End of an Era
(9/14/06) I was sad to learn that the California Friends of
Louisina French Music is being dissolved at the end of this
year. I remember when I first learned of the organization.
A very young Andre Thierry was playing in a clubhouse
somewhere around Vallejo and there was booth with
information about a new non-profit group being organized to
support and encourage Louisiana French music in the Bay
Area. It was a very exciting time to be involved in Cajun,
Creole and zydeco (CCZ) music back then' in the mid-90s.
CCZ music was all the rage and the establishment of CFLFM
was part of that trend.
Looking back it is amazing how many great events took place
during this time period: Franklin Zawacki's Cajun Zydeco
festivals brought legendary musicians from Louisiana to the
Bay Area on an annual basis; Bill Graham's organization
sponsored an annual weekend event modeled after New
Orlean's Jazz Fest at Shoreline Amphitheater, which was
fabulous, especially during its heyday while its original
organizers, who clearly loved Louisiana culture, were
booking the event's music and food; Louisiana Sue sponsored
several festivals each year showcasing the wealth of Bay
Area CCZ bands; Maryanne Canaparo, as part of the East Bay
Regional Park District, produced the Ardenwood Cajun/Zydeco
Festival, with creative programming. CFLFM often was
invited to have cultural booths at many of these events.
Aside from special events like festivals there were clubs
all over the Bay Area that showcased CCZ music on a regular
basis. You could go dancing almost every night of the week,
not just in the East Bay, but in San Francisco, Brisbane,
Marin, towards Sacramento and down the Pennisula. The
backbone of the CCZ dance scene remains Eagle's Hall in
Alameda and Ashkenaz in Berkeley, but there were dozens of
other dance clubs that thrived during this period. I
wouldn't attempt to list all the bands, local and Louisiana
that played here, but some of those I fondly remember
during CFLFM's heyday include Danny Poullard, Tete Rouge,
Frog Legs, Motor Dude Zydeco (how many times did I see
them??), Andre Thierry, California Cajun Orchetra, Tee Fee,
Bayou Pon Pon, Zydeco Flames and of course, Queen Ida.
Other frequent visitors to the Bay Area included Boozoo
Chavis & the Magic Sounds, Beau Jocque ("'you make the
house rock") & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Steve Riley &
the Mamou Playboys, Geno Delafose & French Rockin'
Boogie, Joe Simien, and Kent Menard. CFLFM sponsored a
moving tribute event for Danny Poullard at Ashkenaz, who
had an enormous local and national influence, a few years
before he passed away.
Additionally, CFLFM hosted and encouraged the Bay Area CCZ
scene in many other ways: hosting jams, putting on dances,
sponsoring potlucks, providing music scholarships and
publishing a very informative newsletter, to which I was
proud to be a regular contributor. I was honored to be on
CFLFM's Board of Directors for several years and know how
much committment and hard work it takes to make this kind
of organization work. CFLFM was an important contributor to
the Bay Area music scene and will be fondly remembered.