We're proud to present our 2012 Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week Instructors!
9-10:15 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, April 22-26 Intensive Class Descriptions and Instructors
Beginning Cajun Guitar, Anya Burgess: Recommended for students who are just getting comfortable with two or three chords, playing an acoustic guitar with a flatpick, and have the goal of becoming rhythm players in Cajun or Creole music. Students will complete the week with an ability to play good rhythmic backup in slow jams, especially with the “camp songs.”
Intermediate/Advanced Cajun Guitar, Brazos Huval: Recommended for students who can play acoustic guitar back-up through a song, change chords without breaking rhythm and play with a flatpick. Students will complete the week with solid fundamentals to begin accompanying advanced lead instrumentalists effectively, and will also explore lead playing.
Beginning Cajun Accordion (Key of C - 10 button only), Blake Miller: For folks newer to the instrument, goals will be to start building understanding and control of the instrument as well as basic learning tools to pick out melodies, and strategies to self-teach as skill levels develop through and beyond our initial week. If you’re already starting to be able to pick out some simple tunes, this class will offer an opportunity to further your learning as emphasis is placed on developing techniques for learning basic melodies (watching, listening, imitating). Students will aim to complete the week with an ability to perform our “camp songs” in basic form in rhythm, and will leave with the basic tools necessary to continue learning on their own.
Intermediate Cajun Accordion, Jonno Frishberg, and Intermediate Creole/Zydeco Accordion, Corey Ledet (Both Key of C - 10 button diatonic only): These classes assume basic knowledge of the instrument, ability to “hunt and find” simple melodies and play them in rhythm. Focus will be on learning unique fingering techniques that take the student from simple melodies to true Cajun/Creole/Zydeco-style songs.
Advanced Cajun Accordion (Key of C - 10 button diatonic only), Steve Riley: This is for those who are comfortable with the accordion, can play a repertoire of songs in rhythm, and can participate in a call-and-response method of teaching melodies. Camp songs will be briefly visited before embarking on deeper explorations of tunes and techniques specific to the interest of the instructor.
Beginning Cajun Fiddle, Gina Forsyth: You should have some familiarity with the fiddle, or be an intermediate in some other instrument in order to fit into this class. We’ll start with the basic bowing patterns that are fundamental to the music, second fiddling techniques and simple fingering of the three “camp songs” that all instrument classes will be learning so that we can play together.
Intermediate Cajun Fiddle, Al Berard: For students who are comfortable with the fiddle (in Cajun or other styles), can play solid rhythm, improvise bowing patterns and participate in a call-and-response method of teaching melodies and fingering techniques. Camp songs will be briefly visited before embarking on deeper explorations of tunes and techniques specific to the interest of the instructor.
Intermediate Creole Fiddle, Ed Poullard: For students who are comfortable with the fiddle (in Cajun or other styles), can play solid rhythm, improvise bowing patterns and participate in a call-and-response method of teaching melodies and fingering techniques. Camp songs will be briefly visited before embarking on deeper explorations of tunes and techniques specific to the interest of the instructor.
Advanced Cajun Fiddle, David Greely: This class is recommended for students who can learn quickly by watching and imitation. Camp songs will be briefly visited before embarking on deeper explorations of tunes and techniques specific to the interest of the instructor.
Staff Biographies
Anya Burgess Beginning Cajun Guitar
Multi-instrumentalist Anya’s fiddle-playing and musical sensibilities have been showcased in numerous bands, including Celjun and the Grammy-nominated Magnolia Sisters. She also plays and sings with the popular all-female Cajun band Bonsoir, Catin. An accomplished luthier, she repairs and builds fine stringed instruments and has been a regular presence at our Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week for many years.
Brazos Huval Intermediate/Advanced Cajun Guitar
Brazos is right at home on the guitar, bass, fiddle and a host of other instruments. He currently is the bass guitarist for the Grammy-nominated Cajun band Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys. The eleventh in a family of fourteen musically talented children, Brazos plays fiddle and saxophone in the Huval Family Band; he has also played the bass for Cajun/zydeco artist Horace Trahan and is a member of the Cajun dance band High Performance. He has an unusually deep knowledge of and appreciation for the songs, styles and feel of Cajun and zydeco music, and he is a much sought-after instructor, teaching several instruments to students of all ages.
