Cajun Spotlight

December 1998 - Volume VI, NO. 11

Cajun and Zydeco Music and Dance in the Upper Midwest

UPCOMING CAJUN & ZYDECO EVENTS

1) Be sure to read the article in this issue this issue about the FauxPlayboys CD Release Party December 11. You may not of heard the group's name but the members of this band are sure to be known to you.

2) The Bone Tones return once more to the Cedar Cultural Centre on SaturdayDecember 12 for another great dance.

3) The Swamp Sextet travels to Saint Cloud on Wednesday December 16 to appearat Legends (in the Holiday Inn there) They play in Saint Paul at the veryretro Turf Club on Saturday the 19th.

4) The buzz on JJ's Zydeco Paydirt is that they are hot! Catch them at the Half Time Rec in Saint Paul on Sunday, December 20. ZoloGo will help you unwind from holiday overload at the Half Time Rec on Sunday December 27.

5) New Year's Eve in Saint Paul will again be the scene of A Capital New Year. Many different bands will be performing in a number of venues in the downtown area, among them ZoloGo, The Swamp Sextet and old timey favorites The Barn Cats. Look for particulars about where and when in the papers at the end of December.

CAJUN/ZYDECO FESTIVALS IN IOWA

For those folks interested in planning ahead, we thought we'd let you know about two Louisiana music festivals scheduled for Iowa in 1999. The Second Annual Taste Louisiana Cajun Fest will be May 29-31 (Memorial Day Weekend) at the Amana Colonies Visitors and Convention Center in Amana, Iowa. Featured musicians include Hadley Castille & the Sharecroppers, the Zydeco Boneshakers, Curtis Courbello and the Treater Band.. Food will be prepared by folks fromLouisiana and there will be other special events. We will have more information about this event in a few months. A similar festival is slated for the Ankeny Expo Center just north of Des Moines over Labor Day. Artists for that weekend will be announced later.

CAJUN AND ZYDECO DANCE LESSONS

Maurine McCort offers her popular Cajun and zydeco lessons to help warm up the winter days. Classes are held Saturdays from 4-5:30 pm at the Oddfellows Lodge at 2382 Hampden in Saint Paul. Cost of each series is $35 or $45. For more information and to confirm dates call Maurine at (651) 488-6269. Here's the schedule:

Zydeco Z: November 21, December 5, 12
Cajun: 2-Step/Waltz/Jitterbug: Jan 9,16,30,Feb 6
Cajun Jitterbug: Feb 20,27, March 6,13,20

LOOKING AHEAD

...Beausoleil are scheduled at the Cabooze Bar in Minneapolis on Friday, January 29 and appear on A Prairie Home Companion the next day...have heard rumblings about Lil' Brian & the Zydeco Travelers at a local blues bar in January...Steve Riley & group are slated for an appearance in Red Wing, Minnesota at the Sheldon Theater April 10...

FAUX PLAYBOYS CD RELEASE PARTY

Ho Ho Faux! It's that time of year again and the Faux Playboys have just released a new CD, titled Cajun Christmas. The Playboys are throwing a release party and would like you all to come.

When the Playboys get in a Christmas mood you can never be sure what may happen to those old Christmas standards. "Joy to the World" becomes a rockin' two step and "Oh, Holy Night" is a Swamp Pop ballad. I'm not sure if "Good King Wenceslas" knew how to Zydeco but Hark, don't those Herald Angels sound a little like the Meters?

Faux Playboys? Who? Never heard of them. Well, you may not have heard them together as the Playboys, but you have heard them playing in many local bands. Dan Newton plays accordion and piano and was a founding member of Jumbo Ya Ya and the Rockin' Pinecones. Dan is currently in the Swamp Sextet and the Café Accordion Orchestra. Dick Danaher plays saxophone, piano, and rubboard and wasalso a member of Jumbo Ya Ya and the Rockin' Pinecones and is one of the principals in Dick and Jane's Big Brass Band. Eric Mohring plays fiddle in the Bone Tones and Cafe Accordion Orchestra. Karl Smelker, on bass, and Lee Tedrow, on acoustic and electric guitars, spent many years in the Minnesota Barking Ducks and now play with the Swamp Sextet. The man behind the drums is Ted Klotz, who is also in the Swamp Sextet and has been a member of the Bone Tones and Dick and Jane's Big Brass Band.

In 1997 Compass Productions asked Dan Newton to put together a group to record a CD of Louisiana music for the Target Lifescapes music series. Compass and Target wanted the CD to cover a wide range of Louisiana music from Cajun to Zydeco, Swamp Pop to New Orleans Funk, and anything else you might find in Louisiana. The result was "Cajun Bayou" which quickly became one of the fastest selling releases in the Lifescapes series.

