Photograph: Joe Hall (Submitter Photo)
Joe Hall, Dexter Ardoin lead the Zydeco Capital Jam in Opelousas
Creole accordionists Joe Hall and Dexter Ardoin lead the monthly Zydeco Capital Jam from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. March 11 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center, I-49 exit 23, in Opelousas. The March jam is held in honor of Cajun and Creole music pioneer Amédé Ardoin.
Born March 11, 1898 near Eunice, Ardoin recorded French waltzes, two-steps and blues that laid the foundation of Cajun music and zydeco. Standards, like the “Eunice Two-Step,” “Lacassine Special,” “Prairie Soileau Two-Step” and many others, can be traced to Ardoin’s recordings of the 1920s and ‘30s.
Ardoin’s death is as legendary as his highly-influential music. He died in 1942 after a severe, racial beating left him incapacitated at Central Louisiana Hospital, the state’s mental institution in Pineville. He is buried in an unmarked grave on the hospital grounds.
In 2018, Ardoin symbolically returned home after a 1,500-pound steel sculpture was unveiled at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center. The statue, designed by Russell Whiting of Breaux Bridge, was the result of the “Bring Amédé Home Project,” a series of fundraisers that former poet laureate Darrell Bourque and educator Patricia Cravins held throughout the area.
Eighty years after his death, Ardoin continues to capture attention. Stories about his music and life have been featured in the New York Times, Oxford American, International Magazine Kreol of London and more. In 2020, Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser hosted the Amédé Ardoin Lemon Tree Ceremony at A. Z. Young Park, a green space near the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Ardoin used lemons to soothe his throat between performances at house dances and dancehalls.
Joe Hall returns to the Zydeco Capital Jam after the release of his 2022 CD, “Melange.” Dexter Ardoin, a grandson of Creole music legend Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin, led the jam last November.
The jam has free admission and is open to all musicians and fans. For more information, visit the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission web site at cajuntravel.com.
