A Little Accordion Music Never Hurt Anybody

Invented in the early 19th century, the accordion plays an important part of musical traditions around the world from Mexican Norteño music and 1950s chanson singing to tango, polka and Zydeco. In refutation of the famous saying, “A gentleman is a man who can play the accordion… and doesn’t” we’d like to present a few items from the archive:

• Jazz Accordion, Guitar, and Bass : 5 tracks and a shameless plug for my father (the accordion player, of course!) – perhaps I’m the only person who thinks that playing “Just Squeeze Me” on the accordion is funny…
• John Hammond Blues Band : video with a midi accordion controlling a Hammond Organ
• Les Hourquets : Saz and mandolin/guitar/accordion improvisations
• Accordeus : Original and traditional solo and accompanied accordion pieces
• Accordion Tribe : video with a good performance at the beginning
• Pauline Oliveros & The Circle Trio : performing at the Other Minds Festival in 2002
• Song for XX : by Sam Tsui
• Cakewalk : a 1908 recording by John J. Kimmel
• The Banks Of Newfoundland : Irish jig recorded in 1928 by Peter James Conlon (with bajo and accordion)
• Pancevcev Becarac : recorded in 1927 by Serbian folk musician Milan G. Pancevac