06/12/07

A dancer who is smitten with zydeco, or more accurately addicted to zydeco, also called a zydeholic, or zydehog, or hog, for short. Hog quiz coming soon!

How Exactly Did Hogtown Zydeco Get Its Name?

From the Bartman, of course! Read about it!

Where Exactly Did the Word Zydeco Come From?

Zydeco comes from the French expression les haricots, meaning "beans." (Ask someone who speaks French (like Joyce) to say it for you.) Possibly it comes from the common Creole expression "Les haricots sont pas salés" ("The beans aren’t salty").  However, variations on the word zydeco appear in black French songs from as far away as the Indian Ocean.  Most interestingly, it is said that Les haricots sont pas salés is a lyrical metaphor for difficult times: in the past, Creoles seasoned their food, such as beans (les haricots), with salted meat — when times were bad, salted meat became too expensive, which explained why "the beans aren’t salty." 

What Exactly is the Difference Between Cajun and Zydeco?

Zydeco is a popular accordion-based musical genre (which also includes a frottior) that is, contrary to popular belief, not Cajun in origin. Zydeco is actually the music of south Louisiana’s Creoles of Color, who borrowed many of zydeco’s defining elements from Cajun music. (In turn, Cajun music borrowed many of its traits from Creole music.) It started back in the 1750s, check it out!

Also, check out Bartman's cool chart, a quick way to see the difference between these genres. 

The traditional Cajun sound uses just fiddle, accordion, guitar and triangle. Two-steps and waltzes are the main song styles. Steve Riley playing (my favorite) The Mardi Gras song, poor sound quality though. And this, just for Joyce, the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

Zydeco is distinguished from Cajun by faster, chugging rhythms, the use of a frottoir as a percussion instrument, lack of a fiddle, and a strong rhythm-and-blues influence. Because Zydeco is open to outside influences, many of today's Zydeco bands perform rock and R&B-oriented music with the accordion as the lead instrument. Geno Delafose is a favorite.

And What's a Frottior?

The frottoir, or rubboard. is one if the signature instruments in a zydeco band. It looks like the old washboards that were in use before the washing machines took over. Find out out how they are built, and learn to play one! It is thought to be one of the only musical instruments invented in America. Even the Smithsonian displays one! Read more about its history.

I Want to Learn More about Cajun Culture!

Great! Learn more about the history of Cajun/zydeco music.  Also, check out the Cajun French Music Association.

*****