Accordion Noir radio playlist 2020-12-02: 14th Anniversary Show

It’s a birthday cake, shaped like a button accordion. Presumably its flavour is somewhere between the two.

Last night’s hour-long episode of Accordion Noir radio is now up and available to be enjoyed by online listeners as well! It marks 14 wild years of weekly broadcasts since our first unlikely hour on the radio in the middle of the night, yow! Bruce would like to stress that you could do your favorite musician a solid favour by buying their music for Christmas, especially from Bandcamp, specifically this Friday, when they waive their cut of the fee. All of the tracks in this episode are available for sale through that avenue. (If you’d like to give some other musical presents this holiday season, we’ve got you covered.)

Bruce adds: This is a particularly wonderful set of tunes. Bandcamp is rich with great accordion music as more and more bands move there. Get some of that tomorrow, Dec, 2 on Bandcamp friday when 100% of profits go to artists!

If your Apple or Android podcast subscriptions (strongly recommended!) haven’t alerted you to its availability yet, you can enjoy listening to this week’s episode as digital audio courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2020-12-02, (14th Anniversary Show) Last Bandcamp Friday of the Year!

• Geoff Berner – Jail – Victory Party (2011) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.geoffberner.com
• Dust Bowl Daddies – O Little Fire, O Little Light of Wisdom – Single (2020) – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – http://www.thedustbowldaddies.com https://dustbowldaddies.bandcamp.com
• Lost Bayou Ramblers – Granny Smith – KALENDA (2017) – Louisiana, USA – http://lostbayouramblers.bandcamp.com
• Catl. – He’ll Make a Way – Soon This Will all be Gone (2012) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – http://www.catl.bandcamp.com
• The Shee – Sugarwine – Murmurations (2015) – Scotland (mostly) – http://theshee.bandcamp.com https://theshee.com Amy Thatcher, piano acc.
• George Cartwright – Gibbon – Dot (1994) – New York, New York, USA – http://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.com Anne DeMarinis, acc.
• Youssra El Hawary – Akbar Men El Ouda – No’oum Nasyeen (2017) – Cairo, Egypt, North Africa – http://youssraelhawary.bandcamp.com
• carrie z – Hyporchémie (from “a ghost’s guide to office romance”) – music for dumplingsquid’s bitsy games (2018) – Northeast US – http://carriez.bandcamp.com Featured in mini games at: https://dumplingsquid.itch.io
• Canailles – Muraille de Chine – Manger du bois (2012) – Montréal, Québec, Canada – http://canailles.bandcamp.com/
• Sapo – saison des pluies – the last thing I do (2007) – Montréal, Québec, Canada – http://sapoooo.bandcamp.com https://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
• Frode Haltli – Arabesque no.2 – Selected Solo Works, Vol. 2 (2020) – Oslo, Norway – http://frodehaltli.com https://haltli.bandcamp.com https://frodehaltli.bandcamp.com
• The Tiger Lillies – Gasping – COVID-19 (2020) – London, England – http://thetigerlillies.bandcamp.com http://www.tigerlillies.com
• Wellington Sea Shanty Society + Croche Dedans – Drunken Sailor/ Quand le marin est saoul – AHOY! (2018) – France / New Zealand – http://wssscrochededans.bandcamp.com
• An Historic – You Don’t Have To – Thawing (2020) – New Haven, Connecticut, USA – https://anhistoricmusic.bandcamp.com

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Gift Guide 2020

For three years near the start of this decade, and then again last year after taking half a decade off for good behavior, we ran an annual gift guide for accordionists and those who love them, specifically looking at the wacky, weird and wonderful offerings to be found on Etsy, that purgatory of all things vintage and DIY (figuring that all enthusiasm for matters accordionic would similarly be DIY and/or vintage in nature).

Gift Ideas 2020:

Accordion Babes Pin-up Calendar 2020
Accordion Noir Shirts
#AccordionBandcamp
Support Accordion Artists Directly
Accordion Books: Bruce’s Picks
For the Accordionist Who Has Everything Else?

