Friday, April 25, 2008

Festival International de Louisiane - Day 2






Ville Platte about an hour of Lafayette is home to Floyd's Record Shop.  I got a chance to practice my very poor french is but he was patient.  I had been looking and holding the idea that I would find a scrub board (you know the silver percussive chest plate looking instrument in zydeco music) and it was there.  And...it was mine.  Floyd was pumped because I dropped a load of cash but it was so worth it.  I even bought a Cajun triangle.  Apparently I have aspirations to learn a bit more about percussion.  

After the swamp, the scrub board buy, fried alligator and boudin I settled in for an evening of fine music with Rosie Laddet (la-day) and Her Playboys.  Some of the top photos of are the characters doing the fais-do-do a Cajun dance.  It was awesome to watch!  Rosie hardly had her accordion on when the dance floor filled in 2.5 seconds...literally.  People of all ages dancing, switching dance partners and visiting.  Finish the evening off with Habib Koite and there you have it.  From Africa, to the Delta, to Louisiana and back to Africa again.  A blues trip around the world!

I am very, very, very taken with Louisiana.  Not the first person to feel that way but it is the sheer spirit of the music in the hot sun, the community and all the trials of preserving the Acadian culture (with roots in  Nova Scotia no less).  There's history here which I will explain when it's not 11pm.

Full on Life...
Kat xoxo

2 comments:

Jill said...

did you say hi to habib for me?! thanks for the great music on the phone!! i love habib!!!

Kat said...

in fact i did say 'hi' to habib for you. he was wondering when you two were gonna get together for some 'friendship' time ;-) you are most welcome for the phone music...kd xo