Welcome to Issue #58
of FloridaCajunZydeco.com Update!
for November 2017
This newsletter showcases dance events from the FloridaCajunZydeco.com website and publishes articles not on the website pages. We welcome Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe back to Ace's Live Music in Bradenton this Friday, November 3. I hope you can make it. Also, we welcome Tom Rigney and Flambeau back to the Friday Swing Dance on Friday, Nov. 17 at Suncoast Jazz Fest in Clearwater Beach. Rigney's band will be playing for dancers 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., followed by three other dance bands -- a great value for a $22 ticket. Birthday greetings to Cajun and zydeco artists born in November: Beau Jocque, Alphonse 'Bois Sec' Ardoin, Stanley Dural, Jr., and Tab Benoit. Join us on the first and third Tuesday of the month at Caddy's in downtown St. Petersburg for a Cajun Zydeco Dance 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Our issue "58" graphic at the top features an image of the band Balfa Toujours --- for no particular reason except it works really well. The band gets a mention in the write-up for 'Bois Sec' Ardoin. The typeface featured throughout this issue is Ostrich. There are festivals this month in Louisiana and Florida. Check out Festival-O-Rama for festival opportunities. We're on Facebook in Groups (Florida Cajun Zydeco Dancers) and with our own Facebook Page (Florida Cajun Zydeco). Check us out and "Like" us to see the posts and reminders throughout the week. This is a good way to get your Cajun and zydeco fix between newsletters. FloridaCajunZydeco.com loves to travel — in your pocket on your smart phone. Check the website for dance information wherever your travels take you. Regards, Jim Hance
Publisher, FloridaCajunZydeco.com
Fri. Nov. 3 -- Dikki Du and The Zydeco Krewe
8 p.m. at Ace’s Live, 4343 Palma Sola Blvd., Bradenton, Florida 34209. Phone 941-795-3886. Dikki Du (Troy Carrier) was born in 1969 in Church Point, Louisiana and discovered his love for zydeco music at the tender age of nine. Troy’s brother Chubby Carrier started a family band and offered Troy a job playing the drums. Troy toured with his brother from the late '80s until the '90s when he returned home to pick up the accordion. It has now been two decades that Dikki Du and the Zydeco Krewe have been on the scene. Dikki Du has incorporated his
musical heritage and created one of the most innovative zydeco groups around. His original funky and hypnotic zydeco style announces that he has arrived, occupying a spot on par with the best.” Come out and support this venue again, and dance to a great zydeco band. At just $15 a ticket, you can't afford to stay home! Website:http://aceslivemusic.com
First + Third Tuesdays --- Cajun Zydeco Dance at Caddy's on Central (St. Petersburg)
6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 7: "Election Central" Dance
Just kidding. No election results on the monitor. But there will be a four-alarm fire on the dance floor with great Cajun and zydeco tunes for your dancing pleasure, regardless of who wins the job of mayor of our fair city. 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday Nov. 21: "Le Bon Temps" Dance
Get in a good mood for Thanksgiving! The venue for both evenings is at Caddy's on Central, 217 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33705. No cover charge! Website: caddysoncentral.com Good mix of danceable music by Cajun and zydeco artists that give you that instant lift as soon as the music starts to play. We're in the lounge with a wood dance floor at Caddy's. Caddy's on Central is around the corner from Ringside Cafe and Jannus Landing. Stop by early for a quick introduction to the dances. I am playing some classics and some new tunes just released this past year. We're a very sociable crowd, so stop by and get to know us. No cover charge and
drink specials the first hour. Great food. Info on these dances and others at: www.FloridaCajunZydeco.com
Tuesdays at Zydeco Grille (Englewood):
Easy Street Bayou
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Zydeco Grille, 8501 Placida Rd, Placida, FL 33946
Website: zydecogrille.com
Tuesdays at the Zydeco Grille throughout November and December. Easy Street Bayou personnel: Lisa Brande, fiddle and guitar; Mark Trichka, guitar and mandolin; and George Gabriel on drums. Lisa writes, "Our schedule will run through the end of March with the exception of January, when we go to Louisiana. Please feel free to come down and dance a few and eat some great food and drink! We look forward to playing some Louisiana roots music for you with new zydeco tunes, waltzes, and some R&B gems."
