A good friend is an avid banjo player. I've been getting him turned onto the cajun music - he especially likes Amede Ardoin.

I don't hear anything about banjos in cajun music. Is that something that happens? It seems that banjo and accordion would work well together. At least to my uneducated ear.

John Alexander

NO.
Le Piquant

On the cd "les haricots sont pas salé", there is a banjo playing jetais au bal with Dewey Balfa, sounds pretty good to me.

According to a bio blurb on Michael Doucet, he was inspired by a Cajun banjo-playing uncle and banjo was his first instrument.

What with banjo being a purely American instrument, I had posed the question to a few people too. I was told there was a band out of Houma with a banjo, but I don't know the name. I have come across recordings of a couple Cajun tunes by a North Louisiana band, but it can be argued that wasn't Cajun.

My guess is that the banjo fell out of favor before the 30's. It did in general anyway once electric guitars came along.

It's easy to quickly discount the banjo, but well done, it's an excellent instrument - IMHO.

Brian - do you have any additional information for that album/song?

I'm wondering if banjo perhaps wasn't adopted too much in Louisiana due to the brutal humidity. According to my banjo playing friend, they're even more touchy with temp/humidity than are fiddles.

Terry Bertrand, who played banjo in the Mamou area, recorded Jete Au Bal with the Balfa's on Jean Pierre Bruneau's "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salé", one of my favorite cd's. There was at least one other recording I heard with banjo but can't remember the name, Neal would know.

There was a 'banjo craze'. later followed by a 'mandolin craze'. The banjo came in all sizes including a banjo bass that looked like a bass drum with a big stick attached. Back then, the heads were made of hide and very sensitive to temp and humidity. Don't imagine La being the friendliest place for those heads. I'd be willing to bet there were attempts to incorporate it into Cajun music, but little of it recorded (and, no doubt, thankfully to dome). I'm just glad there wasn't a bagpipe craze.
-Steve

mandolin sounds great with Cajun music.I played tonight with a banjo player on some Balfa tunes with fiddle and it sounded good.I don't know about accordion and banjo

Thanks Bryan. I'll be acquiring that CD as soon as I can find it.

Bill Keith(Banjoistics! is a very fine LP), master of melodic banjo, did some recordings with the Balfa Brothers with Dewey Balfa shouting "banjooooooo"
You can find it on the website from Neal.

Bruce Daigrepoint is also a banjo player.

The banjo was at its height in Cajun music during the 1930s and 40s in those string/swing bands like Leo Soileau, Hackberry Ramblers, Happy Fats, Harry Choates, etc. It was played as in jazz, a rhythm instrument strumming along, not a soloist.

Attached are 3 uncommon examples of banjo in Cajun music. The first has Mike Seeger with Marc Savoy and Michael Doucet. I don't know where it is from. I got it from Jack Bond. He would know. The other 2 are Bill Keith with the Balfa Brothers. Ray Abshire told me they met on the festival circuit in the 70s. And as Bryan mentioned, there's a song or two with a Terry Bertrand on that French cd. But that's about it. I wonder if Dirk Powell plays any on the Balfa Toujours stuff? He is an old-time banjo player, among many other things.

And look who's playing with the Mamou Cajun Band (link).

Dick Powell plays banjo on Reel Perdu/Fruge's Reel with Racines on their CD.

Also, on the CD Allons Boire un Coup, Richard Burgess plays banjo with Joel Savoy and Lindzay Young on "Allons Boire un Copu." Also, on same CD, Chris Stafford plays tenor banjo on "Mon Bon Vieux Mari."

The Savoy/Doucet band did a live version of Savoy Family Waltz with one of the Seegers playing banjo. It sounds rather nice on the waltz

Dirk Powell also plays banjo on a song from Kristi Guillory's next to newest CD. It is a fine song.

Jack Bond

Wherever there is a fiddle, the banjo is sure to follow.

I believe that back in the day, before we were spoiled with the disposable income we have now, that if there happened to be a banjo in the house that is what you used. Cajun music went with what was in a typical Cajun household at the time. People will play the music that is in their hearts using what they have at hand. I think too much time and energy is put into which is instrument is "correct". This also goes with which brands are "correct".

Me thinks you hit the nail on the proverbial head.

@Neal - Thanks for the link to the npmusic.org site. That is an absolute gold mine. I've run into references a couple times when I on the ship, but it's blocked out there so I'm doing my downloads now before heading back.

@Steve - As for pipes with cajun music, I agree that the great pipes wouldn't be a good thing, but the ulian pipes might work in nicely. The thought of Paddy O'Connor (Chieftains) and any number of accordion musicians playing together is a good thought - once again IMHO.

Once I get passable with my accordion, my banjo friend is looking forward to trying some things.

My perpective on this is if your sitting around and jamming with folks and banjo's, mandilines, piano's, harmonica's are what ever show's up then jump in and have a ball. But when I buy music I only want the traditional instruments in the band. Michael Doucet has a flute in one of his songs of Madam Soustan, it is a good song and of coarse professionally mixed, the flute however, changes the song that I don't listen to it often. At the jams at Vermillionville a guy comes sometimes with bagpipes, interesting for about the first 20 seconds and then I am done. For the jams that I have on Saturday I only allow traditional instruments in the group. It is too easy for the music to get off track when someone shows up with an "unconventional instrument".
Le Piquant

There was a time when the accordion was considered unconventional and obnoxious for Cajun music.

Amen Bryan.....

That's true however, it is now considered the heartbeat of cajun music. The guitar was once considered a crude instrument to some genres of music as well. I am not saying that other intruments can not be adapted to a particular cultural music. However, other forms of music sung in Cajun french is a different genre. I maybe stubborn on this point and that is ok. Look what they did to country music. I could not tell you who the top "country singers" are today because it no longer sounds like "country music". Stretch the elastic as far as it can be stretched but when you let it go it will return to a relaxed state.
Le Piquant

I just read this debate to my wife and she made a good point by saying"stretch it too much and for too long it looses it's usefulness and so you just replace it."
Le Piquant

You mean some think there is country music after Merle Haggard?

I live it when I can make myself understood.
Le Piquant

I play both instruments and with both they make the same joke.
You never have to lock your car with your instrument inside, because they never take them out of your car.
Instead of they bring you more banjo's or accordions.

Good one, but by telling us that everybody knows you don't live in Louisisana or Tennesee.
Le Piquant

Keep the banjo with the barber shop music. We dont need no stinkin banjo in cajun music

FINALLY..SOMETHING BOTH LE PIQUANT AND RANDY4U AGREE ON!!?? MAN YOU KNOW IT MUST BE ONE OF THOSE CHRISTMAS MIRACLES WE HEAR ABOUT BUT RARELY GET TO WITNESS. IT IS LIKE CATCHING SANTA PLAYING ONE OF THOSE CAJUN ACCORDIONS HE AND HIS ELVES MAKE....

From the wife of Le Piquant,
Charlie, "after talking to you at the Mamou Cajun Music Festival I appreciated your perpective on things, and I agree that it is a miricle."

From Le Piquant,
On second thought maybe a banjo might be nice.
Just Kidding

CB its **** scary to agree with anything he says but on this one what can I say.

I thought banjo's are Cajun ? You mean to tell me they aint ? The what abuot that movie where them camper's got lost off in the swamps ? That was cajuns please tell me ive not had it all wrong all these past years

Paul why dont you go play with yourself on another site.