Annotation:Lacassine Special

Back to Lacassine Special

LACASSINE SPECIAL. Cajun, Two-Step. USA, southwestern Louisiana. A Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AA(Vocal)BBAA(Vocal)BBAA(Vocal)BB. A Cajun accordion favorite. Lacassine, Louiaiana, lies thirteen miles east of Lake Charles. The name is Spanish, not French, and means small house. Related songs, according to Raymond Francois (1990), are Merlin Fontenot's "Danse de Coulee Croche (La)" and the "Lacassine Breakdown."

Source for notated version: Iry LeJeune (La.) [Francois]. Accordion player Iry LeJeune recorded less than three dozen tunes, but left a lasting impression on the music of Louisiana. He played in a heavily-syncopated style, often performing at at dances with fiddler J.B. Fuselier. In 1954, when returning home from a dance with other band members, the car they were riding in got a flat tire. As LeJeune and the others changed the tire by the roadside, they were struck by a speeding car driven by a drunk driver. LeJeune was killed instantly.

Printed sources: Francois (Yé Yaille Chere), 1990; pp. 193-195.

Recorded sources: Goldband Records GB-LP7740, Iry LeJeune.

See also listing at:
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [1]