As with everyone else, we are doing things a little differently in 2020. As much as some things have ground to a halt for some people, the new normal has kept both Bruce and Rowan very busy — eg. pre-recording every week’s episode of Accordion Noir radio from a home studio, then having to adapt to new audio editing software after the mandatory OSX update (needed to triumphantly enjoy the new accordion emoji in all its glory!) broke compatibility with the previous software. Yessir, it’s a real roller-coaster ride here on this beat, I tell you! And so, as we didn’t have the oppotunity to conduct the very specialised research needed to follow precisely in the vein of the previous gift guides, this year’s extends its scope to accordion merchandise available all over, not just on Etsy. (If you have non-Amazon options at your disposal, please consider exercising them. If not, we promise to look the other way.)

Accordion Babes Pin-Up Calendar and CD 2021

We almost always lead off with this item, the “Accordion Babes” squeezebox cheesecake pin-up calendar / compilation CD, which has been with us in the alt-accordion realm (and likely presenting a far more compelling argument for it than we do) since our earliest days on the air.

The product is improbable and delightful, and while we are relieved to no longer be debating with volunteers at the local anarchist bookstore* over whether its very premise is exploitative and misogynistic (you’ll have to take that up with the kick-ass ladies who make it!), we firmly believe that every music enthusiast with a dream needs a copy of this calendar hanging in their studio or green room, that they, too, like Bruce, might while away the quiet hours scrutinizing the photo spreads with a magnifying glass, attempting to better determine which make and model of instrument each performer is wearing. *In all seriousness though, if you want to buy books locally to give for Christmas presents, give Spartacus Books a try!

Co-op Radio’s Accordion Noir shirts!

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Premiering this year we have Co-op Radio’s Accordion Noir shirts, inspired by the renowned Andy Warhol album art for the Velvet Underground! Many types, colors, sizes, and gender-presentations! The Co-op Radio shop has lots of swag to support our little station. Keep Accordion Noir on the air and get a snazzy top to show your support! If you spend $40 or more, which I think means at least two shirts, you can get 20% off during this Nov 27-29 weekend: No coupon code needed. Your discount will be applied at checkout.

It can be tricky to pull off the gift of digital music purchase — unless you have a shared account, usually you just buy a gift card to the recipient’s preferred streaming service — but you can help to work toward a happier holiday season for both your giftee and your favorite accordionist by giving the gift of music for Christmas, especially on Bandcamp Friday.

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2020-11-25: One Month ’till Next Month

AccNoir 2020-11-25

This latest hour-long episode of CFRO’s weekly Accordion Noir radio program appears to be another smorgasbord specimen, offering up a little of this and a little of that, but yielding no genre or style in large quantities save accordions writ large. If your Apple or Android podcast subscriptions (strongly recommended!) haven’t alerted you to its availability yet, you can listen to the episode as digital audio courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2020-11-25, One Month ’till Next Month

• Polka Dogs – Glory – The Bee (2018) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – http://thepolkadogs.com Tiina Kiik, acc
• Jet Black Pearl – Cumulonimbus Me – Accordion Babes 2018 (2016) – Netherlands/France/Oregon! – http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/ http://www.jetblackpearl.com
• Anibal Velasquez – La Mazamora Del Diablo – La Locura de Machuca 1975 – 1980 (2020) – Colombia – https://analogafrica.com http://analogafrica.bandcamp.com/
• Jeff Pittman – Handheld Bellows-Driven Free-Reed Aerophone – History & Mystery (2019) – Marystown, Newfoundland, Canada – http://www.jeff-pittman.com
• Carriere Brothers – Home Sweet Home – Musique créole (2004) – Lawtell, Louisiana, USA – https://folkways.si.edu/carriere-brothers/musique-creole/cajun-zydeco/music/album/smithsonian
• Los Cachorros – Búscale Más Adelante – ¡Conjunto! Tex-Mex Border Music, Vol. 3 (1990) – Our friend Debra Peters let us know about this one from Rounder Records. She’s that cool: http://www.debrapetersmusic.com
• Isabel Douglass and Tango No. 9 – Sultango – Accordion Babes 2009 Pin-up Calendar CD (2008) – San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA – http://www.myspace.com/IsabelDouglass http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
• Mythos: Bjarke Mogensen, Rasmus Schjœrff Kjøller – Neptune, the Mystic – Helios and The Planets 2020 (2020) – Bornholm, Denmark – http://www.bjarkemogensen.dk
• Sapo – Les Ceuses – Accordion Babes 2014 (2013) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – http://sapoooo.bandcamp.com http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
• Lou Jacklich – Jalousie – Lou Jacklich Plays (1962) – San Mateo, California, USA – No overdubs or multi-tracking, this was all produced at once by Lou Jacklich using Ken Lovell’s “Lovell Organ Unit” electronic & acoustic accordion organ instrument. http://www.musicforaccordion.com/eTracks/inform/jacklich/index.htm
• La Fanfarria del Capitán – BOROBOM – Magias de Hoy (2020) – Buenos Aires, Argentina – http://www.lafanfarriadelcapitan.com

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle (back to Zoom in one week!) Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2010-11-24: Grand Ol’ Accordion Opry

From ten years ago — to the day! — here’s episode 205 of CFRO Co-Op Community Radio’s weekly hour-long “Accordion Noir” radio program, an exploration of accordion use in the Country music and Western Swing idioms.  At its original online home it tracked some 6585 listens, and you can continue enjoying listening to it today courtesy of the Internet Archive.  Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2010-11-24, Grand ol’ Accordion Opry

* Artist – Song – Album (year) – Where are they from? – Contact info if we’ve got it.
* Louise Massey & The Westerners – My Adobe Hacienda – Women Of Western Swing – http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2008/04/women-of-western-swing.html
* Carolyn Mark and the New Best Friends – The Overture – The Pros And Cons Of Collaboration (2004) – Canada – http://www.carolynmark.com/
* Joe Ely And Joel Guzman – Winds Gonna Blow You Away – Live Cactus (2008) – Lubbock, Texas, USA – http://www.ely.com/
* The Flying Burrito Bros – Man In The Fog – Sin City, Very Best (0) –
* Evil Farm Children – Valley Justice – Evil Farm Children II: The Evilling (2008) – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – http://www.myspace.com/evilfarmchildren
* Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys – Footprints In The Snow – The Essential Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys: 1945-1949 [Disc 1] (1945) – With Sally Ann Forrester, the Original Blue Grass Boy on accordion!
* Laura Merrimen – Time – Love Letters For Lonely Hunters (2010) – Nova Scotia, Canada – Erin Costello, acc. http://lauramerrimen.com/
* Emmylou Harris – I Still Miss Someone – Anthology [Disc 2] (1988)
* k.d. lang – Miss Chatelaine – Recollection (2010) – Canada – http://www.kdlang.com/
* david_p_smith – troubled_soul_of_a_louse – Hurtin’ Dance Party (2002) – Victoria, BC, Canada – http://www.myspace.com/davidpsmith
* Spade Cooley & the Western Swing Dance Gang – Yodeling Polka (1946) – People would remember this guy as the king of western swing, if he hadn’t been such a monster.
* Pee Wee King (Frank Julius Anthony Kuczynski) – Chew Tobacco Rag – Blue Suede Shoes:Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight (1951) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin / Nashville, Tennessee, USA – http://www.bear-family.de/
* Joaquin Murphy with (Andy Parker and) The Plainsmen – San Antonio Rose – Joaquin Murphy Compilation (0) – Joaquin Murphey, steel guitar – http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2009/09/joaquin-murphey.html George Bamby, acc?
* Hank Penny & His Radio Cowboys – Off To Honolulu – http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2007/10/hank-penny-his-radio-cowboys-set-2.html
* Happy Johnny And Family – Sugar Babe – Fonotone Records, Frederick, Maryland [Disc 2]: Flight of Fonotone (1963) – Dust-to-Digital, PO Box 54743, Atlanta, Georgia, 30308-4743, USA http://www.dust-digital.com/
* The Jayhawks – All The Right Reasons – Rainy Day Music (2003) – Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA – http://www.jayhawksofficial.com/
* Bill Haley – All I Need Is Some More Lovin’ – From Western Swing To R-O-C-K (1949) – http://www.propermusic.com/ (may be out of print)
* Al Dexter & His Troopers – Pistol Packin’ Mama – Doughboys Playboys & Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing – Oakie Boogie [Disc 4] (1942) – – http://www.propermusic.com/ (My local record shop manages to order these great collections outside of Europe…. They are so great.)
* Tumbleweed Time Machine – Cold [Feat. Skyler Fell And Ariel McGurty] – Accordion Babes 2011 (2010) – http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/

And for the cover image? Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys, with Sally Ann Forrester on accordion! (For real old-fashioned bluegrass, not this new fashioned stuff you near nowadays.)

