John Layton wants to start a Cajun band.
MUSIC ISLAND musicians are being asked to add another string to their bow by getting involved in playing Cajun music.
Experienced Cajun accordion player John Layton, of Clarendon Road, Shanklin, wants to form a local ensemble to perform mainly at hotels and restaurants.
He is initially looking for a violinist and a guitar player to join him, with the eventual aim of adding bass, drums and steel guitar for bigger gigs.
John also aims to serve up hot and spicy Cajun-style cuisine and is hoping to find dance experts to teach different Cajun dance styles.
The roots of Cajun music go back to the French-speaking Acadians, of Nova Scotia, who were exiled to the bayous of Louisiana after a run-in with the British in 1765.
John, 60, said: "This is infectious dance music, led by the accordion and fiddle and backed by the driving rhythms of the guitar and perhaps a ti’fer (triangle) or frottoir (washboard). The vocals are in French.
"Cajun music was famously played in the classic films, Southern Comfort and The Big Easy," added John, who has played accordion at many Cajun, bluegrass and folk festivals around the UK.
In recent years, he has been living and playing in France with the group Catfishgumbo, staging Louisiana-themed evenings with music, dancing and Cajun food, such as jambalaya and gumbo.
Anyone interested in joining John’s new band can contact him on 07532-263908.
Reporter: jonm@iwcpmail.co.uk