What is zydeco music history

His re-emergence was a phenomenon, drawing capacity crowds and setting in motion a scene that would soon explode with new talent.

Many audiences even began to prefer the smaller instrument, for the raw edge and pulsating groove it set up for dancing. Today, the contrasting musical schools of Chenier and Chavis remain evident. Chenier, Nathan Williams, Sr. Zydeco, zarico, zodico, zologo, and even zukey jump represent a few of the spellings used by folklorists, ethnomusicologists, record producers, and filmmakers in their attempts to transcribe the word performers used to describe Louisiana's black French Creole music.

The spelling zydeco was the first to appear in print, used by ethnomusicologist MacCormack in the early s. Today it is the most widespread label and most record companies favor it. Because its language is French or Creole, zydeco tradition has largely remained a mystery to outsiders. Folk spellings and folk etymologist often develop to explain or rationalize words and expressions whose origins or exact meanings have become unclear. Native Louisiana Creoles explain that the word zydeco comes from les haricots after the expression " Les haricots sont pas sale " "The beans aren't salty" , heard in many of the tradition's songs.

However recent studies based on early Louisiana recordings made by Alan and John Lomaz suggests that the term, as well as the tradition, may have African origins. The languages of West African tribes affected by the slave trade provide some clues as to the origins of zydeco. In South Louisiana, the meaning of zydeco has expanded or survived to refer to dance as a social event and dance styles as well as the music associated with them: Creoles go to a zydeco to dance the zydeco to zydeco music played by zydeco musicians.

Used in an expanded way, as a verb, zydeco seems to have other meanings: "Let's zydeco them," or "Let's go zydeco. Community dance events, which provide the primary opportunity for courtship, are announced as zydecos. The word zydeco also refers to hard times and, by association, to the music that helped to endure them.

In black American tradition, this music is called the blues, whether it be a "low-down" blues lament which relieves by purging, or a jumping, juking blues which relieves by distracting. Zydeco's bluesy side is sometimes based on melodies and rhythms of a delta blues tradition.

Other times, an interesting confluence of European and Afro-Caribbean rhythms and sources produces haunting songs which function equally well as blues laments and as waltzes. His highly syncopated accordion style and inspired improvisational singing helped to define the early style. Ardoin's immensely popular regional recordings led the way for subsequent black performers and influenced many Cajun musicians as well - notably Austin Pitre, Iry Lejuene, and later Michael Doucet.

What we have come to call zydeco today is the result of the experimentation which occurred during the late s and s. Black Creole musicians combined older musical traditions, which was the unaccompanied black French shouts called jures, with instruments then eventually formed whole bands. The dominant figure in the formation of contemporary zydeco was Clifton Chenier. He also pioneered the use of the piano accordion, giving the tradition access to the full range of the chromatic scale.

Other musicians Sidney Babineaux, Herbert Sam, and Boozoo Chavis also contributed significantly to the development of the form. Yet the same band leaders who insist on singing English lyrics and adding saxophones, trumpets, and electric guitars to their groups will demonstrate their deep understanding of the essential tradition when they play what they call " du vrai zydeco. The rest of the band drops out while the accordionist and the percussionists beat out a jumping rhythm.

They forced the French settlers to swear an oath of loyalty to the British crown. Those who refused were deported beginning in They were taken to various destinations: back to France, to New England, and to other French possessions, such as Haiti and Louisiana. Many Acadians arrived in Louisiana in through Although Louisiana had been transferred to Spain in , everyday life continued to be lived in French. The Spanish government even brought Acadians from France to Louisiana in Few Acadians stayed in the port of arrival, New Orleans.

Far more went further west to the marshes and prairies of south central Louisiana. They became hunters and trappers and farmers. It is a popular misconception that most Cajuns live on the bayous and in the marshes, poling their pirogues and hunting alligators. Far more became farmers in the grand triangular prairie that stretches from Lafayette north to Ville Platte and west to Lake Charles.

The music these people brought was simple. It was made by singing, humming, and rhythmic clapping and stamping. Instruments were brought to the colony, with a violinist's death recorded in Early instrumental music was played primarily on violins, singly or in pairs. One violin played lead and the second a backing rhythm. A simple rhythm instrument was created out of bent metal bars from hay or rice rakes: the triangle or 'tit fer, meaning little iron.

Alan Lomax described the music of Poitou, the region in France most Acadians came from, as: solo unaccompanied ballads, lyric songs with complex texts, unaccompanied air playing on fiddles and wind instruments, unison group performances of ceremonial songs, and dance orchestras where string and wind duos play tunes in unison or in an accompanying relationship. The earliest Acadian songs were long ballads originally from France. They told of hard life and suffering.

Jigs, reels, and contradances became part of their repertoire. In their new home, Louisiana, they absorbed more from their new neighbors, Spanish, Germans and Caribbeans. Cajun music is first and foremost, social music. Life was hard toiling in the fields, and it was a welcome relief to hear that Boudreaux or Landry was having a bal de maison , a house dance, on a Saturday night. Families appeared and furniture was moved to make room for dancing. Children were put aside and encouraged to sleep, giving the name fais do-do , or go to sleep , to these dances.

Musicians wrote original songs telling of their life in the new world. The song J'ai passe devant ta porte tells of the suddenness of death from accident and disease. The singer tells of passing by his beloved's door and hearing no answer to his call. Going inside he sees the candles burning around his love's corpse. The accordion was invented in Vienna about and was brought to Louisiana by the German immigrants many of whom lived adjacent to or among the Cajuns. Though it arrived in Louisiana as early as , it was not immediately incorporated into Cajun music.

The first accordions could play only in the keys of A or F. Fiddlers employing an open tuning could not play in tune with them. The first C and D accordions began to be imported around and were quickly adopted by Cajuns.

These Sterling and Monarch accordions were greatly prized for their sound. The accordion was loud enough and sturdy enough to withstand the semi-tropical weather that smothers south Louisiana for half the year.

It did not go out of tune as easily as the violin. We sent you SMS, for complete subscription please reply. Follow Twitter Instagram Facebook. What is zydeco? What instruments are used in zydeco music? What countries influenced zydeco music? Wonder What's Next? Try It Out Find an adult who can help you with the activities below!

Ready to rock out to some Zydeco music? There's no better way to get better acquainted with Zydeco music than listening to some. What do you think about Zydeco? Discuss with a friend or family member. Read more about the King of Zydeco.

What did you learn about Clifton Chenier? How did he influence Zydeco? What other interesting facts did you read about this musician? Write a paragraph summarizing what you learned. Then, share what you wrote with a friend or family member. Zydeco music includes many traditional instruments.

But it also uses other objects to make music, like washboards. Take a look around your home. What objects can you use to make music that aren't instruments? With the help of a friend or family member, drum a beat or play a melody using an everyday item. You never know what kind of new sound you could create! Did you get it? Test your knowledge. Join the Discussion. My favorite fact about Zydeco music is that my mom got to hear it and to learn what it was.

Zydeco is a mixture of many different types of music. Louisianna is such a melting pot for many different people. The name Zydeco came from the misprounciation of the French words "the snap beans".

I wonder where I can find Zydeco music? My prediction for the next Wonder of the Day is that there will be something scary in the book tomorrow. Learning about the different types of music developed from the combination of immigrants.