Friday Nov. 17 --- Tom Rigney & Flambeau at Friday Night Swing Dance, Suncoast Jazz (Clearwater)
6:30 p.m. until 12:15 a.m. --- Swing Dance at the Suncoast Jazz Classic, Sheraton Sand Key, 1160 Gulf Blvd, Clearwater Beach, FL 33767 Advance tickets and information: http://swingtime.info/jazzfest.html
Bands for the dance evening include: 6:30- 7:15pm - Swing Time Dance Lessons (Swing, Charleston, Balboa)
7:30 to 8:30pm --- Tom Rigney & Flambeau (San Francisco, CA)
8:45 to 9:45 p.m. --- Dave Bennett Quartet (Detroit, MI)
10:00 to 11:00 p.m. --- Hot Jazz Pie (Orlando, FL)
11:15 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. --- Professor Cunningham & His Old School (New York, NY) My first experience dancing to Tom Rigney & Flambeau was about twenty years ago when the U.S Open West Coast Swing Dance Competition was briefly held in a hotel in San Jose. Across the street from the hotel was a convention center hosting a harvest festival. A large crowd gathered around one of the stages where Flambeau was playing. There was room to dance, and great music to dance to, but we were the only west coast swing dancers to venture across the street. I recommended the band to the Bon Temps Social Club in San Diego. The club was aware of Flambeau, and had tried to book Flambeau for one of their monthly dances. They said the band was too expensive to bring them down to San Diego from San Francisco. But Flambeau is not too expensive to have them at Suncoast Jazz Classic in Clearwater Beach where they have appeared a number of times. (Attendance at the Jazz Classic has fallen off when the band has not been featured.) When Flambeau plays the event, they have also played a warmup gig at The Palladium in the past. The band was booked too late this year to arrange that. So if you want to dance to Tom Rigney and Flambeau, you'll just have to buy your ticket to the Friday night dance at Suncoast Jazz Classic, organized by Sam Mahfoud of Swing Time and the Gulfport Casino dances. Tom Rigney is one of the premier blues and roots music violinists in the world. His bandmates are veterans of the great bands of Charles Brown, Queen Ida, Clifton Chenier, and many others, and together they generate enough heat and energy to
ignite a dance floor! Tom Rigney & Flambeau specialize in fiery Cajun and zydeco rhythms, funky New Orleans grooves, low-down blues, rockin' boogie woogie, and beautiful ballads and waltzes. Most of their repertoire is composed by Rigney, but they also mix in classics from the Cajun/zydeco/New Orleans songbook. Their high-energy live show features tight ensemble playing, deeply infectious grooves, and spectacular soloing, all delivered with warmth, humor, and passionate intensity. Hailing from San Francisco, the band is a major draw among dancers and music lovers wherever they play. The Sheraton parking lot is reserved for hotel guests. Instead, Sam suggests the free parking at Sand Key Park ( 1060 Gulf Blvd, Clearwater, FL 33767 ), next door to the Sheraton. You can walk the sand path to and from the Sheraton, and there are
free shuttles to and from Sand Key Park. Note: remove your car before 12:30 a.m. on Friday night as Sand Key Park's parking lot is locked. Any remaining cars will be locked in the park between late-night and dawn. You can bring your own bottled water and soft drinks to this venue (except to the bar), but no alcohol. Free cups of water will be available in the ballrooms. The resort also has bars and dining facilities open on the lobby level and poolside.
