Category Accordionists

Me on Radio Interview – Decemberists Accordionist Falls Ill

WDVR Radio Interview by Dallas Vietty

I was on the radio show “Swing Time with Art & Deb” Monday the 24th. The show is out of a small town in east central New Jersey. I played some and talked alot about musette check out some of the interview and my playing above. WDVR Radio from Sergentsville, NJ.

It was announced that the Decemberists accordionist Jenny Conlee has breast cancer. The Decemberists are a great band, I saw them in 2009 at Philadelphia Folk Fest. Their sound has relied heavily on the accordion artistry of Jenny and it is sad news to hear she is afflicted with this disease. I wish her the best luck and strength. The Decemberists web store has a nifty T shirt featuring the pink ribbon and an accordion (top of the page), which is to raise money for Susan Komen Race for a Cure.

Swinging Accordion: Joe Mooney

Of american swing/jazz accordionists I must say that I am most taken today by Joe Mooney. A native of Patterson, NJ, blind at age 10. I will let the FANTASTIC blog JazzWax handle the biographical details of Joe Mooney. To me he is the top of American swing accordion. Joe Mooney plays right from the heart.

His playing and his singing is what gets me. I LOVE his version of Prelude to a Kiss.

Prelude to a Kiss

Here are some videos of Joe Mooney:

A great documentary of Jazz in the town of Paterson, NJ in which you can hear the reverence for Joe Mooney from people like Bucky Pizzarelli.



And his clever and joyful arrangement of Tea for Two



Favorite Things Recap of 2010

I started this out thinking it was going to be a top 10 posts list. But the more I look back, most of them are about me, and thats cool it is called dallasvietty.com. But as I look back I see alot of things I did or experiences I had as a performer or listener that I was really appreciative of. So here is a list culled from my year’s worth of posts.

10. Mazurka Clandestina – The Mazurka, Europe’s tango, in public off the cuff dance parties. So elegant. So connected. So not America. : (

9. Great video from Hot Club at Pastorius Park – Halfway through the year I hooked up with The Hot Club of Philadelphia and blazing guitar leader Barry Wahrhaftig. So far its been 6 months of playing Gypsy Jazz and I’m going strong.

8. Ludovic Beier and Sansom Schmitt – Virtuosity personified. WOW. What a show.

7. Success and Failure at Tedx Philly – My drama of instrument mishap and coping at the Philadelphia Ted Talks.

6. Thriller on Accordion – The fulfillment of a dream. My ultimate plan of remaking Thriller in a graveyard up here in Bucks County with Chris and I replacing MJ et al. However we got close as we performed it trio: accordion, trumpet and iPhone drumbeat.

5. World Accordion Day in the Mojave Desert – It was quite a year for the desert. World accordion day this year was spent in mourning. My mother passed away and so I returned to the homeland. But music is a healing and expressing vehicle for me. And so it was on that day too.

4. Playing duos with Alex Meixner at Musikfest – I wrote two arrangements for Polka Prince Alex Meixner. He’s a force of nature that guy.

3. RIP Art Van Damme – Virtuoso and foremost idol of American jazz accordion style. Art Van Damme passed away this year. I recently learned he was a giant, literally. Super tall. And beloved, in fact at least one festival this year featured an entire hour was taken up by a speaker musing about Art’s greatness, career, recordings and other such fawnings.

2. Selling Accordions for Liberty Bellows – I shall repeat here: I am no Natasha Enquist, although I own her underwear.  And I think I will be doing some more vids coming up!

1. Galliano and Kurt Elling at Lincoln Center – I first posted in January about this upcoming concert. Which happened in May. So I was definitely anticipating for at least five months. What a thrill to see a man sooooo thoroughly musical. THE Richard Galliano.

