Cajun music

Cajun music(French:Musique cadienne), an emblematicmusic of Louisianaplayed by theCajuns, is rooted in theballadsof the French-speakingAcadiansofCanada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with theCreole-basedzydecomusic. Both are from southwest Louisiana and share French and African origins.TheseFrench Louisianasounds have influencedAmerican popular musicfor many decades, especiallycountry music, and have influencedpop culturethroughmass media, such astelevision commercials.
Cajun music is relatively catchy with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center. The accordionist gives the vocal melody greater energy by repeating most notes.Besides the voices, only two melodic instruments are heard, the accordion and fiddle, but usually in the background can also be heard the high, clear tones of a metal triangle.  The harmonies of Cajun music are simple and the melodic range is just one octave, rising a fifth above the tonic and descending a fourth below.  Because theCajun accordionis a diatonic instrument (do-re-mi or natural major scale) it can only play tunes in a few keys.  For example, a "C" accordion is tuned such that the entire C scale is available on the ten buttons (over two octaves) and it can play a tune in the key of C with all the notes of the C scale available (C-D-E-F-G-A-B). A "C" accordion can also play a few Cajun songs in the key of F however the Bb note will be missing.  Also it can play in the key of D with a "bluesy" sound since the F natural note becomes a flat third or minor third in the key of D.  However a skilled accordion player can play in these other keys and still make good music whereby the notes missing (because of the limitations of the diatonic tuning) are not needed by the melody.  Since an instrument must match the singer's range, much Cajun singing is sung in the singer's upper range.
It is unlikely that musical instruments were introduced to colonial Louisiana before around 1780. Although originally there were no instruments, there were songs. Families sang traditional French songs calledcomplainteswhich the Cajuns adapted to their new ways of life. The first known record was of a violin in 1780 and a fiddle and clarinet player in 1785. The diatonic accordion was introduced to Cajun music in the mid- to late-1800s. It became popular because of its volume which, along with the fiddle, created sufficient accompaniment for dancing.Originally, musicians and singers performed at house dance parties known asbals de maison. However Cajun music, born from ballads, later transformed todance music—played with or without words. The music was essential for small get-togethers on the frontporch,bals de maison,and public dances in dance halls calledfais do-dos.
This style comprises the roots of Cajun dance music, involving only a few instruments such as theCajun accordion,fiddle, andtriangle. This form holds firm to a basicrhythmwithstaccatostyle notes, including many fiddledouble stops. Each fiddle solo is composed of amajor scaleriff, repeated between verses. This form has existed since the early 1900s and thewaltzandtwo-stepare the most common dances of this Cajun music genre. Many songs that became standards in the Cajun music repertoire were first recorded in this period of the 1920s and 1930s. The first commercial recording of Cajun music, "Lafayette (Allon au Laufette)," was made byJoe Falconand his future wifeCléoma BreauxforColumbia Recordson April 27, 1928.A number of the most prominent traditional Cajun musicians are featured in the 1989 documentaryJ'ai Été Au Bal.Amédé Ardoin,Canray Fontenot,Wade Frugé,Dewey Segura,Joe FalconandCléoma Falcon, and theBreaux Brothersare examples of this genre.
This style draws fromTexascountry musicand moves away from the traditional accordion sound. It has more of a swing style popularized byBob Willsand theTexas Playboys. Instead of being dominated by the accordion, Cajun swing relies significantly on thefiddleandpianowith a swinging tempo. Bands in the 1940s began using the steel guitar, an instrument also found in Cajun dancehall music. Dances such as "the jig" are common in this genre of Cajun music.Leo Soileau,J. B. Fuselier,Leroy "Happy Fats" Leblanc,Harry Choatesand theHackberry Ramblersare early examples of this style.The Red Stick RamblersandThe Lost Bayou Ramblersare Cajun swing bands from the 1990s.
In Cajun Louisiana, public dancehalls are known asfais do-dos.This expression may have evolved from a practice of bringing children to dance halls to lull them to sleep. In French,fais do-domeans "go to sleep".This style originated in the post-war era of the late 1940s and continues to the present-day in small town dancehalls. During this early period, bands changed from performing at house dances to large halls.
Fais do-domusic is similar to the traditional Cajun music of house dances, with addedaccompanimentsuch as thebass guitar,drum kit,steel guitar, andrhythm guitar, electric or acoustic. The same abrupt,staccatofeel can also be felt. The implementation of electrical amplification allowed instruments to cut through the noise of the crowd and be heard throughout the dance hall. Electrification of the dance venues also allowed the fiddle to be played in a smoother style and alternate leads with the accordion. The steel guitar also adds remarks. Typically in dancehall Cajun performances the melody is played by the accordion followed by a bridge, a vocal verse, leading lines by the steel guitar, fiddle, and accordion followed finally by a bridge. This is followed by the next vocal verse, and so on.Lawrence Walker,Aldus Roger,Nathan Abshire,Iry LeJeune,Al Berard, andSidney Brownare examples of this musical period.The characteristics of dancehall Cajun can be seen in current artists such as Jesse Légé and The Basin Brothers Band.