Friday Dec. 1 --- Chubby Carrier & Bayou Swamp Band at Skipper's Smokehouse (Tampa)
Gumbo Boogie Band opens for Chubby Carrier (time not shown) / Chubby Carrier @ 8 p.m. at Skippers Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa, FL 33613 $10/$13 CHUBBY CARRIER is undeniably the world’s premier zydeco showman. Born on July 1, 1967 in Churchpoint, Louisiana, Chubby is the third generation of zydeco artists with such famous relatives as Roy Carrier (father), Warren Carrier (grandfather), and cousins Bebe and Calvin Carrier who are presently considered legends in zydeco history. Chubby began his musical career at the age of 12 by playing drums with his father’s band. He began playing the accordion at the age of 15. By age 17, Chubby had begun to play with Terrance Simien, and toured the world for over two years, before forming his own band in 1989. Chubby Carrier
and the Bayou Swamp Band have recorded ten CDs. His band has played in nearly all 50 states, Canada. North Africa and Europe, and are on the road 150-175 days a year. Chubby has made guest appearances on recordings for Tab Benoit, 6Was9, and Jimmy Thackery. Chubby Carrier is truly our best ambassador for zydeco music around the world today.
Fri. Nov. 10, 2017 --- Gumbo Boogie Band (Treasure Island)
7:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Captain Bill's, 145 107th Ave., Treasure Island. Sun. Nov. 25, 2017 --- Gumbo Boogie Band (Bradenton)
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Clancy's Irish Pub, Bradenton
Beau Jocque (born Andrus J. Espre, November 1, 1953 to September 10, 1999) was a Louisiana French creole zydeco musician active in the 1990s. Beau Jocque was known for his gruff vocals, his fusion of many musical styles of music into zydeco, and above all, for the powerful energy of his solid rhythm. Backed by the Hi-Rollers, he became one of the top dance-hall acts of his musical decade, and arguably the world's best touring zydeco band of the 1990s. In 1994, Beau Jocque and Boozoo Chavis promoted a
good-natured zydeco play-off to determine who was "king" of zydeco, and Boozoo retained his crown, but you couldn't tell that from the dancers at Beau Jocque's stage. Beau Jocque recorded and performed in both Louisiana Creole French and English, primarily on the Rounder Records label. Beau Jocque was also known to write poetry, and preach about respecting nature. He spent nine years in the Air Force, then came home to work as an electrician and welder. He experienced a work-related accident that left him temporarily bed-ridden and partially paralyzed. During his recuperation, he began playing his father's accordion. Soon after, he and his wife Shelly put a band together (she played
rubboard). By 1989, just two years after his accident, Beau Jocque was one of the biggest draws on the Louisiana zydeco circuit, and the rest of his musical career became legend.
Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin (November 16, 1915 – May 16, 2007) was a Creole accordionist who specialized in the Creole music called "la la music" or "la musique Creole" (closely related to Cajun music) and was influential in what became zydeco music. Born in Duralde in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, he earned his nickname meaning "dry wood" because he would always be the first to run in from the fields during a rainstorm. After starting on the triangle with his cousin Amédé Ardoin and fiddler Dennis McGee, he learned traditional accordion at age 12, playing the style of Louisiana music that was a precursor to zydeco. His longtime musical partner was Canray Fontenot. By 1948, they were
playing together in the Duralde Ramblers, and performed on local radio stations and in clubs. In 1966, they were invited to perform at the Newport Jazz Festival, where they received an enthusiastic reception. In the same year, they recorded their first album, Les Blues Du Bayou, on the Melodeon label. In the early 1970s, Ardoin formed the Ardoin Family Orchestra with three of his sons, together with Canray Fontenot. They made a number of recordings, and appeared in two films, Dry Wood (1973) and J'ai Été Au Bal (1989). He retired from the music business after the death of one of his sons, Gustave, in 1974, but returned a few years later. After Fontenot's death in 1995, Ardoin performed with the band Balfa Toujours, and recorded an album, Allons Danser, with them in 1998.