The first CD was so successful, the Playboys were asked back to record a set of Christmas music. The result is "Cajun Christmas".

On December 11th the 'boys will be playing music from both CD's. There may also be some surprise visitors. So bring your dancing shoes down to the Cedar Cultural Centre in Minneapolis and pass a good time. Heck, if the Playboys get going they may even sing a few.

IN THE NEW YORK TIMES

There was a lengthy article in the New York Times on Sunday, November 22 about Balfa Toujours and Bois Sec Ardoin. It discussed their recent musical collaboration and the record that grew out of it as well as the issue of race as reflected in Louisiana music and its audience. You should be able to find the article in your library and perhaps on the New York Times web site.

CAJUN AND ZYDECO CALENDAR

December 05 - Midway Ramblers : BORDERS BOOKS, SCHAUMBURG, IL (8:00 PM)
December 09 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN' PARLOR, RICHFIELD MN (7-9 PM)
December 11 - The Faux Playboys Xmas CD Release Party : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE
December 12 - The Bone Tones : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
December 14 - 20 - J. J. Callier & the Zydeco Knockouts : CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
December 16 - The Swamp Sextet : LEGENDS, ST, CLOUD, MN
December 19 - The Swamp Sextet : TURF CLUB, ST. PAUL
December 20 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
December 20 - Potluck Cajun Xmas Party w/ Midway Ramblers : FITZGERALD'S, BERWYN. IL (5 PM)
December 21-27 - Roy Carrier & the Night Rockers : CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
December 27 - ZoloGo : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
December 31 - ZoloGo, The Swamp Sextet : CAPITAL NEW YEAR, ST. PAUL
December 31 - C. J. Chenier & the Red Hot Louisiana Band : JIMMY'S, CHICAGO, IL
January 09 - MCZMDA CD Dance /Potluck Party : ODDFELLOWS HALL, ST. PAUL (7:30 PM)
January 10 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : HALF TIME REC, ST. PAUL
January 13 - Cajun Jam : HOMESTEAD PICKIN PARLOR, RICHFIELD MN (7-9 PM)
January 17 - New Riverside Ramblers : HALF TIME REC. ST. PAUL
January 23 - JJ's Zydeco Paydirt : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
January 23 - Grande Prairie : GINKGO COFFEEHOUSE, ST. PAUL
January 23 - The Bone Tones /Geno Delafose : CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY, MT. PLEASANT, MI
January 26-31 - Li'l Brian & the Zydeco Travelers : CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
January 29 - Beausoleil : CABOOZE BAR, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
January 30 - Beausoleil : A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, FITZGERALD THEATRE, ST PAUL
January 30 - The Bone Tones : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS
January 31 - The Buffalo Gals : HALF TIME REC. ST. PAUL
February 1-7 - Li'l Malcolm : CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
February 8-16 - J. J. Callier & the Zydeco Knockouts : CRAWDADDY BAYOU, WHEELING, IL
February 12,13 - The Bone Tones : PINE POINT BEAN & BREW, ELKHART LAKE, WI
February 20 - Mardi Gras Bal Masque w/ The Bone Tones : MAJESTIC BALLROOM, COTTAGE GROVE
February 22 - Geno Delafose, Beausoleil : COLLEGE OF DUPAGE, GLEN ELLYN, IL
February 27 - The Bone Tones : CEDAR CULTURAL CENTRE, MINNEAPOLIS

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

THE READERS HAVE SPOKEN!

In the last (snail mail) issue we did not include the answers to the music quiz. Was this a way of seeing whether anyone was paying attention or just an oversight? Frankly, we can't remember. In any case we found that some folks were paying attention and do like to have the answers provided. Henceforth answers will be in each issue. The answers to last month's quiz are in this issue also. In this issue we turn our back on winter and look back to summer days in the park. Can you match the performer with the song? Vox populi.

01) ITCHYCOO PARK	a) Steve Goodman
02) PALISADES PARK	b) Muddy Waters
03) MACARTHUR PARK	c) The Artist
04) CHERRY HILL PARK	d) The Cowsills
05) PAISLEY PARK	e) Freddy Cannon
06) SATURDAY IN THE PARK	f) Foo Fighters
07) WALKIN' THRU THE PARK	g) Richard Harris
08) LINCOLN PARK PIRATES	h) Chicago
09) DOWN IN THE PARK	i) Billy Joe Royal
10) THE RAIN, THE PARK & OTHER THINGS	j) Small Faces

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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.