget that the weekend after appearing here Balfa Toujours will appear
in the Chicago area along with Bois Sec Ardoin. They will be at
Elmhurst College on Friday the 13th and at the Old Town School of Folk
Music on the 14th. Call CAJUN SPOTLIGHT for more info.
9TH ANNUAL UPRIVER FAIS DO-DOThe 9th Annual Upriver Fais Do-Do will be held November 7, 1998 at the Medina Entertainment Center. The festivities begin at 7:30 pm with a brief introductory dance workshop, free with paid admission to the dance. The basics of the traditional two-step and waltz will be taught by Millie Ortego, Opelousas, Louisiana native who pioneered the local Cajun music and dance scene back in 1984. The Twin Cities’ renowned Bone Tones play for the dance workshop before shifting into high gear for an opening set.Headlining the evening this year is Balfa Toujours, the brilliant young Cajun band led by Christine Balfa, daughter of esteemed Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa, on guitar and vocals. Christine’s driving rhythm guitar is complemented by Dirk Powell’s hot, syncopated accordion melodies, Kevin Wimmer’s passionate cries on the fiddle, and Ganeyn Arsement’s solid upright bass lines. Their soulful traditional tunes and inspired originals have captivated audiences around the world. So mark your calendars, dig out your dancin’ shoes, and get ready to "laissez les bon temps rouler!" Admission is $12 at the door. Call Millie or Lee at (612) 378-0117 for
more information. The Medina Entertainment Center is located west of Minneapolis
on Hwy 55; call (612) 478-6661 for directions. For those coming in from
out of town there’s also an adjoining motel with reasonable rates: The
Medina Inn; call (612) 478-9770.
ZYDECO DANCE LESSONSMaurine McCort offers her popular zydeco lessons starting in October. Classes are held Saturdays from 4-5:30 pm at the Oddfellows Lodge at 2382 Hampden in Saint Paul. Cost of each series is just $25. For more information and to confirm dates call Maurine at (651) 488-6269. Here's the schedule:
ROSS, DAWN AND THE GREAT ADVENTURETraditional music is alive and well in Finland. This past July we spent two weeks sampling the sights and sounds of the "Land of the Midnight Dances". Dawn has a special feeling for Finland because of her heritage. Initially we planned our holiday around the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival, but we were also able to fit in the Pori Jazz Festival, our wedding in the Land of the Sami People (Northern Finland), Helsinki and environs, plus side trips to Stockholm, Sweden and Tallin, Estonia.Every summer the small city of Pori on Finland's West Coast attracts over 100,000 people to one of the best jazz festivals in Europe. The fest features mostly American jazz and blues players with a few others from Europe and elsewhere. The festival was great but we enjoyed even more watching children play accordion duets on the street corner while their parents proudly smiled in the background. Next we traveled north by train toward the Arctic Circle. On July 20th, dressed formally and carrying some traditional accoutrements of a wedding (flowers, rings and legal documents) we traveled by train to the town of Rovenimi. The farther north we traveled the longer the day. At the Arctic Circle, the sunset and the sunrise all ran together and Ross took photos at 1 AM. There we were charmed by the fine quality of the Sami art. These beautiful works are inspired by summer’s long days and completed in winter's darkness. In Rovenimi we met with the Justice of the Peace and traveled with him six miles to the Arctic Circle where Santa Claus really lives! Our declaration of devotion to each other in marriage was witnessed by Santa Claus himself. One of the most "civilized" folk music festivals must be the Kaustinen Festival. For over 30 years the small rural community of Kaustinen in Central Finland has hosted a large festival of traditional music and dance. The festival started there because of the abundance of traditional musicians in the area. Lots of Fiddles! Lots of Accordions! Also, some interesting regional music: Russian influenced string bands from Eastern Finland and beautiful harmonies from the Land of the Sami. Lots of Dancing! Costumed and choreographed groups as well as participatory free-for-alls! Lots of World Music! Even Cajun Music! One of the various indoor venues was called "Ethno Club". Here the bands combined – in the same band – Swedish, African, Asian or Caribbean sounds and rhythms. The Cajun music was the Mark and Ann Savoy Band and from Louisiana. The band featured Bo Thomas on fiddle and Joel Savoy on bass. We performed a dance demo on stage during their concert and Ross played with the band during two songs. Lots of Children Musicians and Dancers! We were impressed by the large numbers of children playing in ensembles and doing costumed dancing. Again, we enjoyed the children as much if not more than the adult performers. Dancing All Night! Some of the participatory dances started at midnight and ended at 5 AM! Now they know how to party! Group Singing and Campfires! Large groups of people singing traditional folk songs around campfires through out the festival area into the early morning hours! It is a tradition at Kaustinen to stay in the homes of the local residents. We stayed with a young married couple (both are in music education) and their two children. They were wonderful hosts and treated us to a traditional Finnish sauna which included refreshments and fresh birch branches wrapped by the grandmother. We flew backward, in English, through puffy, white and blue mists, re-tracing
a route, taken long-ago.
UPCOMING CAJUN AND ZYDECO EVENTS
IS IT HOCKEY? IS IT BASKETBALL? NOT, IT’S A CONCERT!Several of our staffers made it down to the Target Center in Minneapolis (home of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Garth Brooks) in late October for a concert by Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Given the size of the hall it was a good concert. Both performers played songs from early in their careers as well as tunes from their latest releases. In the quiz this month we ask you to match songs written by these singer/songwriters with other artists who have recorded them. The first three songs are Joni Mitchell songs, the rest are by Bob Dylan. Interestingly enough, Bob sang one of Joni’s songs on an album from 1973 often (and perhaps wisely) overlooked. We have been unable to find an instance where Joni sang a Dylan song. Can you match the performer with the song?
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