Here's one for the Mudster.

I was surfing youtube and ran accross a bunch of video's by Buckwheat Zydeco.  Great stuff.  You can't NOT feel good listening to this stuff.

Here's my question.

What's the difference between cajun music and zydeco?

Check it out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zydeco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_music

Is it the washboard and spoon????????  ;D   ;D  

Why the heck would someone take the time to surf youtube and then not post the music so we could here what he was talking about??

Cajuns roots are French and Irish Reels with the fiddle and accordion driving the music. Very beautiful stuff, simple in structure and highly danceable

Zydeco; Is Creole and church driven with many licks coming from the Hammond organ and put onto a button accordion. The washboard/bass and Electric guitar separate it from Cajun.

The snare drum lines between both as well as kick drum parts are very different in nature. Zydeco's bass lines come out of Old Haitian tunes and church music

Ask Catt about the great Cajun band

For Zydeco: CJ Chenier and his Red Hot Louisiana Band, now led by his son since his death are the premier recordings

Bozo Chavez and Buck Wheat Zydeco are also great bands in this niche

I had the pleasure of hearing Buckwheat also play Hammond organ at Church, a true master!

Also Don; both of these music types are indigenous to rural Louisiana. New Orleans proper has given us more of a Jazz,Samba,Funk,Soul and blues combination.

 What is really wonderful; is that the Brass bands like the Rebirth and Dirty Dozen, with artists like Trombone Shorty , blend all of these form into Funky , 2nd line Mardi Gras tunes!

my friend's band opens for Rebirth sometimes.

I grew up around Cajun & Zydeco music all my life not just because I'm Cajun but my uncles Rufus Thibodeaux & Iry (Ira) LeJeune were legends in the industry.

Jolie Blond is considered the Cajun National Anthem

Do a youtube search for

Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band

BEAU SOLEIL

Rockin' Dopsie & Zydeco Twisters

Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi Rollers

Wilson "Boozoo" Chavis

Jo-El Sonnier

Hackberry Ramblers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOcoSV5vrVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diTC48x48vE

How could I forget Rockin' Sidney Simien (April 9, 1938--February 25, 1998)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk455DER6tk

Thanks for the help on the Cajun Music Catt, you know eons more about it than me. !

Muddy you stayed in New Orleans while I live on the total opposite side in Lake Charles and like Louisiana's cooking the areas are vastly different. New Orleans is combination of Jazz, Rhythm &Blues, Soul, Brass Band, Reggae music while Southwest Louisiana is a jazzy swing beat strongly influenced by Western Swing of neighboring Texas. Moving towards the central state we find a combination of both and then moving farther north it's influenced by bluegrass styles.

So to say I'm eons ahead of you would not be anywhere near the truth; while I know a lot of the Cajun and Zydeco you're miles ahead in the other departments.