About Balfa Toujours
Balfa Toujours is a brilliant young band that has been making a name for itself not only in the Cajun music scene of Southwestern Louisiana, but also in the larger realm of all traditional music. The Balfa name conjures up memories of the famous Balfa Brothers, who took their soulful, empassioned music from the prairies of Mamou to the far corners of the earth. Now, Balfa Toujours (meaning Balfa still and always) is making sure the name will maintain its place for generations afterwards.
Led by Christine Balfa, the daughter of fiddler Dewey Balfa, the group has taken the inspiration given them and made it their own, creating a sound that is distinctive yet filled with the essence of the tradition. The hot, syncopated melodies of the accordion intertwine with the passionate cries of the fiddle. The sweet sounds of the ancient Cajun language let you drift away, while the driving beat of the triangle brings you back. The warm, ringing chords of the guitar lift the vocals straight into your soul. A life-loving quality , emotional yet transcendent, is the essence of Cajun music, and the pulse of the Balfa rhythm is at the heart of it.
Balfa Toujours has been recognized as one of the most important groups in Louisiana, a fact that is clear in the words of Barry Ancelet, who has called the band , the future of Cajun music. This type of recognition at home has grown into a strong national and inter-national reputation as well. Balfa Toujours has been very well received across the States and in Europe, where they have played some of the most important festivals (see enclosed list of selected performances.)
The increasing popularity of Cajun music, so largely due to the work of Dewey Balfa, has lead to a need for diversity in performance styles, and Balfa Toujours is right at home with this development. They keep everyone on the floor at the festive four hour dances that were once the only outlet for Cajun musicians, but they have also developed programs that emphasize the history and culture of Acadian Louisiana, the roots of which go all the way back to Celtic France. They have been included in numerous workshops, offering instruction not only in music, but also in Cajun French and dance. They are equally at home in front of small groups, where the culture can be directly shared, and in front of thousands on the festival stage, where they inspire audiences with their infectous, celebratory spirit. Their goal, however, is not simply to bring Cajun culture to the world, but also to inspire audiences to seek out and strengthen their own cultures.
Balfa Toujours is a band at the center of the Cajun tradition. The group feels no need to modernize the music, yet they feel no need to preserve it, as Dewey said, under glass in a museum. Balfa Toujours plays it straight from the heart, as it has been played in their family for hundreds of years. They are proud to continue in the footsteps laid out for them and take the music they cherish to audiences around the world.
Other promotional information:
| Tour Schedule | More About Balfa Toujours |
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This site created and maintained by Kevin Wimmer (kwimmer@aol.com).
Copyright 1998, 1999 Kevin Wimmer and Balfa Toujours. All rights reserved.
Last updated 6/14/99.
