Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Chicken Scratch

I just came across an article about Chicken Scratch music, or Waila.
Central European immigrants brought polka music to America in the mid-19th century, but here among the O’odham nations Akimel and Tohono tribal members have made the mixture of accordions, saxophones and percussion all their own.

I hadn't heard of this music until we attended the International Accordion Festival with Candy and Stagg in 2007, when we heard a band called Southern Scratch. Candy posted the video below on YouTube. It gives you a good idea of what this music is all about.



Here's another video, from the Waila Festival held this year at the University of Arizona.



This next one is audio track only, but it offers more of the flavour of this music.


Did you know there was a Native American polka and cumbia tradition?

1 comment:

Barbara Bruederlin said...

I love that guy with the hat, dancing in the first video. He's so suave!