You LOVE to HATE accordion

Accordion Greats- Ronnie Kennedy

2011-09-19T10:11:00.000-04:00

PBS was doing their annual fundraising this past week, and one of the featured acts was Irish Country Singer Daniel O'Donnell. He is an impressively good singer, but, of course, I zeroed right in on the accordion player who was not just playing a few good chords of backup. With a little research, I learned that the man is Ronnie Kennedy.

When Ronnie Kennedy was very young he went to see Jimmy Shand, playing in The Theatre Royal, in Dublin. He went home and asked his mother for an accordion. He was soon playing concerts at old folks' homes and for children's parties. As soon as he could he joined a band, eventually working with Johnny McEvoy.

When Daniel O'Donnell saw Ronnie play, he asked Ronnie to join their band, and they have now been together for over 20 years.

Kennedy plays traditional accordion music, but his expertise is such that you will not be left wishing that someone would stop the pain. Here's a video:

Ronnie Kennedy has released four albums of his music:
1999 - Those Were the Days (only available if you can find it used)
2003- Accordion Favourites
2003- Accordion Irish Melodies
2006- O Sole Mio

Ronnie Kennedy web site

Album Review- Concert Accordion Artistry of Robert Davine

2011-08-30T14:22:00.000-04:00

Robert Davine’s album, the Concert Accordion Artistry of Robert Davine, is modern music on a classic instrument. There is a nice sampling of modern classical music, but not much variety.

You are probably asking yourself, "Do I like accordion music enough to buy an entire album of it?"

Probably the bigger question for this album is, "Do I like modern classical music enough to buy an entire album of it?"

The background of some selections is played by the Lamont Chamber Orchestra. The accordion is featured as a solo instrument, but if you don't like the style of the music, you will hardly notice that it's being played on an accordion. Lots of atonal stuff and discordant harmonies. I didn't think there was very much variety in the selections. However, the album is unusual in that most of the pieces are serious music that were written specifically for accordion. That counts for something in itself.

Davine was Professor of Accordion and Theory at the University of Denver, Lamont School of Music. It was one of the three academic music courses offered in the entire United States. Davine founded the school's accordion department in the late 1950s. He taught until his death, at age 77, on November 25, 2001. There is no question that he is a virtuoso accordionist. The issue is whether this style of music is pleasurable to listen to.

There are liner notes which give more information about the selections, the composers, and also about their performance on accordion.

One hour, 18 tracks

Hans Lang: Prelude and Fugue in C- This piece is almost entirely accordion, and is the most pleasant to listen to on the album

Cecil Effinger: Nocturne- another accordion solo piece. This one seems to have snatches of melodies from time to time but then goes off in unexpected patterns, leaving the typical dissatisfaction of modern music.

Paul Creston: Prelude and Dance, opus 69- this solo is unusual in that it was written particularly for accordion. After a long prelude that doesn't speak to me at all, the dance section is actually melodic and makes one feel like dancing.

Ted Zarlengo: Suite for Accordion, Cello and Piano- again, this piece is unusual in that it was written to take advantage of the particular features of these instruments. There are five movements: Prelude, Scherzo, Pastoral, Interlude and Gigue. This piece is a long atonal collections of phrases that leave me cold. It's mostly piano and cello, but the accordion is heard more in Gigue.

Adamo Volpi: Peludio, opus 31- This is a bit like a Bach fugue, and anyone who has tried to play clear, fast runs on the accordion without muddying them will appreciate the rendition.

Normand Lockwood: Sonata- Fantasy- This piece was written for accordion after the composer heard Davine play. There are three movements: Contemplative, Allegro giocoso, and Adagio serioso. The playing is magnificent. The Fantasy will be appreciated only by those who really like discordant and unrhythmic modern music.

John Gart: Vivo- This piece moves with lightning speed, living up to its name.

Carmelo Pino: Concertino for Strings and Accordion- Again, the music is played beautifully, but the atonal patterns won't please if you don't like this kind of music. There are three movements: Allegro, Andante, and Presto.

David Diamond: Night Music- This is a mood piece. The strings are more dominant.

Matyas Seiber: Introduction and Allegro- This is written for cello and accordion, and the richness of the two instruments. I like this piece the most of any on the album. Although it still has the style of modern music, it really plays one instrument against the other, and they both come through sounding great.

I have to say that this is one of my least favorite of all the accordion albums I own, although it's probably important to have just because of the talent of Davine, and the fact that it shows the accordion can be played as a serious instrument.

Comment on Comments

2011-06-11T18:42:00.000-04:00

Just discovered that I never set this blog up to notify me when there were comments made, so I've been thinking that no one ever read this blog. Sorry, all those of you who have been reading and commenting, and thought I didn't care!

