USA: BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO EXPLAINS WHY HE LOVES PERFORMING ACCORDIAN CREOLE DANCE MUSIC AT THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL

Record ID: 390424

  • Title: USA: BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO EXPLAINS WHY HE LOVES PERFORMING ACCORDIAN CREOLE DANCE MUSIC AT THE NEW ORLEANS JAZZ FESTIVAL
  • Date: 29th June 2000
  • Summary: VARIOUS, BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO PERFORMING
  • Embargoed: 14th July 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NEW ORLEANS, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA69ENHEJRFQ3NY82F9IMSR3Y3N
  • Story Text: He's one of the biggest selling musicians in Louisiana, and has singlehandedly launched zydeco music into the international arena. At a recent appearance at New Orleans Jazz Festival he took some time out to tell Reuters why he loves the accordion-powered Creole dance music and how he came to be its primary ambassador.
    New Orleans has been the home to some of the biggest music legends in the world, from Louis Armstrong to Professor Longhair and Sidney Bechet. But although Bourbon Street is known for its jazz, zydeco is currently all the rage in Louisiana.
    And it's all down to one man. His name is Buckwheat Zydeco, he's 54 years old, and he's one of the biggest selling artists in New Orleans. Not easy for a town noted for its musical talents, and even more surprising considering his music is hardly what you'd call mainstream. But Buck has changed all that.
    Zydeco is now the business. "Zydeco music is black traditional music from Louisiana, based out of Lafayette, Louisiana - I was born and raised in Louisiana - and the surrounding areas, fifty miles radius. The music is based on rhythm and blues."
    The accordion drives the music, but Buck's accordion is a party animal, it's worlds away from the traditional style of accordion music he'd listen to as a child. And the fact that Buck plays this instrument at all is something of a miracle, considering it was his pet hate as a child, "I heard it every day, my dad used to play it all the time. I'd wake up in the morning and I heard accordion, lunchtime I heard accordion, dinnertime I heard accordion - now that's enough, that gives you the blues."
    It might have given little Buck the blues, but considering this man repeatedly gets the biggest audience at New Orlean's renowned jazz festival, it's doing the very opposite for those listening today.
    Buckwheat's music is clearly rooted in his heavy funk history - he used to lead a fifteen-piece R&B band - and the music is not only uplifting, it's also very much a show.
    Transforming standard songs into his own unique style, Buck's only happy when his audience is singing along with him - but messing about with much-loved songs is not easy: "If you're going to play a cover tune by an artist you'd better play it right or you'll get booed off the stage."
    But there's no fear that this man will get booed off the stage - just watching Buck's fingers work the keys is entertainment alone. His skill is down to absolute dedication: "I stayed in rehearsing for about eight months and tried to get the coordination together, and when that came through, I decided to perform as an accordion player."
    If that's not an advert for practise, what is!
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