Blake Miller Beginning Cajun Accordion
A native of Iota, Louisiana, Blake started his professional music career at the age of 18 performing and touring worldwide with the Grammy-nominated Cajun band the Pine Leaf Boys. Grandson to Bon Tee Cajun Accordions founder Larry Miller, Blake is a talented multi-instrumentalist who shines on the accordion, fiddle, bass and guitar.
Jonno Frishberg Intermediate Cajun Accordion
Jonno has been playing the music of southwest Louisiana for over 20 years, everywhere from Cajun dancehalls and the Acadiana Symphony Orchestra to the Kennedy Center, the White House and Lincoln Center in New York. In the 1990s, Jonno toured and recorded (on fiddle and accordion) with the ground-breaking Cajun folk-rock band Mamou. His original compositions and recordings have been adapted into ballet works in New Orleans and featured in documentaries at the Los Angeles Museum of Art. Jonno has been a regular performer at Mulate’s and Cajun Cabin in New Orleans; he is also active as a teacher, workshop instructor, and school classroom/assembly presenter. He has performed as a member of Wayne Toups & Zydecajun, Charivari, and with Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys, and he currently fronts his own band called Bayou Deville.
Corey "Lil' Pop" Ledet Intermediate Creole/Zydeco Accordion
Whether he's playing his single row or piano key accordion, "Lil' Pop" has been setting local dance halls and festival stages on fire. His music ranges from old-time Creole and zydeco to music done in his own signature style. Originally from Houston, Corey grew up listening to Clifton Chenier, Rockin' Dopsie and other great Louisiana musicians. By the age of 10, he was playing the piano key accordion, and after graduating high school, he moved to south Louisiana. In 1999. he formed his own zydeco band and released his first CD, Three Years 2 Late, produced by Dirk Powell. Corey and his Zydeco Band have performed at numerous festivals all over the south. In 2006, he and Cedric Watson released the acclaimed CD Goin' Down to Louisiana on Valcour Records.
Steve Riley Advanced Cajun Accordion
Steve grew up in the prairie town of Mamou, Louisiana. American popular culture was stealing Mamou’s children away when Steve took up the accordion and became his hometown’s favorite son. He plays a single-row diatonic instrument made by his cousin, famed accordionist Marc Savoy. Steve concentrated on learning Savoy’s fiery, intricate style and the music of the Balfa Brothers. At age 15 he captured the attention of Dewey Balfa, who invited Steve to join his band. Under Dewey’s guidance he learned hundreds of French songs and how to sing them in Balfa’s singular style, and he learned to play the fiddle as well. His virtuosity and magnetic stage presence continued to grow after he and David Greely formed The Mamou Playboys in 1988. Soon his horizons expanded to include the triple-row accordion, zydeco music, and innovative songwriting. Through the years, Steve has inspired countless young people to appreciate and learn the Cajun accordion.
Gina Forsyth Beginning Cajun Fiddle
Gina is an award-winning singer/songwriter, fiddler and guitarist. She grew up on hymns, country songs and old-time fiddle tunes, and in 1983 she moved to New Orleans, studying classical and jazz violin. She quickly grew to love Cajun music and moved to Lafayette to steep herself in the music of the region. She toured with the Cajun rock band Mamou and performed with a number of other Cajun bands, including performing with Waylon Thibodeaux. Gina is the longtime fiddler for Bruce Daigrepont’s Cajun Band, performing both on the road and at their twenty-year-plus regular Sunday afternoon gig, the Fais-do-do at Tipitina’s in New Orleans. In 2001, Gina released her debut solo CD You Are Here, and she’s also a member of the folk band The Malvinas.
Al Berard Intermediate Cajun Fiddle
Born in Cecilia, Louisiana, multi-instrumentalist Al has been playing music since he was 11 years old. He is the fiddle player for the Grammy-nominated Basin Brothers, which he formed after high school, and he’s played with many of the greats of Cajun music throughout the years. He took his first fiddle lessons with Cajun fiddler Hadley Castille, learning many tunes from recordings of Dennis McGee and Dewey Balfa, and he was a founding member of the Cajun supergroup The Traiteurs. In addition to running his own recording studio and music publishing company, Al performs at festivals worldwide and is one of the most in-demand fiddle instructors today. He currently plays with the Berard Family Band and the fiddle/mandolin trio Cajun Combo.