Stanley Joseph Dural Jr. (November 14, 1947 – September 24, 2016), better known by his stage name Buckwheat Zydeco, was an American accordionist and zydeco musician. He was one of the few zydeco artists to achieve mainstream success. His music group was formally billed as Buckwheat Zydeco and Ils Sont Partis Band, but they often performed as merely Buckwheat Zydeco. He began backing Clifton Chenier, one of the most legendary zydeco performers. Though not a traditional zydeco fan when growing up, Buckwheat accepted an invitation in 1976 to join Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band as organist. He quickly discovered the popularity of zydeco music, and noted the effect the music had on the audience. “Everywhere, people young and old just loved zydeco music,” Dural
said. “I had so much fun playing that first night with Clifton. We played for four hours and I wasn’t ready to quit.” Dural's relationship with Chenier led him to take up the accordion in 1978. After practicing for a year, he felt ready to start his own band under the name Buckwheat Zydeco. They debuted with One for the Road in 1979 on the Blues Unlimited label and then recorded for New Orleans’ Black Top label. In 1983, they were nominated for a Grammy Award for Turning Point and in 1985 for Waitin’ For My Ya Ya after switching to the Rounder Records label. The band then signed to Island Records, becoming the first zydeco act on a major label, and released On a Night Like This, a critically acclaimed album that was nominated for a Grammy as well. The band appeared in the
movie The Big Easy in 1987. The New York Times said: “Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and muscular with a fine-tuned sense of dynamics…propulsive rhythms, incendiary performances.” USA Today called him “a zydeco trailblazer.” Buckwheat Zydeco performed with a large number of famous musicians from Eric Clapton (with whom he also recorded) and U2 to the Boston Pops. The band performed at the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Summer Olympics to a worldwide audience of three billion people. Buckwheat performed for President Clinton twice, celebrating both of his inaugurations. The band appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, CNN, The Today Show, MTV, NBC News, CBS Morning News, National
Public Radio’s Mountain Stage, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Tab Benoit (pronounced ben-wah) (born November 17, 1967, Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues. He plays a Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar and writes his own musical compositions. Benoit graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma, Louisiana in May 1985. In 2003, he formed "Voice of the Wetlands," an organization promoting awareness of coastal wetlands preservation. A guitar player since his teenage years, Benoit appeared at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray, and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues
first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He began touring other parts of the South two years later and started touring more of the United States in 1991. Today he continues to perform across the country, with regular appearances in Florida. Benoit was featured in the IMAX film, Hurricane on the Bayou. Benoit became owner of Tab Benoit's Lagniappe Music Cafe, situated in the downtown district of Houma, Louisiana. Benoit has been involved in conservation efforts on behalf of Louisiana wetlands. He is the founder of 'Voice of the Wetlands,' an organization promoting awareness of the receding coastal wetlands of Louisiana. In 2010, Tab Benoit
received the Governor's Award --- "Conservationist of the Year" for 2009 by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Tab uses his music to promote the issues that plague Louisiana's imperiled coast to his national audience. One reason Tab founded the nonprofit Voice of the Wetlands Foundation (VOW) is to support outreach and education about Louisiana's Wetlands loss and how Louisiana's rich culture is also going away as its wetlands disappear. There is a Tab Benoit Florida Fan Club. Visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/tabbenoitfloridafanclub/
Nov. 2-4, 2017 — Champaign-Urbana Folk & Roots Festival (Urbana, IL)
Cajun, Old Time/Contra Dance, Swing, Country, Folk, Hispanic, Celtic, Blues. Website: http://folkandroots.org/ November 4-5, 2017 --- Halifax Art Festival (Daytona Beach)
