Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band

presents the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band on Saturday, December 7th, 2024 at the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center (1225 N. Rampart Street). Join us for une Fête de Noël - a night of traditional and lively Cajun music to celebrate the holiday season! Don't miss the opportunity to experience the musical heritage of Louisiana with one of the finest Cajun bands around. Grab your friends and family for a night of fun and great music!

Doors open at 7pm and the concert begins promptly at 8pm.

Tickets are $10, available here on Eventbrite. Sales tax included.

Seating is general admission and limited, so please register in advance.

The concert will be livestreamed: jazzandheritage.org/live

About Bruce Daigrepont:

Bruce Daigrepont, born in New Orleans on July 11, 1958, hails from a family of Cajun migrants from Avoyelles Parish, a region deeply rooted in Cajun culture. Music, ingrained in his upbringing, was passed down through family traditions, fostering in him a deep connection to Cajun music. By age five, he was playing guitar, and soon after, the banjo. His passion for the French accordion was ignited in 1978, leading to the formation of his own Cajun band by 1980, significantly popularizing Cajun music in New Orleans. Hosting weekly fais do do dances, Bruce became a cultural ambassador, performing internationally and maintaining strong ties to his roots in Canada. A prolific singer-songwriter, Bruce's compositions are celebrated within and beyond the Cajun dance band repertoire. His recordings, starting with "Stir Up the Roux" in 1986, showcase his attention to detail and inventive spirit. His live performances are marked by spontaneity, with a repertoire of over 200 songs, and focus on accordion and fiddle, preserving the essence of Cajun music while exploring new directions. Known for both his powerful voice and unique accordion style, Bruce's music embodies the pride and resilience of Cajun culture.

His latest release "Paradis" comes closer than any of Bruce's previous recordings to the sound of his live performances. And what makes his live performances so special is the air of freewheeling spontaneity which prevails over everything that happens. Bruce never uses a "set list." Instead, he maintains a floating repertoire of more than two hundred songs, from the traditional Cajun waltzes and two-steps to those of his own creation, to ancient fiddle reels, deep blues, swamp pop, Zydeco and R&B. On stage, he is free to shuffle these songs around at will. Or, as Bruce so aptly puts it, "I just play whatever song starts to come out of my fingers," while the band hangs on for dear life. Consequently, no two Bruce Daigrepont concerts are ever the same. It's and exhilarating experience, for audiences and band members alike.

Bruce keeps his music focused on the instruments that have historically defined the Cajun sound--accordion and fiddle. The only additional instrumentation on stage is an aggressive rhythm section (bass, drums and an occasional rubboard or triangle) which takes pride in "keeping it Cajun," sustaining a hard-edged attack while assiduously avoiding the homogenizing influences of rock'n'roll, Nashville, etc. Bruce has always enjoyed exploring new directions, but, while constantly testing the resilience of the Cajun tradition, he never goes "too far." He is thoroughly steeped in the music that he so lovingly upholds, and he knows instinctively what is needed to keep it alive and well. As a fellow musician observed in the liner notes to "Paradis", "Bruce's vision may just be bigger than any of us realize." Indeed, it seems that news is finally getting out: Bruce Daigrepont is making Cajun music for the ages.

About the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

This event is a program of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell. The foundation uses the proceeds from Jazz Fest, and other raised funds, for year-round programs in education, economic development and cultural enrichment. For more on what we do, please visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org

Photo by Brenda Ladd courtesy of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Archive

Host or Publisher New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation