Playing the Field

The percolating, upbeat sounds of Cajun and zydeco music have always had a strong all-ages appeal, which would seem to make them ideal fodder for children’s music.

Cajun music ace Michael Doucet (leader of BeauSoleil) recorded a kids album in 1991, and now comes Terrance Simien with the other half of the equation: a zydeco project for the young ones.

He got the idea from folk-blues singer Taj Mahal, who has recorded several albums on Music for Little People/Rhino Records. Mahal suggested that Simien work up as lullabies some songs with historical ties.

“I wanted to record some songs that would reach out to youngsters on both a musical and educational level,” said Simien, 32, who headlines the 12th annual Southern California Cajun & Zydeco Festival this weekend in Long Beach. “So I went into the community to do some research, to talk to some of the older folks in the area about our history. I want the kids to learn about the culture and heritage of our Creole ancestors--only not in a preachy way.

“Well, this one local woman dug up a song that was written around the time of the Civil War,” he said. “Apparently it’s never been published, and it’s about Creole kids finally being free once the war ended. I sang it in French and then came back and changed [the words] to English.

“It goes like this: ‘We work hard to save our lives / And we pray to save our souls / We are slaves, but someday we’ll be free / That’s what Mama promised me / When freedom finally come our way / We’re gonna dance and sing all day / And we’ll fly away like a bird / And forget all the crying we heard.’

“It’s such a moving song, and I’m planning to sing it a cappella,” added Simien, who is married and has a 7-year-old daughter, Marcella. “It’s been untitled forever, but I decided to name it ‘The Song of the Creole Slave.’ ”

Simien said he’s happy to see so many young people at his shows but won’t take any credit for it.

“Zydeco always has attracted both the young and old,” he said. “Kids love the up-tempo stuff that they can party to, but that might be followed by a slow waltz that appeals more to their parents--or even their grandparents. That’s the beauty of it.

“I’ve been listening to zydeco all my life; it’s a part of me. I’m proud of all that zydeco bands have been able to accomplish. Thanks to people like Buckwheat [Zydeco], Boozoo [Chavis] and Clifton [Chenier], we’ve been able to take this music beyond our little corner of the world.”

Simien has gone beyond the fundamental zydeco style--Cajun two-steps and waltzes pumped up with punchy bass and drum backing--by bringing in elements of other pop music forms he heard growing up in Mallett, La., a bayou town about 75 miles outside Baton Rouge.

Although heavily influenced by zydeco legends Chenier and John Delafose, Simien, the son of a bricklayer, also listened to soul, disco and a variety of contemporary pop artists, including Bob Dylan, Elton John, Willie Nelson, Aaron Neville, Paul Simon and Paul McCartney.

He doesn’t fret much about the purists who think his youthful zeal and party-hearty vibe stray too far from the music’s earthy Creole roots.

“I do have this urge to do a wide range of things and not limit myself,” Simien said by phone from his home in Lafayette, La. “If I feel like including something reggae-flavored--or [something] that has a [New Orleans] second-line or rock beat--I don’t see why I shouldn’t. New ingredients add new life.”

In fact, his previous full-length release, 1993’s “There’s Room for Us All,” leaned more on R & B, reggae and rock than straight-up zydeco, while his accordion playing took a back seat to extended jazz riffs, funkadelic guitar licks and hard-rock drumming.

“That album was more of a fun-loving thing, where we did jam a lot and not worry about convention,” he said. “It certainly was a less-familiar approach.”

His recent five-song EP--called “Jam the JazzFest,” in honor of the annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival where he and his band have performed every year for the past decade--features Simien’s Sam Cooke-like vocals, a rollicking zydeco instrumental (“Macque Choux”) and a heartfelt salute to Delafose (“May Your Music Live On”).

“I still get inspired to write some really traditional-sounding stuff, and I do play more accordion on my new EP,” he said. “I think it’s more of a rootsy, back-to-basics sounding record.”

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CAJUN & ZYDECO FESTIVAL

Saturday

* Noon: Andre Thierry & Zydeco Magic

* 1:15 p.m.: Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys

* 2:45: Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys

* 4:15: Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

* 5:30: Children’s Mardi Gras Parade

* 5:45: Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys

Sunday

* Noon: Acadiana

* 1 p.m.: The Zydeco Bone Shakers

* 2: Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys

* 3:30: Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys

* 4:30: Children’s Mardi Gras Parade

* 4:45: Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

* 6:15: Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys

The 12th annual Southern California Cajun & Zydeco Festival, Rainbow Lagoon, Long Beach. Noon-7 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (gates open at 11 a.m.). General admission, $22 per day; two-day tickets, $35; seniors and students, $15 at the gate; ages 10-16, $5; children younger than 10, free. Also, Walter Mouton & the Scott Playboys play a dance Friday at the Golden Sails Hotel in Long beach. 9 p.m. $12. (562) 427-3713.