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Pine Leaf Boys

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The Pine Leaf Boys is an American Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana , United States. Members include Wilson Savoy ( accordion , piano, vocals), Chris Segura (fiddle, vocals), Drew Simon (drums and vocals), Jean Bertrand (guitars), and Thomas David (bass).

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52-512: The band is known for playing traditional Cajun and Creole music from Southwest Louisiana, inspired by bands dating from the 1920s such as Amédé Ardoin to modern bands such as the Mamou Playboys , Jason Frey , Paul Daigle and Cajun Gold all the way up to Wayne Toups . The Pine Leaf Boys are an "international Cajun band," performing many shows each year in Europe. The Pine Leaf Boys were invited on

104-661: A Cajun Waltz . In mild contrast, zydeco dancing is a syncopated two-step or jitterbug . A Cajun dancer will cover the dance floor while the zydeco dancer will primarily dance in a smaller area. Cajun music can be found predominantly at Louisiana festivals and dance halls, in addition to weddings in Acadiana. In 1968, CODOFIL (the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana) was created. The goal of this agency, which still exists,

156-1101: A U.S. State Department Tour in 2009 to the Middle East, playing music in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jerusalem. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards. Wilson Savoy, Courtney Granger, and former member Cedric Watson appeared in season 1 episode 7 of the HBO series Treme in 2010. Courtney Granger died on 18 September 2021 from a suspected blood clot related to diabetes complications. They have been nominated 4 time Grammy for "Best Cajun Album/Zydeco album. The Pine Leaf Boys have won numerous awards, including nominations for Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album for their second album Blues de Musicien , as well as for Homage Au Passé , plus two Cajun French Music Association Awards. They have 6 world tours for US State Department. Cajun music Cajun music ( French : Musique cadienne ), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by

208-459: A bridge. This is followed by the next vocal verse, and so on. Lawrence Walker , Aldus Roger , Nathan Abshire , Iry LeJeune , Al Berard , and Sidney Brown are examples of this musical period. The characteristics of dancehall Cajun can be seen in current artists such as Jesse Légé and The Basin Brothers Band. Drawing on elements of the earlier traditional, Texas swing, and dancehall periods,

260-468: A dance craze. The late 1960s saw the rise of soul and R&B music which used lavish orchestral arrangements. Genres : Disco , funk , R&B , hip hop In 1970, the television show Soul Train premiered featuring famous soul artists who would play or lipsync their hits while the audience danced along. In the early '70s, Kool and the Gang, Ohio Players , and B.T. Express were popular funk bands. By

312-416: A larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance music. While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music in ancient history (for example Ancient Greek vases sometimes show dancers accompanied by musicians), the earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are old-fashioned dances. In

364-401: A more polished sound. The acoustic guitar was added, mostly as a rhythm instrument, and the triangle provided a traditional percussion. Modern groups sometimes include drums , electric bass , electric guitars and amplified accordion and fiddles. There are several variations of Cajun dance: a Cajun one-step, also called a Cajun jig , a Cajun two-step, also called a Cajun Jitterbug , and

416-484: A standard of modern Cajun music. "Louisiana Man" has been covered by more than 800 artists. The unaccompanied ballad was the earliest form of Cajun music. These narrative songs often had passionate themes of death, solitude or ill-fated love — a reaction to their harsh exile and rough frontier experience, as well as celebrations of love and humorous tales. Ballads were ritually sung at weddings and funerals, and sung informally for small groups of people at house parties as

468-556: Is composed of a major scale riff, repeated between verses. This form has existed since the early 1900s and the waltz and two-step are the most common dances of this Cajun music genre. Many songs that became standards in the Cajun music repertoire were first recorded in this period of the 1920s and 1930s. The first commercial recording of Cajun music, "Lafayette (Allon au Laufette)," was made by Joe Falcon and his future wife Cléoma Breaux for Columbia Records on April 27, 1928. A number of

520-478: Is music accompanying traditional dance and may be contrasted with historical/classical, and popular/commercial dance music. An example of folk dance music in the United States is the old-time music played at square dances and contra dances . While there exist attestations of the combination of dance and music in ancient times (for example Ancient Greek vases sometimes show dancers accompanied by musicians),