2nd oldest continual art festival in the state of Florida and attracts well over 30,000 visitors annually. A free festival open to the public, will take place on Daytona Beach's historic downtown Beach Street, from Orange Avenue to Bay Street, in front of the Riverfront Shops. The festival has over 200 juried artists and artisans exhibiting original two-dimensional art, photography, sculpture, jewelry, textiles, ceramics, wood, metal, and glass pieces for purchase. The festival has expanded to celebrate seasoned as well as emerging artists and craftsmen. There will be two distinct exhibit areas. Beach Street cafes and restaurants will be open and featuring festival specials. There will, also, be live entertainment with musicians playing a variety of popular music. Website: http://halifaxartfestival.com/ Nov. 9-12, 2017 --- Riverhawk Music Festival (Brooksville, FL)
Bands include the Sauce Boss Bill Wharton, Black Lillies, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Ana Egge and the Sentimentals, Dust Bowl Revival, Fly By Nite Rounders. Website: http://www.riverhawkmusic.com/ November 10-12, 2017 --- Cracklin Festival (Port Barre, LA)
Bands include Geno Delafose, Kevin Naquin, Wallace Trahan, Wayne Toups. Website: https://louisiana.kitchenandculture.com/event/port-barre-cracklin-festival Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, 2017 --- KBON Louisiana Proud Dance Cruise (New Orleans)
Website: https://www.travelmachine.net/Featured-Cruises/65 December 1-2, 2017 --- Balboa Park December Nights (San Diego)
Balboa Park December Nights, billed as the nation’s premier holiday festival, will take place for the on Friday, December 1 from 3-11p.m. and Saturday, December 2 from noon-11p.m. Friends, families and the community are invited to come together for festive fun, food and attractions throughout the park, including complimentary admission to Balboa Park museums from 5-9p.m. The largest free community festival in San Diego, December Nights will attract more than 350,000 visitors to the park over two days to revel and enjoy the season. Each year Bon Temps Social Club and Gator By The Bay festival host bands at the BTSC dance stage featuring danceable music by Cajun, zydeco, blues, and country bands. A different band takes the stage every hour, and free dance lessons are taught at the band breaks. Website: https://www.balboapark.org/decembernights Dec. 1-3, 2017 --- Bradenton Blues Festival (Bradenton, FL)
Bands include Chubby Carrier, Damon Fowler, Joe Louis Walker, Curtis Salgado, Sugar Blue, Vanessa Collier, Sean Chambers Band.
Website: www.bradentonbluesfestival.org/
Old BoudreauxThibodeaux saw his old friend Boudreaux, an eighty-year old Cajun farmer, in town. Boudreaux had lost his wife a year or so before and rumor had it that he was marrying a mail order bride. Being a good friend, Thibodeaux
asked Boudreaux if the rumor was true. Boudreaux assured him that it was. When Thibodeaux asked Boudreaux the age of his bride to be. Boudreaux proudly said, "She'll be twenty-one in November." Now Thibodeaux, being a wise man, was sure the sexual appetite of a young woman could not be satisfied by an eighty-year-old man. Wanting his old friend's remaining years to be happy, Thibodeaux tactfully suggested that Boudreaux should consider getting a hired hand to help him out on the ranch, knowing nature would take its own course. Boudreaux thought this was a good idea and said he would look for one that afternoon. About four months later, Thibodeaux ran into Boudreaux in town again. "How's the new wife?" asked Thibodeaux. Boudreaux proudly said, "Good. She's pregnant." Thibodeaux, happy that his sage advice had worked out, continued, "And how's the hired hand?" Without hesitating, Boudreaux said, "Good. She's pregnant too."
Atlanta Cajun Zydeco AssociationSaturday Nov. 4, 2017 --- Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys Dorothy Benson Center, 6500 Vernon Woods Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30328.
7 p.m. Beginner Dance Lesson
8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Open dancing to Cedryl Ballou & Zydeco Trendsetters
$18 admission / $14 for members Atlanta Cajun Zydeco Association website: http://aczadance.org/Bands usually play at Benson Center, 6500 Vernon Woods Drive, Sandy Springs, GA 30328; Phone: 404-613-4900. Check website for dance events in Atlanta area at http://aczadance.org/ Houston/Texas Cajun-Zydeco Eventshttp://www.zydecoevents.com/texaszydecoevents.html Southern California Eventshttp://www.icajunzydeco.com
If you missed last month's newsletter...Discover all of the Update! newsletters and feature stories on Cajun and zydeco artists on the "Stories" page at floridacajunzydeco.com/stories.html
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