New Orleans’s French comes from a people of aristocracy and the Acadians that were exiles from Nova Scotia and later parts of South Louisiana after the Spanish took over.
The French music associated with New Orleans was fundamentally Cajun music tied in with Blues, R;B, and Jazz that made the Zydeco version of French music. Pg. 148-149The Courir De Mardi Gras in Southwest Louisiana has multiple meanings to the Cajun people. Tradition is the day before Ash Wednesday, the people living in the rural areas of southwest Louisiana practice “running” Mardi Gras. This is where groups of costumed horse riders or riders in trucks cruise up and down the country roads. The groups stopped along the route at people’s homes and businesses for dancing, singing and pulling pranks. At the end of their visit, they would ask for either a live or frozen chicken, rice, sausage and other ingredients to fix a gumbo at the end of their ride. After the ride, the groups and people they visited return to a barn or dance hall for dancing, singing and eating and drinking.
Pg. 159-160 The type of music predominately played at these events is commonly known as Mardi Gras Music, which is composed of Cajun and Zydeco music.