June is National Accordion Awareness Month

2011-06-02T16:51:00.000-04:00

Who knew?

I have to celebrate, right? I'm going to try to practice a little bit every day. We'll see if that results in another video to share. I have to say that my abilities today (after many months of no playing) were rather appalling.

I practiced:
Polka Mazurka
Come Back to Sorrento
Julida Polka
Cadet Boogie
Gay Vienna (named when gay meant happy)
Wheels

I didn't even try any of the hard stuff. Is anyone out there? Shall I make a poll to let you choose which one I should practice hardest?

Hrustevich Plays "Presto" from Vivaldi's Summer

2011-06-02T00:58:00.000-04:00

Here is one amazing piece of accordion playing, and by a young person at that!

He's performing what is called "bellows shake" throughout, and that takes a fantastic amount of arm muscle in addition to actually playing the notes.

Accordion for the Royals at Bucklebury

2011-04-30T08:31:00.001-04:00

Did you notice that there was an accordion being played at Bucklebury to celebrate the wedding of William and Kate?

I haven't been a big watcher of all the wedding hoopla, but I admit that I looked up at the word "Buckleberry." Have we suddenly stepped into a Tolkien novel? No, it's really "Bucklebury, but it is truly Kate's hometown, and the non-hobbits turned out to celebrate.

One of them plays a 96-bass piano accordion.

Yet Another Disadvantage of Using Cell Phones

2011-03-21T19:22:00.000-04:00

"Excuse Me I Can't Play My Accordion Right Now, I Am On The Phone."

This clear design flaw of the cell phone comes to you courtesy of Patrick Gage. You can see his photos on Flickr

What is Paris without an Accordion?

2011-03-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I was able to attend the Philadelphia Flower Show. The theme was Springtime in Paris, with emphasis on the turn of the 20th Century.

And what would the streets of Paris be without sultry accordion music? It just wouldn't be right, of course, and here were the roving minstrels.

Iva Nova- Accordion with Attitude

2010-10-04T22:40:00.000-04:00

Iva Nova is an all-girl rock band from St. Petersburg, Russia. The accordionist certainly plays with more enthusiasm than I think I've ever seen. Believe me, you have to be in pretty good shape to dance around with a 20-pound box strapped to you!

Their web site describes them: "Besides lyrics on Russian IVA NOVA have songs on Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Georgian and Tatar languages. Along with exploiting endless folklore resources they creatively experiment with other styles. Their live show is a mix of lyrical songs and punky-energetic dances."

Iva Nova

Technorati Claim Code

2010-09-30T09:25:00.001-04:00

Nothing special here. Just the Technorati Claim Code - HBYXE3UADQ5N.

OK Go- This Too Shall Pass- Notre Dame Band

2010-09-10T19:35:00.000-04:00

This is called OK GO- This too shall pass. Great stuff, but the accordion player is only playing the keyboard hand.

Joan Plays Cotton-Eyed Joe

2010-08-31T17:27:00.001-04:00

OK, I'm being brave and proving that I can play a little bit. Enjoy it or not! haha.

Lessons learned:
1. Even when I think I'm smiling, I'm not
2. I'm still not holding my right arm out straight
3. I'm rushing the timing
4. I'm still looking at the keys occasionally (bad, bad)
5. I don't have the camera aimed very well (need a good ~~camera~~ man)
6. I shouldn't rush off the second I stop playing

The PUP Plays Accordion

2010-08-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Well, the PUP didn't perform so well on Live TV for America's Got Talent, but for sheer novelty and new ways to make an accordion look bad, this one is right up there.

Friday Funnies

2010-07-23T20:08:00.000-04:00

Note that she is playing a diatonic accordion with buttons on both sides. The right hand buttons have notes in one or two keys, and the left hand buttons have the corresponding chords. If it is bisonoric a different note is produced when the bellows are pushed or pulled.

Wish we could hear this one-woman band!

Everybody Loves Raymond - The Bachelor Party Episode

2010-07-15T21:39:00.000-04:00

Another episode in the ongoing derision of the accordion, from Everybody Loves Raymond.

Ray throws a bachelor party for his brother, Robert, at the lodge. Even though it's supposed to be a second, improved party, it's pretty lame. The banner is printed with the wrong name, there is no booze and no strippers, and of course... includes an accordion player.

I have no idea if the director knew that he was making the scene look extra stupid or not. Notice that the player's right thumb is held behind the accordion case. This is not how an accordion is played... so it's obvious that the music was faked.

The instrument is a 72 bass piano accordion.

Music Book Review- Broadway Favorites (Kotwitz)

2010-04-06T16:15:00.002-04:00

This book, Broadway Favorites, arranged for accordion by Kenny Kotwitz has some great classic songs in it, but the arrangements are surprisingly difficult to play.

