Zydeco music has become part of carnival in Louisiana.
There are two styles of Mardi Gras: the tableau ball & float parade mode of New Orleans, and the poor man's Courir de Mardi Gras - running of the men on horseback - of the countryside.
Zydeco comes from the country. For decades zydeco was little known in the Crescent City. It was in demand in the Creole towns along the Gulf rim: Lafayette, Lake Charles, Beaumont and Houston. Today the Zydeco bands travel a worldwide festival and club circuit.
You're culturally sensitive if you said, "Wait a minute; why is a zydeco performer leading a jazz second line?" In this era we mix it all together: R&B, Jazz, C&W, Zydeco, Cajun. Is there anything to be gained in entertainment if we are purists?
