About

Nonstop two-steps, waltzes, and zydeco numbers make up the CCO's vast repertoire, which numbers well over 1,000 tunes. Vocals are mostly in Cajun French patois. This rich trove of material includes both popular dance tunes such as Lafayette Two-step, Jolie Blonde, and Paper In My Shoe and unusual gems learned directly from older musicians in Louisiana or culled from rare recordings. The CCO also boasts a unique repertoire of older Creole accordion tunes learned from Danny Poullard's father, the late John Poullard.

Danny Poullard, from Eunice Louisiana, is a nationally recognized accordion player whose pulsating rhythm drives the CCO. He is joined by award-winning fiddler Suzy Thompson, who studied with the legendary Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa under an NEA grant, and by guitarist Eric Thompson, whose innovative lead work is inspired by the steel guitar players in Cajun bands of an earlier generation. David Hymowitz, on drums, rounds out the quartet.

Danny Poullard, born and raised in the heart of southwest Louisiana, treasures Cajun and Creole music as part of his cultural heritage. Suzy Thompson and Eric Thompson, raised in the northeast and California, were inspired by the soulful playing of the legendary Balfa Brothers and since 1978 have been traveling to southwest Louisiana to learn from older musicians there, gaining first hand knowledge of the music. In every performance, the CCO expresses their love and respect for Cajun and Creole culture, and their commitment to its authentic Louisiana French roots.

In 1993, Louisiana's own Cajun French Music Association created the Prix Dehors De Nous award in order to recognize the contributions of Cajun musicians from outside Louisiana. The CCO's debut album, Not Lonesome Any More, was the first to receive this honor and the band was brought in to perform at the prestigious Festivals Acadiens, Louisiana's biggest Cajun music event, held each fall (since 1976) in Lafayette, Louisiana. Nonc Adam Two-step, released in 1995, shared an INDIE award (from the National Association of Independent Record companies) for Best Cajun-Zydeco Album of the Year, with co-winners Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys.

Appearances

California:

City of Hercules Cultural Festival, Hercules
Ardenwood Cajun-Zydeco Experience, San Leandro
Constitution Park, Camarillo
Carmel Performing Arts Festival, Carmel
Ashkenaz Dance Hall, Berkeley
Asilomar, Pebble Beach
Chez Panisse Restaurant, Berkeley
Fillmore Auditorium, San Francisco
Great American Music Hall, San Francisco
Isleton Crawdad Festival
Live Oak Festival, Santa Barbara
Long Beach Cajun & Zydeco Festival
Luther Burbank Arts Center , Santa Rosa
New Orleans By the Bay, Shoreline Ampitheatre, Mountain View
Miner's Foundry, Nevada City
Simi Valley Cajun-Creole Festival
Tahoe Tallac Association, South Lake Tahoe
U.C.Riverside Folk Festival
Wild Iris Folk Festival, Booneville

Out-of-state:

Cherry Hill Park, Washington, DC
Festivals Acadiens, Lafayette, LA
Liberty Theatre, Eunice, LA
Augusta Heritage Festival, Elkins, WV
Atlanta Cajun Dance Association, Atlanta GA
Association of Cajun Music Enthusiasts, Birmingham AL