Jammin' at Martin Accordions

Hi Blog!

As you know, we are spending the month prior to Mardis Gras here at Betty's RV Park in Abbeville, Louisiana. In the weeks leading up the big event, we are trying to immerse ourselves in all things Cajun. On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, Betty arranged for a tour and concert at Martin Accordion in Lafayette. For those of you who have never experience Cajun music, the accordion is the center of the show. As soon as we walked in, we were wowed by the beautiful instruments they had on display.

For over 30 years Martin Accordions has built all hand-made, single row, diatonic accordions for musicians around the world. Professionals and beginners alike rely on Martin squeezeboxes night after night to provide the sweet, rich sound that Cajun and Zydeco are known for. Martin is a full service shop, offering everything from completely custom built boxes to repairs and tuning on all makes and types of accordions including: piano, diatonic, polka, concertina, and just about anything else with bellows. Their trademark logo includes a crawfish!

Many different accordions were developed in Europe throughout the 19th century, and exported worldwide. As a result, some Cajuns began producing their own instruments, based on the popular one-row German accordions but with modifications to suit the nuances of the Cajun playing style. Here is an up-close look at one of Martin's signature accordions. What's not to love about crawfish?

Cajun music is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Creole-influenced Zydeco form, and both are of Acadiana origin. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials. Here's our group getting ready for the show.  However, the two musical styles are very different, with Zydeco incorporating many features of blues and African or Caribbean music.

Here is our eager group awaiting the presentation and concert at Martin Accordions:

Our host was Clarence Joseph Martin, Jr., known as "Junior," who was born in Cankton, Louisiana on December 21, 1940. Mr. Martin purchased his first steel guitar at the age of 15.  "Junior" has been recognized on several occasions for his musical talent and his contributions to Cajun music and heritage, including induction into the Lake Charles, Lafayette, and Louisiana Halls of Fame. Here is Junior with his latest steel guitar.

Junior's daughter, Pennye (a former school principal) was our host and guide during the evening. She demonstrated the various types of accordions and introduced all the musical numbers. We were treated to samples of traditional Cajun, Zydeco and contemporary Cajun, with a couple country tunes thrown in for good measure.

Sharing the stage was Junior's grandson, Joel Martin (on the right in the photo below), who is making a name for himself on the Cajun music scene. In fact, Joel was invited to perform at the White House's Mardis Gras Celebration this year!

Joining the Martin Family Band was an exchange student from Germany! The German student played the classic keyboard style accordion, while Joel played the Cajun accordion and Grandpa strummed the guitar.

We leave you tonight with the sounds of Cajun country.