BUCKWHEAT Z YDECO JR.

Dural says his father’s advice guided him along as a developing musician. “Even though I’m my worst critic, he always told me it’s a blessing to do what I do,” says Dural. “He used to say, ‘Don’t stop doing what I do because I’m good at it. Don’t ever take it for granted.”

Today, Ils Sont Parti includes family members, drummer Ken Menard and bassist Lee Allen Zeno, who both played for years with Buckwheat. Dural’s 17-year-old son, Kyle Anthony SemienDural, heats the rubboard beat while Lance Ellis wails on saxophone. Joseph Chavis replaced the late Sinegal (1944-2019) on guitar.

Now Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. and Ils Sont Parti are rolling again, putting the disruptive pandemic behind it. The group recently toured Switzerland and has performed various concerts around the country, including Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Tucson, Las Vegas and Cocoa Beach’s Mardi Gras, opening for longstanding reggae group Steel Pulse. Obviously, the gig went well. Buckwheat Zydeco, Jr. and Ils Sont Parti are already booked there for 2024.

A new CD titled New Beginning on Dural’s

Bloodline Music imprint was released in mid-April featuring eight originals and two tunes culled from his father’s repertoire. The recording was done at Lockdown Studio by Michael Lockett, who guests on keys.

“My style is similar to my dad’s style but in my own way,” Dural says. “I think people are going to be impressed with the songs. It’s bringing it back to how zydeco used to be.” Onstage and in the studio, Dural alternates between the Hammond B3 and his primary accordion, his father’s bulky, 50-pound, marble-white piano note.

“We’re just trying to keep the legacy going,” Dural says.

It’s paramount for Dural to continue his father’s legacy, which has become a family tradition not only for him but also for his son Anthony. “He [Buckwheat] always said he was going to make this work and bring it to another level,” Dural continues. “He fought really hard, a lot of long nights and little pay, but it was all about the culture. He loved the Creole culture, and he kept pushing, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” O