572-412: Is relatively catchy with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center. The accordionist gives the vocal melody greater energy by repeating most notes. Besides the voices, only two melodic instruments are heard, the accordion and fiddle, but usually in the background can also be heard the high, clear tones of a metal triangle. The harmonies of Cajun music are simple and

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624-463: The Baroque period, the major dance styles were noble court dances (see Baroque dance ). In the classical music era , the minuet was frequently used as a third movement , although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. The waltz also arose later in the classical era. Both remained part of the romantic music period, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like

676-1234: The Beatmasters ' " Rok da House " but the term "dance music" is applied to many forms of electronic music , both commercial and non-commercial. Some of the most popular upbeat genres include house , techno , gqom , drum & bass , jungle , hardcore , electronica , industrial , breakbeat , trance , psychedelic trance , UK garage and electro . There are also much slower styles, such as downtempo , chillout and nu jazz . Many subgenres of electronic dance music have evolved. Subgenres of house include acid house , kwaito , electro house , hard house , funky house , deep house , afro house , tribal house , hip house , tech house and US garage . Subgenres of drum & bass include techstep , hardstep , jump-up , intelligent D&B/atmospheric D&B , liquid funk , sambass , drumfunk , neurofunk and ragga jungle . Subgenres of other styles include progressive breaks , booty bass , Goa trance , hard trance , hardstyle , minimal techno , gabber techno , breakcore , broken beat , trip hop , folktronica and glitch . Speed garage , breakstep , 2-step , bassline , grime , UK funky , future garage and

728-666: The Cajuns , is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada . Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole -based zydeco music. Both are from southwest Louisiana and share French and African origins. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music , and have influenced pop culture through mass media , such as television commercials . Cajun music

780-602: The Faeroe Islands . "Dansband" ("Dance band") is a term in Swedish for bands who play a kind of popular music , "dansbandsmusik" ("Dance band music"), to partner dance to. These terms came into use around 1970, and before that, many of the bands were classified as " pop groups ". This type of music is mostly popular in the Nordic countries . Disco is a genre of dance music containing elements of funk , soul , pop , and salsa . It

832-460: The Hackberry Ramblers are early examples of this style. The Red Stick Ramblers and The Lost Bayou Ramblers are Cajun swing bands from the 1990s. In Cajun Louisiana, public dancehalls are known as fais do-dos . This expression may have evolved from a practice of bringing children to dance halls to lull them to sleep. In French, fais do-do means "go to sleep". This style originated in

884-482: The Lost Bayou Ramblers have experimented with mixing traditional instruments and cutting-edge technology, as showcased on their last two records, Mammoth Waltz (2012) and Kalenda (2017). This sound has been dubbed “Heavy Cajun Psych”. Doug Kershaw recorded "Louisiana Man", an autobiographical song that he wrote while in the army. The song sold millions of copies and, over the years, it has come to be considered

936-627: The Pine Leaf Boys , and others brought energy to older, more traditional forms. In 1964, Gladius Thibodeaux, Louis "Vinesse" Lejeune, and Dewey Balfa represented Louisiana at the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Their concert was a success and this was a turning point in the awareness of Cajun music at a national level. Contemporary Cajun music is influenced by rock , R&B , blues , soul , and zydeco music. Although led by

988-457: The Texas Playboys . Instead of being dominated by the accordion, Cajun swing relies significantly on the fiddle and piano with a swinging tempo. Bands in the 1940s began using the steel guitar, an instrument also found in Cajun dancehall music. Dances such as " the jig " are common in this genre of Cajun music. Leo Soileau , J. B. Fuselier , Leroy "Happy Fats" Leblanc , Harry Choates and

1040-467: The barcarolle , mazurka , ecossaise , ballade and polonaise . Modern popular dance music initially emerged from late 19th century's Western ballroom and social dance music. During the early 20th century, ballroom dancing gained popularity among the working class who attended public dance halls . Dance music became enormously popular during the 1920s. In the 1930s, known as the Swing era, Swing music

1092-427: The cha-cha-cha . Often it is difficult to know whether the name of the music came first or the name of the dance. Ballads are commonly chosen for slow-dance routines. However ballads have been commonly deemed the opposite of dance music in terms of their tempo. Originally, the ballad was a type of dance as well (hence the name "ballad", from the same root as " ballroom " and " ballet "). Ballads are still danced on

