Cajun-Zydeco & Mardi-Gras

If you have ever been to New Orleans you have seen the ‘joi de vivre’ that permeates the Big Easy. The saying is “Laissez les bon temps rouler”  which we all know means “Let the Good Times Roll!” From this majestic city comes the basis for most American music today: the Blues, Jazz, Dixieland, and the Mardi Gras  “second-line” as well as the accordion based Cajun and Zydeco music from the nearby Creole bayous of Southwest Louisiana. There, the ubiquitous sound of squeeze boxes, rubboards, triangles and fiddles backed by roof-top high French vocals  provide the kind of free and easy well-fed lifestyle that Hank Williams made famous in his song “Jambalaya”. The Mardi Gras colors are Green, Gold, & Purple.  These colors which stand for Truth, Justice, & Power are seen in costumes, beads, masks and on the massive floats that parade through the neighborhoods of New Orleans on Fat Tuesday. Add some crawfish pie, etoufee, or some community gumbo laced with hot sauce and you know  “Who Dat” !

You can find more info about cajun, zydeco, or mardi gras music here