POP WEEKEND : Northern Benefit, Southern Comfort and a Zydeco Stew : Successor to Clifton Chenier Remains at Issue After Spicy Cajun Festival

It’s always tempting to scour the horizons of any musical genre for future figureheads--especially when the old leader has stepped out of the spotlight. That’s why any hot young metal band is met with a tag of “the next Zeppelin,” reggae performers contend with the moniker of “the next Bob Marley” and singer-songwriters continue to face the onus of being tabbed “the next Dylan.”

In the world of zydeco--the enticing, rhythmically effervescent branch of Cajun music--the throne that belonged for years to Clifton Chenier remains vacant, though there is certainly no shortage of contenders for the crown.

So the drama at Saturday’s opening half of the 3rd annual Los Angeles Cajun and Zydeco Festival should have been the face-off between two of zydeco’s new-generation contenders.

In one corner was C.J. Chenier who, upon his father’s death in 1987, was bequeathed Clifton’s accordion and his Red Hot Louisiana Band; in the other was Nathan Williams, another favorite son from Lafayette, La., making his first West Coast appearance.

The non-contest that unfolded pointed up the folly of searching for dramatics at what is primarily a gigantic back-yard barbecue, an event where the spirit in the dancing and the spiciness of the home-cooked jambalaya mattered most.

At the end of the show--held as it was last year in the Olympic Velodrome at Cal State Dominguez Hill--it was neither Chenier nor Williams and his Zydeco Cha-Chas band--each of whom turned in thoroughly danceable though unremarkable sets--but the ever-dependable Beausoleil band that emerged as pick of the litter.

This was because of Beausoleil’s seamless fusing of traditional Cajun folk with the more muscular zydeco, stitched together with threads of hot-jazz and country-blues instrumental licks.

Those interested in crowning a new king of zydeco will have to keep looking--or keep waiting, while Williams and Chenier undergo more seasoning.

Williams has received some glowing praise from Stanley (Buckwheat) Dural, himself a front-runner as Clifton’s spiritual successor. Indeed, he had plenty of folks up and dancing at the front of the stage at one end of the unusual but highly serviceable Velodrome setting.

But beneath his wide-brimmed cowboy hat and behind those impenetrable dark sunglasses, whatever personality Williams may possess remained hidden. He has an engaging voice that can summon up the grace of Jimmy Cliff’s, though his riff-heavy music (more of a bar-band-blues-reggae-R&B; stew than pure zydeco) does not leave that voice much room to express itself.

Tellingly, near the end of his set, he offered Hank Williams’ “Jambalaya”--a song with an unmistakeable melody--and the energy level jumped with Richter-scale force.

With his less-than-dynamic stage presence and accomplished-but-unspectacular musicianship, Williams is more promising than impressive. But keep in mind that he is still in his mid-20s; be prepared to reassess the evaluation when he has a few more years under his accordion straps.

C.J. Chenier has grown markedly as an accordionist since strapping it on about 2 years ago, though he too suffered a charisma shortage in the always-difficult outdoor, daytime setting. More disturbing, though, he succumbed to star-making mannerisms you would expect from a Las Vegas lounge singer.

Introducing him while the Red Hot band played a number of its own, a band mate hawked the crowd: “Are you ready for star time? Are you ready for show time?”

Like Williams, Chenier opted for pumped-up blues-boogie before turning to zydeco. When he did take on the style that made his father’s son famous, it was with tempos that seemed accelerated artificially to generate more excitement.

Ironically, veteran Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa outpunched the two upstarts in his early-afternoon set, helped along with the addition of electric bass and drums to his typically acoustic lineup. Balfa, looking like everyone’s favorite uncle with his white hair, pharmacist’s spectacles, slight paunch and beneficent, unassuming grin, subtly proved that some old dogs can indeed learn new tricks. The new dogs should take notice.

As for the couple of thousand Cajun-zydeco fans who attended, most seemed completely content to soak up the sun and suds, offer their own pagan dance ritual around a watermelon and dance their soles away.

The lineup for Day 2 of the festival on Sunday was scheduled to include headliner Queen Ida Guillory (who may prove that in the quest for someone to fill Clifton’s shoes, the best man for the job is a woman), the Louisiana Cajun Trio and the Crawfish Wranglers, as well as return performances by Beausoleil, Balfa and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas.