Zydeco  Music

Question

my project is searching for Zydeco, which is a style of new orleans Jazz. .

When and/or how did the music begin? Is it connected to a political/philosophical ideology or associated with a political/philosophical movement? Is it a recent phenomenon?

Sample paper

Zydeco  Music

For decades and centuries, music has been part and parcel of the human being. Over the time, humankind has developed different styles and genres of music for different purposes and occasions in his life.  One of such music genre that has been instrumental and important to the human race is the zydeco. According to research, zydeco is a musical style that originated in southwest Louisiana in France (DeWitt, 2012). According to the artists, this genre of music largely borrowed styles from other already established genres of music such as blues, rhythm to create something that was special and popular among the original inhabitants of Louisiana. According to history, this genre of music was introduced in the early 1920s considering that first zydeco song was recorded back in the year 1929.

This genre music is widely associated with French ideologies considering that it is French settlers Louisiana Creoles brought this genre of music in New Orleans. History continues to show that for almost a century, Louisiana Creoles enjoyed a private lifestyle, thriving, educating themselves without the governing body and customizing their camouflaged community. Within this time, the French cultural practices had widely spread in New Orleans making it easy for the indigenous people in the region to easily adapt this genre of music (Fontenot, n.d).  The spread of Zydeco in the region can be easily detected in the titles of the songs, lyrics and bluesy vocals.  There are those of the opinion that this music was essentially created as a result of a synthesis of traditional Creole music. However, to make it more suitable and fitting to all communities, the music has rich attributes of Cajun music, African-American traditions, R&BS, jazz and gospel music. It is, therefore, safe to state that zydeco is not a recent phenomenon, but has helped to preserve the traditional practices of the original inhabitants of Louisiana (Fontenot, n.d).

 

References

DeWitt, M. F. (2012). Zydeco. Oxford Music Online. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2225932

Fontenot, K. S. (n.d.). Zydeco. Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. doi:10.5040/9781501329203-0026018

Related:

African-American Studies