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1144-439: The reggae -inspired dubstep are all subgenres of UK garage . During the early 20th century, ballroom dancing gained popularity among the working class who attended public dance halls . Dance music became enormously popular during the 1920s. Nightclubs were frequented by large numbers of people at which a form of jazz , which was characterized by fancy orchestras with strings instruments and complex arrangements, became

1196-2029: The 1950s because of rock music. In contrast to the 1920s, however, the use of live orchestras in night clubs was extremely rare due to its expense. The disco craze reached its peak in the late 1970s when the word "disco" became synonymous with "dance music" and nightclubs were referred to as "discos". Genres : Funk , hip hop , New jack swing , R&B , bounce , Miami bass , boogie , disco , jaiva , contemporary R&B , new wave , dark wave , Italo disco , Euro disco , post-disco , synth-pop , dance-pop , dance-rock , house , kwaito , acid house , hip house , techno , freestyle , electro , hi-NRG , EBM , cosmic disco , Balearic beat , new beat Genres : New jack swing , contemporary R&B , dancehall , hip hop , G-funk , Miami bass , house , Italo dance , Italo house , Eurodance , Europop , hip house , electro , electroclash , progressive house , French house , techno , minimal techno , trance , alternative dance , drum and bass , jungle , big beat , breakbeat , breakbeat hardcore , rave , hardcore , happy hardcore , speed garage , UK garage , soca , reggaeton , trance , psytrance , Goa trance , Afro house Genres : Electropop , dance-pop , snap , crunk , dancehall , reggaeton , dance-punk , nu-disco , electro house , minimal techno , dubstep , grime , bassline , UK funky , contemporary R&B , hip hop , drum and bass , progressive house , hardstyle , funky house Genres : Electropop , synthpop , gqom , glitchpop , hip house , nu-disco , new wave , new rave , trance , house , hi-NRG , hard NRG , dance-pop , electro-industrial , deep house , drum and bass , dubstep , techstep , liquid funk , electro house , progressive house , breakbeat , hardstyle , dubstyle , drumstep , hip hop , ghetto house , Jersey club , trap , drill , moombahton , moombahcore , dancehall , tropical house , UK garage , Europop , hyperpop The Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart tracks

1248-447: The C scale available (C-D-E-F-G-A-B). A "C" accordion can also play a few Cajun songs in the key of F however the Bb note will be missing. Also it can play in the key of D with a "bluesy" sound since the F natural note becomes a flat third or minor third in the key of D. However a skilled accordion player can play in these other keys and still make good music whereby the notes missing (because of

1300-574: The Cajun "renaissance" also incorporates more modern elements of folk , blues, jazz and swamp pop , and bluegrass styles. The fiddle players relax, involving a more legato feel to the solos. The quick fiddle action and double stops are missing, replaced by dominant blues chords and jazz slides. Pioneers such as BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet , Zachary Richard , Jambalaya Cajun Band, Bruce Daigrepont, and others broke new ground, while other musicians such as Eddie LeJeune, Irvin LeJeune, Homer LeJeune,

1352-589: The Cajuns adapted to their new ways of life. The first known record was of a violin in 1780 and a fiddle and clarinet player in 1785. The diatonic accordion was introduced to Cajun music in the mid- to late-1800s. It became popular because of its volume which, along with the fiddle, created sufficient accompaniment for dancing. Originally, musicians and singers performed at house dance parties known as bals de maison . However Cajun music, born from ballads, later transformed to dance music —played with or without words. The music

1404-777: The Summer Of Love in Ibiza , which became the European capital of house and trance. In 2018, the release of Fisher's "Losing It ," a significant tech-house crossover by the Australian EDM producer, marked a notable shift in trends within the dance music landscape. Many music genres that made use of electronic instruments developed into contemporary styles mainly due to the MIDI protocol, which enabled computers, synthesizers, sound cards , samplers, and drum machines to interact with each other and achieve

1456-565: The accordion was pushed into the background by the popular string sounds of the time. Piano and other string instruments joined fiddle to create a jazzy swing beat strongly influenced by Western Swing of neighboring Texas. The Cajun fiddle was a well established instrument which had been somewhat eclipsed by the German accordion fad, which had similar effect in French Canada. But in the Depression era

