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©Andrea D. Rubinstein, 1995-2007
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Bay Area Calendar
(maintained by Ellen Papper)
This website is created and maintained by Andrea Rubinstein.
I've been taking Juice Plus+ since 1996.
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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.
