Eunice, Louisiana: On the Way to the Powwow: Savoy Music Jam

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

On my list of South Louisiana things to do before I leave was a visit to the Saturday Cajun jam at the Savoy Music Center. 

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

I like how it's in a prosaic space, surrounded by inventory on shelves, in boxes, kind of dusty, like places with lots of shelves and boxes often are. On the sales counter, visitors place boxes of donuts, cracklins, etc. to share. There's a pot of coffee with the usual cups and fixin's, and a donation jar for said goods.

The morning I went, there were locals plus two women from Paris and a family from Atlanta, Georgia. I'm sure there were folks of other provenence as well.

Below is one of the videos I took. The man seated on my left, in the audience, played the triangle. The woman in blue in the jam circle is from Atlanta.

I like the respect shown both Cajun and Creole music here, as evidenced by t-shirts and CDs for sale.

There's a sign on a wall that says, basically, "Hey! Let the elders get the performance time first and then you yowwens can have a turn."

Cajun jam and Savoy Music Center, Eunice, Louisiana.

Vehicles park alongside the busy 190 and walk into the Music Center driveway to enter the building.

Many songs are in French; the triangle-playing man next to me chatted in French with the Parisians.

The Savoy Music Center is owned by the Savoy family - a very musical family. Ah, and this gives me an excuse to play Wilson Savoy's foot-and-accordion performance in the 2014 Squeezebox Shootout in Jennings:

Is it possible to watch the video and not smile? I think not.

Wilson Savoy's band Pine Leaf Boys also figured in my video at the Courir de Mardi Gras at Vermilionville in 2014 below:

So happy I was able to be at Vermilionville's courir de Mardi Gras.