1508-583: The accordion, the electric guitar , washboard , and keyboard are all present in this form. Musicians such as Wayne Toups , Roddie Romero and the Hub City Allstars, Lee Benoit , Damon Troy, Kevin Naquin , Trent LeJeune, and Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have popularized this modern form of Cajun music. The band Atchafalaya, active from 1982 to 1986, is another example of this style. More recently,

1560-425: The classical era, as the minuet evolved into the scherzo (literally, "joke"; a faster-paced minuet). Both remained part of the romantic music period, which also saw the rise of various other nationalistic dance forms like the barcarolle , mazurka and polonaise . Also in the romantic music era, the growth and development of ballet extended the composition of dance music to a new height. Frequently, dance music

1612-459: The earliest Western dance music that we can still reproduce with a degree of certainty are the surviving medieval dances such as carols and the Estampie . The earliest of these surviving dances are almost as old as Western staff-based music notation . The Renaissance dance music was written for instruments such as the lute , viol , tabor , pipe , and the sackbut . In the Baroque period,

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1664-557: The food cooked and young children played. The early songs were mixtures of la la, contra dances , reels and jigs and other folk influences from Black, white and Native American traditions. Early song lyrics were entirely in Cajun French . Though songwriting in French is still common, today some Cajun music is sung in English with younger singers and audiences. In earlier years, the fiddle

1716-650: The full synchronization of sounds. Electronic dance music is typically composed using synthesizers and computers , and rarely has any physical instruments . Instead, this is replaced by analogue and digital electronic sounds, with a 4/4 beat. Many producers of this kind of music however, such as Darren Tate and MJ Cole , were trained in classical music before they moved into the electronic medium. Associated with dance music are usually commercial tracks that may not easily be categorized, such as " The Power " by Snap! , " No Limit " by 2 Unlimited , " Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) " by C+C Music Factory , and

1768-604: The late 1970s, disco became influenced by electronic musical instruments such as synthesizers. sampling and segueing as found in disco continued to be used as creative techniques within trance music , techno music and especially house music . Electronic dance music experienced a boom in the late 1980s. In the UK, this manifested itself in the dance element of Tony Wilson 's Haçienda scene (in Manchester) and London clubs like Delirium, The Trip, and Shoom. The scene rapidly expanded to

1820-408: The limitations of the diatonic tuning) are not needed by the melody. Since an instrument must match the singer's range, much Cajun singing is sung in the singer's upper range. It is unlikely that musical instruments were introduced to colonial Louisiana before around 1780. Although originally there were no instruments, there were songs. Families sang traditional French songs called complaintes which

1872-542: The major dance styles were noble court dances (see Baroque dance ). Examples of dances include the French courante , sarabande , minuet and gigue . Collections of dances were often collected together as dance suites . In the classical music era , the minuet was frequently used as a third movement in four-movement non-vocal works such as sonatas , string quartets , and symphonies , although in this context it would not accompany any dancing. The waltz also arose later in

1924-455: The melodic range is just one octave, rising a fifth above the tonic and descending a fourth below. Because the Cajun accordion is a diatonic instrument (do-re-mi or natural major scale) it can only play tunes in a few keys. For example, a "C" accordion is tuned such that the entire C scale is available on the ten buttons (over two octaves) and it can play a tune in the key of C with all the notes of

1976-523: The mid-1970s, disco had become one of the main genres featured. In 1974, Billboard added a Disco Action chart of top hits to its other charts (see List of Billboard number one dance club songs ). Donna Summer , the Bee Gees, the Village People and Gloria Gaynor gained pop hits. Disco was characterized by the use of real orchestral instruments, such as strings, which had largely been abandoned during

2028-414: The most popular tracks played by radio stations using a "dance music" format . Modern dance music is typically a core component of the rhythmic adult contemporary and rhythmic contemporary formats, and an occasional component of the contemporary hit radio format in the case of dance songs which chart. Mixshows are radio programmes which feature a sequence of dance music tracks where each track's outro

2080-474: The most prominent traditional Cajun musicians are featured in the 1989 documentary J'ai Été Au Bal . Amédé Ardoin , Canray Fontenot , Wade Frugé , Dewey Segura , Joe Falcon and Cléoma Falcon , and the Breaux Brothers are examples of this genre. This style draws from Texas country music and moves away from the traditional accordion sound. It has more of a swing style popularized by Bob Wills and

