divine (dɪˈvaɪn)
adjective
1. of supreme excellence or worth
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em·u·la·tion [em-yuh-ley-shuhn]
noun
1. effort or desire to equal or excel others
When we look at culture, it changes and evolves. One generation to the next- like language, like music. It can go left or it can go right. One thing that I have gathered through casual conversation within this culture is the importance of inspiration. Influence among these musicians vary from the pre-accordion era in the 1900's and before to the Cajun swing of the 1930's. From the 1970 Cajun renaissance with the traditional sounds of the Balfa Brothers to the 1980's and 90's zydeco rock of Wayne Toups and even the modern fiddle's cadence of Al Berard and Mitch Reed. I find it intriguing to know what drives an individual musical mind because we all think differently, we all learn differently- we all taste differently. The prairie Cajuns of Mamou, Iota, Church Point, Pointe Noir, and Opelousas have historically been in a contrasting external environment from the swamp, bayou, and marsh Cajuns of Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, Henderson, Butte la Rose, Chenier au Tigre and Pecan Island. The difference in what they have been given exposure to is immanent. Dewey Balfa once said "A culture is preserved, one generation at a time." And a look into the minds of the cultural intuitive, generation by generation, reveals how we are holding onto our culture from the tunes of our ancestral-folk roots.
This is an ongoing project of personal interest, the research and collection of a cultural census of influence. My initial want was to include multiple generations to get a look into those influences and how it's generational, de les vieux à les jeunes. How the music progresses but yet how, simultaneously, the musical history, tradition, and meaning is retained.
When we look at culture, it changes and evolves. One generation to the next- like language, like music. It can go left or it can go right. One thing that I have gathered through casual conversation within this culture is the importance of inspiration. Influence among these musicians vary from the pre-accordion era in the 1900's and before to the Cajun swing of the 1930's. From the 1970 Cajun renaissance with the traditional sounds of the Balfa Brothers to the 1980's and 90's zydeco rock of Wayne Toups and even the modern fiddle's cadence of Al Berard and Mitch Reed. I find it intriguing to know what drives an individual musical mind because we all think differently, we all learn differently- we all taste differently. The prairie Cajuns of Mamou, Iota, Church Point, Pointe Noir, and Opelousas have historically been in a contrasting external environment from the swamp, bayou, and marsh Cajuns of Breaux Bridge, Cecilia, Henderson, Butte la Rose, Chenier au Tigre and Pecan Island. The difference in what they have been given exposure to is immanent. Dewey Balfa once said "A culture is preserved, one generation at a time." And a look into the minds of the cultural intuitive, generation by generation, reveals how we are holding onto our culture from the tunes of our ancestral-folk roots.
This is an ongoing project of personal interest, the research and collection of a cultural census of influence. My initial want was to include multiple generations to get a look into those influences and how it's generational, de les vieux à les jeunes. How the music progresses but yet how, simultaneously, the musical history, tradition, and meaning is retained.
From the Exposed Roots presents The Divine Emulation, a collective cultural census on personal influence.
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