Contents:
Climb Ev'ry Mountain (Sound of Music)
Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Evita)
Getting to Know You (The King and I)
I Whistle a Happy Tune (The King and I)
If I Were a Rich Man (Fiddler on the Roof)
Matchmaker (Fiddler on the Roof)
It Might As Well Be Spring (State Fair)
Mr. Wonderful (Mr. Wonderful)
No Other Love (Me and Juliet)
Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' (Oklahoma)
People Will Say We're in Love (Oklahoma)
The Sweetest Sounds (No Strings)
We Kiss In a Shadow (The King and I)

At first glance this appears to be a book of arrangements of average difficulty. In practice, many of the left hand bass solo notes involve jumps that are out of the range of dexterity for the average player. The right-hand melody lines are fine, so it is probably worth having this book just for the tunes it contains, but be prepared to do a bit of alteration on the left hand to make it easier to play.

Published by Hal Leonard.

Dixie Chicken - Little Feat Album Cover

2010-03-19T10:04:00.001-04:00

Isn't this just the greatest album cover?

That said, it's sort of a mystery. The band, Little Feat, doesn't seem to use an accordion. They are a rock band, begun in the 1970s under Lowell George and resurrected under keyboard artist Bill Payne after George's death.

It appears that the album cover (1973) was inspired by some words from the song by Bill Payne "Cajun Girl:"
Fingers that fly on accordion keys
and later...
Might find me a dream, just West of New Orleans
If you pole up the bayou St. John
The way twin fiddles play
And she squeezes her box until dawn

But that song is not found on this album. Any comments with more info would be welcome.

See lyrics to Cajun Girl
Little Feat web site

Friday Funnies

2010-02-19T12:19:00.001-05:00

A drummer, sick of all the drummer jokes, decides to change his instrument. After some thought, he decides on the accordion. So he goes to the music store and says to the owner, "I'd like to look at the accordions, please."

The owner gestures to a shelf in the corner and says "All our accordions are over there."

After browsing, the drummer says, "I think I'd like the big silver one in the corner."

The store owner looks at him and says, "You're a drummer, aren't you?"

The drummer, crestfallen, says, "How did you know?"

The store owner says, "That `big silver accordion' is the radiator."

Fat Tuesday- Hobo Nickels

2010-02-16T10:57:00.003-05:00

Here are the Hobo Nickels playing at Herman's Hidaway at Fat Tuesday Party in Denver, CO February 5, 2008. They are playing "Weaubleau Well," and were opening for Doug Kershaw.

The genre is sometimes called reggaebilly. This song appears on the Hobo Nickels album called Cooper County. The songs describe sights around fictional Cooper County. Kid's Music that Rocks says "One of the catchiest and funniest is "The Weaubleau Well," which hilariously describes what can be found at the bottom of said well." Other songs include: "The Kearney Barn," "The Picket Fence in Pilot Knob," and "The Excelsior Springs Water Tower."

Clinton Greeted by Haitian with Accordion

2010-02-06T13:11:00.005-05:00

Last night on Nightline, former President Bill Clinton was shown touring Haiti. His goal is to assess how to help the Haitians rebuild.

One of those who greeted him, and provided background music for part of the news clip, was this man, with a handsome ivory-colored piano accordion

See and hear the entire clip, "Restoring a Nation," at Nightline Friday, Feb 5, 2010.

Waltz of Love

2010-01-26T10:08:00.001-05:00

American pop music to the contrary, the accordion is a very popular instrument in many cultures. The above was recorded at a Slovenian gathering near Cleveland, Ohio, on January 23. Frank Moravcik and his band are playing Waltz of Love, written in 1965 by Stan Blout. Waltz of Love was voted 2009 "Greatest All-Time Hit Song" at the XXII Polkas International Award Show in Cleveland, Ohio.

For more about the song, visit the Slovene-American Club of Spring Hill

Walkin' In My Winter Underwear

2009-12-27T10:40:00.002-05:00

This is a thin connection with accordion! The background music strongly features one, but I think the accordion will not be the main point of interest. Enjoy!

This comes from a 1950-1960s local children's television show called Lunch with Casey, aired in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About Lunch with Casey

Derision Central

2009-12-15T21:26:00.002-05:00

Overheard on "Everybody Loves Raymond:"

"I’m not having some big shindiggy accordionic singalong."

Friday Funnies

2009-12-12T01:25:00.003-05:00

Zydekats on PBS Holiday Celebration

2009-12-09T23:15:00.005-05:00

The PBS Los Angeles Holiday Celebration special aired tonight. This program features the best hour of acts from the previous year's event. The production of the L.A. County Arts Commission actually lasts for six hours! I have to say that this is the most interesting holiday program I've seen yet this year.

