WHAT IS ZYDECO? Zydeco music was spawned from the great melting pot of cultures that existed in the swamps and back alleys of New Orleans and Louisiana. French traditions are the backbone to the infectious rhythms of a closely related roots form known as cajun music, however zydeco is more blues influenced.

When French speaking Acadians were exiled from Canada in the 18th century, many settled in the southern state of Louisiana. They became known as 'Cajuns' and their folk music was gradually influenced by the surrounding cultures. After a century of mixing and marrying with the local indigenous Indians, people of Spanish, French, Anglo-American descent and the African 'slave' peoples living in the area. Their traditional music, utilising button squeeze-box, fiddle, whistles, triangle, washboard (many of these instruments were home made), and quirky French dialect. was gradually transformed.

Cajun music is the name for this unique blend of folk musics. In the 19th century the German button and piano accordion was introduced as well as the Spanish guitar and the traditional French Cajun style was also becoming increasingly influenced by black Creole music.

Zydeco was derived from this complex blend of folk music forms and has become the popular music of southern Louisiana, combining traditional elements of French, Caribbean and African music with the blues, played on the guitar. The French influence mainly comes through with the continued use of the accordion and the 'frottoir', the corrugated washboard.

There was once a distinction that cajun was 'white' music and zydeco was 'black' - but now this has blurred.

It was when Rhythm and Blues, and Soul music began to be increasingly mixed with the Cajun style by black Creole musicians that the exuberant hybrid style known as Zydeco was born.

In the rural homes and clubs of southwest Louisiana, USA , black Creole accordion players like the great Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis combined the traditional Cajun tunes with the percussive feeling of contemporary blues,  a hint of country and a good helping of R & B, to create a music that kept the patrons on the dance floor 'til dawn. The traditional acoustic folk instruments were replaced by electric guitars and basses, saxophones, and drum kits - although the accordion and the Frottoir-washboard were kept in the mix and have become an essential foundation of the Zydeco sound.

The term "zydeco" itself is derived from the Depression-era saying, "Les haricots sont pas sales," when people were too poor to afford salt for the snap beans.

Zydeco continues to grow in popularity throughout the world, with numerous festivals and dance events now devoted to this happy music and its infectious style of dance.

With rhythmic accordian a significant feature of the sound created by Slim Pickens & Dr. Baz combined with strong blues influences, there is a distinct zydeco feel about the music they play They do not claim to play 'traditional' zydeco but enjoy and listen to lots of this music, which informs their style.