Ambrose Sam may be the oldest living Creole accordionist. A dark-haired contemporary of Clifton Chenier, Cleveland Chenier and Boozoo Chavis, the brown-skinned Sam is now 75 years old. Sitting in his slightly unkempt living room room, the unshaven man discusses the long gone Creole accordionists he heard when he was growing up -- Ashton Guidry, Morris Dixon, and his cousin Mack Babineaux. like those obscure figures, Ambrose Sani is a relatively unknown zydeco musician.

Long pauses and nume...