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CAJUN UK
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What is Cajun and Zydeco MUSIC?
CAJUN MUSIC
Cajun music
is the music of the white French-speaking settlers of South West
Louisiana. It is traditionally played
on fiddle and accordion with the rhythm often being provided by acoustic guitar
and triangle (‘tit fer), but some bands have introduced electric instruments
and drums. The lyrics are usually sung
in Cajun French.
Zydeco Music
The
African-American and Creole people living in the same area adapted the basic Cajun
music, by the incorporation of other rhythms such as Afro-Caribbean, Blues,
Soul, Rock ’n’ Roll, etc, to provide a much more syncopated version. This music is called Zydeco, and is played
on piano accordion or ‘punchy’ button accordion accompanied by electric
guitars, with the rhythm usually being driven by drums and rub-board
(frottoir). The lyrics are usually sung
in English. For more information on
zydeco music click here.
The popularity
of Cajun and Zydeco music was enhanced when it featured in a number of films
such as ‘Southern Comfort’, ‘The Big Easy’,
and ‘Passion Fish’. The music is very distinctive and is primarily for
dancing. There are a variety of popular Cajun and Zydeco dances and Cajun UK provides instruction in some of these.
Historical Background
The origins
of the Cajun people lie in the French emigrants who, in order to seek a better
life, sailed across the Atlantic in the 17th century and settled in
what is now known as Nova Scotia. Here
they farmed the land in an area that became known as Acadia. Acadia was ceded to England in 1713, under
the Treaty of Utrecht, but the Acadian
settlers refused to swear allegiance to the British Crown. This resulted, in 1755, in what has been
called the Grand Derangement when 16,000 French Acadians who had lived in
Acadia for over a century were divested of their property and deported. After several years in scattered exile they
became pioneers once again and began to arrive and settle in the prairies and
bayous of Southern Louisiana, where
they thrived by raising cattle and crops.
The descendants of these pioneers became known as Cajuns (a corruption
of the word Acadians).
At the time
when the Acadians arrived, Louisiana was under Spanish rule. Louisiana eventually became one of the
United States of America and a policy was introduced by the Government to
eradicate the French language. The
Cajuns with their distinctive culture resisted attempts to assimilate them into
the American way of life and maintained their identity and heritage through
their unique food, music and language.
From the 1960’s there was a resurgence of interest in Cajun culture
which was boosted by the appearance of Dewey Balfa, a great Cajun fiddle
player, at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1967.
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