by Rose of Sharon WitmerLike many Louisiana musicians, Sean Ardoin comes from a musical dynasty. Among his ancestors are two of the greatest names in the Creole and zydeco tradition, Amade Ardoin and Bois Sec Ardoin. Sean Ardoin grew up in Southwestern Louisiana steeped in that tradition. At a young age he began playing in his father's band (Lawrence Ardoin). In the mid-'90s, he then took up the accordion as part of Double Clutchin', the backup band for his younger brother, Chris Ardoin. Together, they put out some of the hottest sound in the noveau zydeco wave of the 1990s.
It was only a matter of time before the older sibling would strike out on his own. In 1999, Sean Ardoin formed his own band, Sean Ardoin & Zydekool. With Ardoin on the accordion and vocals, the band also features Mark Whitfield and Tony Ardoin on guitars, Derek Greenwood on bass, and Scooby Worthy on drums. The group made an eponymous CD that brought them immediate recognition as one of the best dance bands around. The tunes "You Better Get Right Girl" and "Won't Slow Down" are typical of the band's hard-driving repertoire. Their brand of funk- and reggae-laced zydeco has taken them from the tiny dance halls of the rice-and-Tabasco country of Southwest Louisiana to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Carnegie Hall, spreading the gospel of zydeco. Their appearance on BET's Comicview introduced Zydekool to a wider audience and ever-growing number of fans.
It is the group's second CD, Pullin'. released in 2001, that really has the critics raving and the feet moving on the dancefloor. This CD is hot. It was picked as the Best Zydeco Album of the Year by Offbeat, the esteemed music magazine of New Orleans. Some say it is the best contemporary zydeco CD out there. From the opening title cut on, every selection rocks. The charismatic Sean Ardoin shows what the new zydeco sound is all about in songs like "Shut 'Em Down," "New School, Old School," and "Zydekool Rollin'."
This is good-time party music meant for dancing and enjoyment, so important to the culture from which it comes. If you listen to this band's music and don't dance, pinch yourself and check: you might be dead already. Sean Ardoin has already made his mark on the evolving zydeco idiom, and he is only just getting warmed up.