The range and quality of the acts was spectacular. If you like traditional children's choirs there was one. If you wanted Gospel, it was there. On the other extreme was a ballet dancer who used two fabric banners suspended from the stage rigging as props for a dance routine, or a new interpretation of a portion of the Nutcracker that combined ballet and break dancing.

But the very first act was the Zydekats, led by Lisa Haley, who perform traditional and contemporary Americana/Cajun/Zydeco arrangements. Lisa sings and plays violin, but an accordion is strongly featured in the backup band. This picture was taken off my TV screen, but if you follow the link below you can see a short video about them at PBS.

The accordionist is playing a 72-bass piano accordion.

See a video of the Zydecatz at about the middle of the page.

Friday Funnies

2009-06-19T20:17:00.001-04:00

Q. What is the difference between a dead accordion player in the road and a dead chicken in the road?

A. The chicken was probably on his way to a gig.

Amazing Race Goes Accordion Crazy

2009-03-11T02:24:00.006-04:00

If you thought it was exciting to see an accordion on the Amazing Race, Season 14, Episode 1, you were ecstatic in Episode 4 this past Sunday. There were no fewer than three accordions! First of all we see this fellow playing what appears to be a chromatic button accordion. This is where all the teams have to stack huge piles of wood, in Siberia!

Just a few minutes later in the program... hours later in real life... the weather has cooled off, and the musicians have a fire. Our same accordionist is still at it. But now he has a smaller red accordion, rather than a black one!

Most amazing of all is the Russian dancer. He is playing a 2 or 3 row diatonic accordion (I can't quite see which with the fuzzy picture). But I'm here to tell you that playing and dancing simultaneously is quite a feat of coordination!

Accordions are very popular internationally, so it should really be no surprise to see them so often. There was also an accordion at a German town in Episode 2, but I haven't taken time to pull that picture out yet.

What Kind of Instrument is an Accordion?

2009-02-21T17:12:00.005-05:00

the reeds inside a vintage accordion
(photo by Nathan McKnight from Wikipedia)

You might think that since the piano accordion has keys, that it is a percussion instrument like a piano. In a piano when you strike a key a hammer strikes a string. However, the accordion is a reed instrument. Yes, like a clarinet or oboe. The sound is produced by air passing over reeds inside the accordion box. The air is produced, not by blowing, but by the motion of the bellows.

The bellows are sealed. If you try to force them open or closed without pressing a key or button you can damage the instrument. (There is also an air button to release the air and safely close the bellows with no sound.) If there is a leak in the bellows you will get sound, but it will be hard to complete musical phrases with one push or pull of the bellows.

I know this is blowing your mind! I'll stop for today.

Friday Funnies

2009-02-20T14:44:00.004-05:00

You didn't think that I was going to be all serious about this did you? If I can't laugh at accordion jokes, I'd better go back in the closet. Accordions are on the minds of the biggest analysts!

You know, Mr. Bug-Eye Green Tie might be wrong. An accordion might have cheered everyone up! (ok, maybe not...)

Accordion on the Amazing Race

2009-02-19T17:02:00.005-05:00

Did you notice that there was an accordion being played to welcome the finishers in Interlaken, Switzerland, on the Amazing Race, Season 14, Episode 1 last Sunday?

This is called a chromatic button accordion. See, it has buttons for the right hand instead of keys, as mine does in the post from yesterday. Chromatic accordions are more popular in Europe, while Piano accordions, like mine, are more likely to be seen in the United States.

Here's a closeup of the "keyboard," in this case called a buttonboard.

If you start watching and listening, you'll discover accordions being used in LOTS of places on television!

(Not Quite) Where it All Began

2009-02-18T15:38:00.004-05:00

I have been playing accordion since I was four years old. I really didn't have any say in the matter. My grandmother was the one who paid for the instrument and the lessons, and so she chose what I would do. We don't seem to have one single picture of me playing that 12 bass accordion.

I quickly progressed to needing a 120 bass, but wasn't big enough to hold one, so switched to piano. But for my 14th birthday, Granny made sure that I was back on the track of her choice. Accordion, a red accordion. See picture. Please note that I am wearing a red dress, also selected by Granny. I hate red. Do I hate accordion? Sometimes.

Can I play well? It's not great. Not nearly as good as I should be able to for all the years of music lessons I had. Let's face it, I am a mediocre musician.

The collective attitude toward accordion, in the United States at least, is one of almost complete derision. But, hey, I'm no longer a closet accordionist. You can love it or hate it. But come along for the ride.

There will be history, jokes, personal experiences, education, album and perhaps sheet music reviews. What the heck. I've got more than enough stuff for another blog, so why not?