Ed Poullard Intermediate Creole Fiddle
Ed is descended from a long line of musicians. By the time he was in grade school he was playing for house parties and parish dances in his father’s family band. Although he started out on drums and guitar, Ed quickly graduated to accordion and fiddle and has played these instruments in such notable ensembles as the Ardoin Family Band and BeauSoleil. To further his own knowledge of Creole fiddle style and repertoire, Ed apprenticed with the late, legendary Canray Fontenot. As a result of that collaboration, Ed and Canray regularly played together on the national festival circuit until Fontenot’s death in 1995. Ed's repertoire draws heavily upon the beautiful, older tunes he learned from his father, and he is one of only a handful of musicians who are keeping the Creole fiddle tradition alive.
David Greely Advanced Cajun Fiddle / Cajun and Creole Vocals
From Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, David is a founder and 23-year veteran of the Grammy-nominated Cajun band Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys. A self-taught fiddler, David has played Cajun music since 1985, learning first from recordings and then later from friends and colleagues from the Mamou area. Motivated by a desire to “study and promote the growth of the traditional music of my ancestry,” he received a Louisiana Folklife Apprenticeship grant in 1992 to study Cajun fiddle and traditional songs with master Cajun musician Dewey Balfa. While developing his own distinctive approach to Cajun fiddle, David has studied extensively the styles and repertoires of master fiddlers Varise Conner and Dennis McGee, as well as music from Poitou, the French cradle of Acadian culture. David retired from The Mamou Playboys this year, but he is continuing his many acoustic music projects and collaborations, including the GreelySavoyDuo.
Christine Balfa Staff Artist
Christine grew up immersed in the music and messages of her father Dewey Balfa, who’s known worldwide as one of the most important figures in the revival of Cajun culture. By the time Christine was born in 1968, Dewey's battle to restore the pride of Cajun people was in full swing, and as a result she was surrounded not only by music but by people at the front lines of one of the most important cultural revivals in American history. She began performing with her father at the age of 11 and toured with him around the world. When Dewey passed away in 1992, Christine went on to form her own internationally acclaimed band Balfa Toujours (Balfa Forever). During her career, Christine has been a major part of many national and international cultural workshops, teaching guitar, vocals, dance, cooking and Cajun culture. Christine founded Louisiana Folk Roots in 2000, was our first executive director, and currently is a member of our advisory board. In addition to Balfa Toujours, she is also a member of the popular all-female Cajun band Bonsoir, Catin.
Pat Mould Culinary Director
Chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, consultant and TV producer Pat Mould grew up in Crowley and has shared his talents with adventurous eaters for decades. His flair for innovation within and without tradition has won him wide acclaim and we are thrilled he is on hand to bring so many amazing tastes and talents together. As he says, “If you ask 100 Louisiana cooks how to make gumbo, you’ll perhaps get 100 different recipes, and the odds are in your favor that they will all be delicious. However, they will all use the same ingredients unique to the area – smoked andouille, the Holy Trinity – all probably cooked in Maw Maw’s cast iron pot that has been handed down from generation to generation.” Join Pat and his team for cultural cooking and sharing sessions on a wide variety of subjects. Together with some very special guests they’ll lead us on culinary and cultural explorations of topics from Black Pot cooking to Cajun BBQ and beyond.
Millie Ortego Dance Instruction Coordinator
Opelousas, Louisiana native Millie Ortego danced as a child with her father, and jitterbugged to the music of Clifton Chenier in the dancehalls of south Louisiana in the early ’70s. Millie relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1979, spreading the joys of her Cajun heritage. She began teaching Cajun dance in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and pioneered the Cajun dance scene there in 1984. Teaching around the country from 1984-1996, she was influential in establishing Cajun and zydeco dance communities throughout the United States. From 1991-1997 Millie was Coordinator of Cajun/Creole Week at the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia. As coordinator, she was involved in staff selection, curriculum planning, and on-site consultation. Returning home to Opelousas, Millie has worked both as a staff member and long-time volunteer for Louisiana Folk Roots, organizing local workshops as well as programming for our DBCCHW.