Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California

Modern Pleasures in a Postmodern World

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Music, Theory & Criticism, Ethnomusicology, History & Criticism, Reference
Cover of the book Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California by Mark F. DeWitt, University Press of Mississippi
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mark F. DeWitt ISBN: 9781604733372
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi Publication: October 1, 2008
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi Language: English
Author: Mark F. DeWitt
ISBN: 9781604733372
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi
Publication: October 1, 2008
Imprint: University Press of Mississippi
Language: English

Queen Ida. Danny Poullard. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank. Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records. These are names that are familiar to many fans of Cajun music and zydeco, and they have one other thing in common--longtime residence in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are all part of a vibrant scene of dancing and live Louisiana-French music that has evolved over several decades.

Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California traces how this region of California has been able to develop and sustain dances several times a week with more than a dozen bands. Description of this active regional scene opens into a discussion of several historical trends that have affected life and music in Louisiana and the nation. The book portrays the diversity of people who have come together to adopt Cajun and Creole dance music as a way to cope with a globalized, media-saturated world.

Ethnomusicologist Mark F. DeWitt innovatively weaves together interviews with musicians and dancers (some from Louisiana, some not), analysis of popular media, participant observation as a musician and dancer, and historical perspectives from wartime black migration patterns, the civil rights movement, American folk and blues revivals, California counterculture, and the rise of cultural tourism in "Cajun Country." In so doing, he reveals the multifaceted appeal of celebrating life on the dance floor, Louisiana-French style.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Queen Ida. Danny Poullard. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank. Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records. These are names that are familiar to many fans of Cajun music and zydeco, and they have one other thing in common--longtime residence in the San Francisco Bay Area. They are all part of a vibrant scene of dancing and live Louisiana-French music that has evolved over several decades.

Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California traces how this region of California has been able to develop and sustain dances several times a week with more than a dozen bands. Description of this active regional scene opens into a discussion of several historical trends that have affected life and music in Louisiana and the nation. The book portrays the diversity of people who have come together to adopt Cajun and Creole dance music as a way to cope with a globalized, media-saturated world.

Ethnomusicologist Mark F. DeWitt innovatively weaves together interviews with musicians and dancers (some from Louisiana, some not), analysis of popular media, participant observation as a musician and dancer, and historical perspectives from wartime black migration patterns, the civil rights movement, American folk and blues revivals, California counterculture, and the rise of cultural tourism in "Cajun Country." In so doing, he reveals the multifaceted appeal of celebrating life on the dance floor, Louisiana-French style.

More books from University Press of Mississippi

Cover of the book Douglas Fairbanks and the American Century by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Prophet Singer by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Comics, Trauma, and the New Art of War by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book To Write in the Light of Freedom by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Mobilizing for the Common Good by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Conversations with Vladimir Nabokov by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book C. L. R. James and Creolization by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Working with Disney by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Perspectives on Cormac McCarthy by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book The Jumbies' Playing Ground by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Louisiana Fiddlers by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book Selected Letters of Katherine Anne Porter by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book The Black Cultural Front by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book A Business Career by Mark F. DeWitt
Cover of the book The State of Health and Health Care in Mississippi by Mark F. DeWitt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy