Cajun Waltz: A Song History

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The sources consulted here do not say which tune is meant by the "Cajun Waltz" in Stephen Seifert's mountain dulcimer collection Join the Jam II, where it is listed among the book's old-time jam tunes.[1] One documented candidate comes from the Lomax field recordings of the mid-1930s: Library of Congress catalog cards list two pieces by fiddler Wayne Perry, entered under Crowley, Louisiana, as "Cajun Waltz" and "A Cajun Waltz."[2][3] According to the Traditional Tune Archive, Perry's repertoire ran from breakdowns such as "Sally Goodin" to waltzes, mazurkas and blues, and Jody Stecher transcribed his "Cajun Waltz" for Fiddler Magazine in 2001. The archive now files that tune as "Wayne Perry's Waltz in 'A'," with the fiddle tuned AEae, and passes on Stecher's observation that some of Perry's recordings seem to carry the wrong titles.[4]

1938 photograph of a Cajun band with fiddle and guitars playing at a dance near Crowley, Louisiana

Russell Lee, “Cajun orchestra at fais-do-do dance near Crowley, Louisiana,” photograph, October 1938. Library of Congress. No known restrictions.

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Sources

  1. Stephen Seifert: "Join the Jam II".
  2. Library of Congress, American Folklife Center: "Cajun waltz" (Wayne Perry, card catalog, AFS 00020 A03).
  3. Library of Congress, American Folklife Center: "A Cajun waltz" (Wayne Perry, card catalog, AFS 00021 B02).
  4. The Traditional Tune Archive: "Annotation:Wayne Perry's Waltz in 'A'".