Drawing on elements of the earlier traditional, Texas swing, and dancehall periods, the Cajun "renaissance" also incorporates more modern elements offolk, blues,jazzandswamp pop, andbluegrassstyles. The fiddle players relax, involving a morelegatofeel to the solos.  The quick fiddle action and double stops are missing, replaced by dominant blues chords and jazz slides.
Pioneers such asBeauSoleilwithMichael Doucet,Zachary Richard,Jambalaya Cajun Band, Bruce Daigrepont, and others broke new ground, while other musicians such as Eddie LeJeune, Irvin LeJeune, Homer LeJeune, thePine Leaf Boys, and others brought energy to older, more traditional forms.
In 1964, Gladius Thibodeaux, Louis "Vinesse" Lejeune, andDewey Balfarepresented Louisiana at theNewport Folk Festivalin Rhode Island. Their concert was a success and this was a turning point in the awareness of Cajun music at a national level.
Contemporary Cajun music is influenced byrock,R&B,blues,soul, andzydecomusic. Although led by the accordion, theelectric guitar,washboard, andkeyboardare all present in this form. Musicians such asWayne Toups, Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars,Lee Benoit, Damon Troy,Kevin Naquin, Trent LeJeune, andSteve Riley and the Mamou Playboyshave popularized this modern form of Cajun music.The band Atchafalaya, active from 1982 to 1986, is another example of this style.More recently, theLost Bayou Ramblershave experimented with mixing traditional instruments and cutting-edge technology, as showcased on their last two records, Mammoth Waltz (2012) and Kalenda (2017). This sound has been dubbed “Heavy Cajun Psych”.
Doug Kershawrecorded "Louisiana Man", an autobiographical song that he wrote while in the army. The song sold millions of copies and, over the years, it has come to be considered a standard of modern Cajun music. "Louisiana Man" has beencoveredby more than 800 artists.
The unaccompanied ballad was the earliest form of Cajun music. These narrative songs often had passionate themes of death, solitude or ill-fated love — a reaction to their harsh exile and rough frontier experience, as well as celebrations of love and humorous tales. Ballads were ritually sung at weddings and funerals, and sung informally for small groups of people at house parties as the food cooked and young children played.
The early songs were mixtures of la la,contra dances,reelsandjigsand other folk influences from Black, white and Native American traditions. Early song lyrics were entirely inCajun French. Though songwriting in French is still common, today some Cajun music is sung inEnglishwith younger singers and audiences.
In earlier years, thefiddlewas the predominant instrument. Usually two fiddles were common, one playing the melody while the other provided the séconde, or back-up part. Twin fiddling traditions represent the music in its purest form, as it was brought to Louisiana with the early immigrants and before popular American tunes mingled with it. Gradually, theCajun accordionemerged to share the limelight.
In the early 1930s, the accordion was pushed into the background by the popular string sounds of the time. Piano and other string instruments joined fiddle to create a jazzy swing beat strongly influenced by Western Swing of neighboring Texas. TheCajun fiddlewas a well established instrument which had been somewhat eclipsed by the German accordion fad, which had similar effect in French Canada. But in the Depression era the tide turned, and, according to Stricklinet al., it had never been eclipsed.
AfterWorld War II, the accordion regained its popularity in Cajun music. Also, in the late 1930s and 1940s,country musicbecame the dominant influence on Cajun music, andsteel guitarandbasswere introduced.
Modern Cajun music began taking on the influence of jazz and modern country music, resulting in a more polished sound. Theacoustic guitarwas added, mostly as a rhythm instrument, and thetriangleprovided a traditional percussion. Modern groups sometimes includedrums,electric bass,electric guitarsand amplified accordion and fiddles.
There are several variations of Cajun dance: a Cajun one-step, also called aCajun jig, a Cajun two-step, also called aCajun Jitterbug, and aCajun Waltz. In mild contrast,zydeco dancingis asyncopatedtwo-step orjitterbug. A Cajun dancer will cover the dance floor while the zydeco dancer will primarily dance in a smaller area. Cajun music can be found predominantly at Louisianafestivalsand dance halls, in addition to weddings in Acadiana.
In 1968,CODOFIL(the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) was created. The goal of this agency, which still exists, was to promote Cajun culture and combat negative stereotypes. In 1974, CODOFIL created the three-hour Tribute to Cajun Music festival, later renamed the Festival de Musique Acadienne, in order to revive an interest in Cajun music and culture among the younger generation.