A founding member of the Pine Leaf Boys, singer-fiddler-accordionist Cedric Watson and his own band, Bijou Creole, return to Ashkenaz for a night of authentic Cajun and zydeco dance music. Born in Texas in 1983, Watson developed an early love for Cajun music and moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, where he studied not only pure Cajun music but also the Creole fiddling styles of Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carriere and was quickly acclaimed for his mastery.

In Bijou Creole, Watson explores the roots of Louisiana’s Creole music. Playing a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material, and Creole traditionals, the polyrhythmic and syncopated sounds of Africa and the Caribbean are unmistakable in this ensemble of talented musicians. Michael Doucet (BeauSoleil, Savoy-Doucet Band) says, “To propel our Louisiana Creole culture into the future seems to be quite a task, but if one lives for the music as Cedric does, the path seems effortless.” Along with Watson on fiddle, accordion, and vocals, Bijou Creole is rubboard (frottoir) player Desiree Champagne, saxophone player Kyle Gimbino, bassist Chris Stafford, and drummer Charles Eugene.