2132-425: The noise of the crowd and be heard throughout the dance hall. Electrification of the dance venues also allowed the fiddle to be played in a smoother style and alternate leads with the accordion. The steel guitar also adds remarks. Typically in dancehall Cajun performances the melody is played by the accordion followed by a bridge, a vocal verse, leading lines by the steel guitar, fiddle, and accordion followed finally by

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2184-519: The post-war era of the late 1940s and continues to the present-day in small town dancehalls. During this early period, bands changed from performing at house dances to large halls. Fais do-do music is similar to the traditional Cajun music of house dances, with added accompaniment such as the bass guitar , drum kit , steel guitar , and rhythm guitar , electric or acoustic. The same abrupt, staccato feel can also be felt. The implementation of electrical amplification allowed instruments to cut through

2236-719: The standard music at clubs. A particularly popular dance was the fox-trot . At the time this music was simply called jazz, although today people refer to it as "white jazz" or big band . Marabi evolved in South Africa in the 1920s, rooted in South African folk music, ragtime , jazz and blues . People were able to dance endlessly without having to have been familiar with the songs being played, before. Genres : Swing music , mbube , Congolese rumba , Western swing . Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller gained swing jazz hits. Genres : Rock and roll , kwela In 1952,

2288-406: The television showed that American Bandstand switched to a format where teenagers dance along as records are played. American Bandstand continued to be shown until 1989. Since the late 1950s, disc jockeys (commonly known as DJs) played recorded music at nightclubs. Genres : Rock and roll , R&B , funk , mbaqanga In 1960, Chubby Checker released his song " The Twist " setting off

2340-403: The tide turned, and, according to Stricklin et al. , it had never been eclipsed. After World War II , the accordion regained its popularity in Cajun music. Also, in the late 1930s and 1940s, country music became the dominant influence on Cajun music, and steel guitar and bass were introduced. Modern Cajun music began taking on the influence of jazz and modern country music, resulting in

2392-414: Was a part of opera . Modern popular dance music initially emerged from late 19th century's Western ballroom and social dance music. Dance music works often bear the name of the corresponding dance, e.g. waltzes , the tango , the bolero , the can-can , minuets , salsa , various kinds of jigs and the breakdown . Other dance forms include contradance , the merengue ( Dominican Republic ), and

2444-542: Was developing. This music, made using electronics, is a style of popular music commonly played in nightclubs , radio stations , shows and raves . Many subgenres of electronic dance music have evolved. Dancing to rhythmic music has long been a cherished tradition in both Western and Eastern African civilizations, where dynamic movements synchronized with percussion instruments such as drums, bells, and rattles serve as integral expressions of cultural identity, social cohesion, and spiritual significance. Folk dance music

2496-405: Was essential for small get-togethers on the front porch , bals de maison, and public dances in dance halls called fais do-dos . This style comprises the roots of Cajun dance music, involving only a few instruments such as the Cajun accordion , fiddle , and triangle . This form holds firm to a basic rhythm with staccato style notes, including many fiddle double stops . Each fiddle solo

2548-471: Was most popular during the mid to late 1970s, though it has had brief resurgences afterwards. The first notable fully synthesized disco hit was " I Feel Love " by Donna Summer . Looping ,It inspired the electronic dance music genre. By 1981, a new form of dance music was developing. This music, made using electronics, is a style of popular music commonly played in dance music nightclubs , radio stations , shows and raves . During its gradual decline in

2600-530: Was the popular dance music in America. In the 1950s, rock and roll became the popular dance music. The late 1960s saw the rise of soul and R&B music. Dominican and Cuban New Yorkers created the popular salsa dance in the late 1960s which stemmed from the Latin music genre of salsa . The rise of disco in the early 1970s led to dance music becoming popular with the public. By the late 1970s, electronic dance music

2652-403: Was the predominant instrument. Usually two fiddles were common, one playing the melody while the other provided the séconde, or back-up part. Twin fiddling traditions represent the music in its purest form, as it was brought to Louisiana with the early immigrants and before popular American tunes mingled with it. Gradually, the Cajun accordion emerged to share the limelight. In the early 1930s,

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2704-474: Was to promote Cajun culture and combat negative stereotypes. In 1974, CODOFIL created the three-hour Tribute to Cajun Music festival, later renamed the Festival de Musique Acadienne, in order to revive an interest in Cajun music and culture among the younger generation. Dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing . It can be either a whole piece or part of

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