The term Zydeco stems from the Cajun expression, les haricots, meaning "snap beans aren't salty," which, as Ron puts it, was the Cajuns' way of saying, "we're so poor, we can't even afford meat in our stew. Les haricot became Zydeco, and then it just became 'are you going Zydeco' - are you going to party?
That's the most widely accepted origin of the term." Purists, Ron says, tend to distinguish Zeydeco from Cajun music, something he does not like to do personally, although he concedes that there is a difference. Where Cajun music incorporates primarily Celtic, French, African, and German influences, Zydeco is more of an R&B, Caribbean, Black music.
Cajun music would probably be your waltzes and two steps, and Zydeco is more of a shuffle and R&B groove, or even a boogaloo, or a Bo Diddley beat. I think the term Zydeco is evolving more than the term Cajun is. I think Cajun is more of a purist music, where Zydeco might be a mulatto music or something that's constantly evolving, and I know I've taken it to some different places, too.
I incorporate Tex Mex and Caribbean." he cites Clifton Chenier's music as resembling the style of of blues-based Zydeco played by his own band. "Our style has a lot of affinity with what he was doing. He played a lot blues shuffles, more so than a lot of Zydeco bands. A lot of Zydeco bands play what they call a double clutch beat, whereas Clifton was really a blues player and brought the accordion to that style. I think that our style is pretty close to his. Not that many people play that style today.
from Ron Davis, aka Lee Ron Zydeco, leeron.com
|
