Jambalaya Cajun Band - Instrumental Collection (CD)

Excellent unusual instrumental Cajun music collect

By Betty Prioux  Mar 24, 2005

Pros: Unusual in that it is an instrumental collection of Cajun music.

Cons: None.

I grew up in the Cajun country area of southern Louisiana, hearing and dancing to Cajun music. Since about 1981, I've lived away from the area. This CD caught my ears in a used book/record/CD store in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a few years ago.... I instantly started tapping my foot and thought, heck, this is really good Cajun music, and unusual in that the songs were only instrumental, no sung lyrics. Walking up to the counter to see the CD cover, I smiled when I saw it was recorded by the Cajun band Jamabalaya, started by my college-days friend Terry Huval and his brother Tony over 20 years ago. I hadn't heard the band in a long time and was very impressed with the maturity of their sound and finesse of their instrumental work. Of course, I bought the CD. I strongly recommend purchasing this CD if you enjoy Cajun music and would like to get a strong sense of the instrumental foundations of that style. Jamabalaya does it right, because these guys grew up listening to, dancing to, and playing good Cajun music, and they've continued to learn and grow musically for over 20 years. Read more Less