Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience at Discovery Park -- June 7.
Friday, June 7, 7 p.m.
Discovery Park, 3300 Cedar Street, Maquoketa IA
A Grammy-winning musician whose style, according to All About Jazz, "borrows from the fabric of reggae, blues, jazz and pop to provide a totally enjoyable experience," Terrance Simien and his musical outfit the Zydeco Experience headline a June 7 concert event at Maquoketa's Discovery Park, the bandleader performing with Danny Williams on keyboards, Stan Chambers on bass, Ian Molinaro-Thompson on drums, Michael Christie on trumpet, Revon Andrews on trombone, and 2024 recruit Noah Boshra on saxophone.
An eighth-generation Creole from one of the earliest Creole families documented to have settled in the Mallet area of St. Landry Parish, the 58-year-old Simien was introduced to music via his piano at home, the Catholic Church choir, and in school band programs where he played trumpet. While in his teens, he taught himself to play accordion and formed his first band Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys, and began to play the regional zydeco club and church hall circuit. In the early 1980s, Simien was one of only two emerging zydeco artists (Sam Brothers being the other) leading a band and performing their indigenous zydeco roots music, and in a 1991 Bombsite interview, the artist said of his 1990 Zydeco on the Bayou album debut: "I think we've done what we set out to do, and that is catch the energy of the live performance."
Over more than three decades since, Simien and his various ensembles have toured internationally, delivered more 8,500 live performances in more than 45 countries, and released dozens of solo recordings and collaborations. The bandleader has has shared studio and stage time with the likes of Paul Simon, Dr. John, The Meters, Marcia Ball, Dave Matthews, Stevie Wonder, Robert Palmer, and Los Lobos, and Simien has appeared on screen and contributed to the soundtracks of multiple movies, among them Disney's The Princess & the Frog, The Big Easy, and Exit To Eden. In 2007, Simein and his business partner and wife Cynthia also helped establish a new Grammy voting category for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album. His group Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience were subsequently the first ensemble to win a Grammy in that category in 2008.
Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience play their concert in the former Muscatine Country Farm Dairy Barn in Maquoketa's Discovery Park on June 7, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is free, the Food Truck Emporium will be on site, and guests are asked to bring lawn chairs and blankets. For more information, visit MuscatineArtCenter.org.
