POP MUSIC REVIEW : Lively Cajun-Zydeco Sounds Draw Eclectic Crowd to Annual Festival

There was no trouble spotting folks wearing T-shirts from such bastions of Louisiana music as Tipitina’s in New Orleans or Mulate’s in Breaux Bridge over the weekend at the fourth annual Cajun & Zydeco Festival at Rainbow Lagoon Park.

But then, anyone who’s from--or who’s even visited--southern Louisiana doesn’t need a bit of convincing about the unique charms of its home-grown music. So while the presence of aficionados lent something of a stamp of authenticity to the proceedings, even more impressive was the sight of long-haired teen-agers in Iron Maiden T-shirts milling about the grounds next to bearded Urban Cowboys in pointy-toed boots--next to scrub-faced adolescents in Depeche Mode shirts next to middle-aged black couples, all sharing the same cheek-to-cheek smiles.

Maybe it doesn’t sell the most records or garner the most radio airplay, but Cajun and zydeco music undeniably rank among the happiest sounds ever wafted up from this quirky little planet.

This year’s festival--promoted, like its predecessors, by Franklin Zawacki, a San Franciscan who operates out of his brother’s house in Orange County--was dominated by acts rooted to traditional Cajun and zydeco styles, more so than in the past when such crossover acts as Beausoleil and Wayne Toups brought their rock chops to the music.

Traditionalism was most evident in the midday sets by Cajun singer and songwriter D.L. Menard, who endeared himself to the crowds of 2,000 on Saturday and 2,500 on Sunday with the contagious joy of his music-making. (The program was the same both days except for the openings T-Lou & the Los Angeles Zydeco Band on Saturday, Wilfred Latour & His Zydeco Goodtime Aces on Sunday.)

Because Menard, like many Cajun and zydeco performers, sings the bulk of his material in Cajun French, some of the specifics of his old-timey tales of unrequited love may get lost without the translation. But the emotions always came through loud and clear from the yearning in Menard’s voice, the soulful moanings of Ken Smith’s fiddle and the dazzling fingerwork of accordionist Eddie LeJeune. (Los Lobos’ accordion whiz David Hidalgo was spotted paying rapt attention to LeJeune’s solos on Saturday.)

And, on one of those occasions when he did sing in English, Menard showed why he’s been dubbed the “Cajun Hank Williams,” with a throat-catching rendition of Williams’ signature “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

Bruce Daigrepont’s Cajun Band, which got penultimate billing, hewed close to the traditional core but not as strictly as Menard. Like Beausoleil, Daigrepont’s band favors the rhythmic thrust that a tight bass-and-drum section can add to the basic Cajun instrumental triumvirate of fiddle, accordion and guitar.

Accordionist Daigrepont also sweetened the stew with scintillating country-music harmonies and a witty rendition of Merle Haggard’s “Okie from Muskogee”--in French, naturellemente .

Headliner John Delafose & His Eunice Playboys closed each day’s shows with performances that, in their own way, demonstrated what was missing from earlier sets by up-and-comer Nathan & Zydeco Cha-Chas. Nathan’s sets had a livelier look than Delafose’s, thanks largely to the antics of his jellyfish-limbed rubboard player Mark Williams. The music also benefited from lots of fat-and-juicy licks from sax player Fred Charles.

But leader Nathan Williams himself projected little sense of individuality, either in his vocals or in his piano-accordion work. Without that sense of personality, zydeco music easily can deteriorate into monotonous riffing. (Williams, however, is relatively young in the field, and he did display minor improvement over previous performances--he actually smiled a few times. Maybe once he starts appearing to enjoy himself on stage, the audience might have more fun, too.)

Delafose, on the other hand, had presence to spare. Alternating between three types of accordion--the Cajun button type, a German button and piano accordions--Delafose quipped: “It takes a special kind of fool to use three accordions.”

Though a generous bandleader--he frequently gave the spotlight to other members of the band, including two of his sons--Delafose clearly was in control.

The festival’s new location is far superior to its old one at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson--more picturesque (it’s next to a small man-made lake) and more comfortable because of constant breezes off the nearby ocean.

Things ran like clockwork, yet there was no sense that things were being regimented by the stopwatch police. The only problem was the long lines at food booths set up by several local Cajun restaurants.