Accordion News Around the Internet Mid-December 2010
  • Check out  South African piano legend Tony Schilder. He died on the 9th.And as this S. African blog recalls, “He was better known, however, as a traveling musician, sometimes riding to gigs on a horse with his accordion strapped to his back.”
  • The Fullerton Accordion orchestra sounds good. Deep in orange county this ensemble can be seen performing the famous Leroy Anderson composition Sleigh Ride.
  • Public Radio International covers polka accordion LEGEND Don Lipovac. Great solo playing can be heard on the interview extras here. After you are done listening to Don click the link at the bottom to hear a really good Gypsy Jazz violin and 2 guitar trio.
  • Crazy Italian neo-bop accordionist Simone Zanchini (google bebop duets with Frank Marocco) has a new record out with Croatian Guitarist Ratko Zjaca. Listen here. And read AllAboutJazz story.
  • Indie blog which is bizarre, has an attitude and a blogspot content warning, has a very well written and interesting survey of comtemporary Norweigan pop music from 1961-present. Its a RollingStone-esque article, interesting and picquant.
  • TODAY, Sunday 12/12/10 Teackneck, NJ. Great gypsy/klezmer band. 4pm.
  • Guy Kluscevsek gets 50K Artist Grant money from the Gov’t!

There could be more, but thats enough for today! Enjoy life. And if you are too hard on yourself, try reading Kenny Werner’s Effortless Mastery. What a great book! I really wish I had read it in college. : )

Come Out To Accordion Day – 11/7/10

BE PART OF THIS PHOTO

November 7th Festival Features
Grand Opening for the Newest Club in Town
Acme Button Box Club
of Acme Accordion School
Tex Mex, Zydeco, Cajun, Louisiana Styles of Squeezing

Sunday – November7th will be an exciting day for
Delaware Valley Accordionists, Acme Accordion School and residents of
Haddon Township.

Acme Accordion School kicks off its NEW Diatonic-Button Box Club After todays festival, the new Acme Button Club will meet each Friday evening beginning at 8 PM
All events to be held at Acme Accordion School & Musikgarten:
322 Haddon Ave., Westmont, NJ 08108

Today’s festival will begin with a 10:00 AM workshop presented by Stanley & Joanna Darrow on the Art of Practicing a Musical Instrument. Benefits derived from musical involvement will be discussed. These include the long term physical, emotional, and social skills.

The ANNUAL ACCORDION DAY PHOTOGRAPH will begin assembling at NOON.
All attendees are requested to participate in the photo. Bring an accordion if you have one!!!!!!!

1:00 PM will bring forth a diversity of accordion styles thru performances of the Westmont Philharmonia Accordion Orchestra, Westmont Accordion Clubs, the ACME Accordion School Junior Band, Preparatory Band and Musikgarten Ensembles.

Invited featured guests are being scheduled to perform program sections…

Rik Kaplan from Washington DC, is a well known figure to area accordionists. He has performed extensively during the AAMS Conventions. His feature is Button Box and its related music styles, Cajun, Zydeco, and Louisiana styles will be presented.

Dee Langley performing accordion artist from Minneapolis, Minnesota will present specialty ethnic music of the Balkan countries with its exciting mixed meters.

Additional guest artist are being arranged. Thomas Groeber-Bavarian Specialist from the Philadelphia area will be performing on his Havlecek Diatonic Accordion

Throughout the day from 9:AM till 4:00 PM, there will be performances as well as an accordion market where anyone who has an instrument they would like to display for sale may do so. Call Stanley Darrow 856-854-6628 to make arrangements. This must be pre-arranged, as there is only room for 20 – 25 accordions in the Accordion Mart.

This event is open to the public and FREE of CHARGE
A Free Will offering is graciously accepted and will be placed in the ACME SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

FOR MORE INFORMATION – please call – 856-854-6628 Joanna Darrow.

Ludovic Beier in MARYLAND and Philadelphia Gives Accordionist to Cirque
  • Classical accordionist Lidia Kaminska has taken a soujourn from her Philadelphia base to join the Circus. THE circus. Cirque du Soleil’s show Allegria. Nice little Q&A interview with her on the philly.com blog.
  • Angelo Debarre’s tour is cut short by tendonitis, what a real shame, wish him a quick recovery. But, the show goes on: AMAZING French swing and Gypsy accordionist Ludovic Beier will be with Samson Schmitt (filling in for Angelo) on guitar, Doudou Cuillerier on guitar and Antonio Licusati on bass at Windsor Hall in Cumberland, MD. On FRI Oct. 1st, 2010. 8p. Call The Book Center for tix (301) 722-2284.