——-

Get all your Vancouver Area accordion information at:
http://www.SqueezeboxCircle.org

Support Accordion Noir, we love our supporters, and our supporters’ supporters – even our detractors love our supporters.

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle (back to Zoom in one week!) Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2020-11-18: Staying Home For Love Again

AccNoir 2020-11-18

Greetings and welcome to the announcement of another episode of CFRO’s weekly Accordion Noir radio program, now available online as a podcast! This week’s episode is very typical for us, a melange of tunes in different styles from different parts of the world, with a burbling sub-current of recordings by Canadian women percolating through the program. If your Apple or Android podcast subscriptions (strongly recommended!) haven’t alerted you to its availability yet, you can always listen to the episode through your browser courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2020-11-18, Staying Home For Love Again

Accordion Babes Pinup Calendar 2021
http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
Promo Video:
https://youtu.be/XEvSNswLW3E

Christa Couture’s memoir How to Lose Everything. http://christacouture.com/everything/
Promo video
https://youtu.be/SJtCNodebU0

• Barzin – In The Dark You Can Love This Place – To Live Alone In That Long Summer (2014) – Ontario, Canada – http://www.Barzinh.com
• Natasha Enquist – Unbroken Girl (White Rose remix) – Accordion Babes 2018 (2016) – Victoria, BC, Canada / Berlin – http://accordionpinupcalendar.com http://www.natashaenquist.com
• Geno Delafose – When Will I Be Loved? – Le Cowboy Creole (2007) – Eunice, Louisiana, USA – http://www.genodelafosemusic.com
• Mosquito Cabaret – Home For Good – The Secret Life of Insects (2019) – Norfolk, Virginia, USA – http://www.mosquitocabaret.com Miles Hoyle, acc.
• Mink DeVille – Just to Walk That Little Girl Home – Le chat bleu (1980) – New York, Paris – Kenny Margolis, acc.
• Wasted Wine – When I Get Home – The Earth Rejects Creation Vol. 2 – Special Edition (2008) – South Carolina, USA – https://bearkids.bandcamp.com/album/wasted-wine-vs-the-hypnosis-center
• The Tiger Lillies – It’s Not Easy – COVID-19 (2020) – London, England – http://thetigerlillies.bandcamp.com http://www.tigerlillies.com
• Christa Couture – The Next Bed – Fell Out Of Oz (2005) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.christacouture.com Did Sara Ciantar play accordion on this one?
• Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores – The Quiet Room – The Quiet Room (2005) – Providence, Rhode Island, USA – http://www.aleckredfearn.com/information.html
• Olenka And The Autumn Lovers – Iron Pump – Olenka And The Autumn Lovers (2009) – East Vancouver, BC – London, ON, Canada – http://www.olenkalovers.com/
• Pony Up! – Fort (Made Of Bedsheets) – Stay Gold (2009) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/ponyup1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Up
• T.C. Costello – May the Horizon be Your Home – Horizon Songs (2018) – Greenville, South Carolina, USA – http://tccostello.bandcamp.com
• Bud Hobbs – I Never Knew I Loved You – from Kevin Coffey’s collection (1949) – San Francisco, California, USA – (Dino Benetti, acc.)
• Joana Reis – Ausência de Ti – Accordion Babes 2020 Pin-up Calendar CD (2020) – http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2010-11-17: Smooth Trim with Mrs. Marple

From ten years ago, here’s episode number 204 of CFRO’s weekly Accordion Noir radio program!  After weeks of focused programming through our festival and member drive, usually we relax with a few episodes’ worth of random grab-bag accordion programming of tunes in various genres from all over, and this program appears to fit that description.  At its original online home it tracked some 6014 listens, and present and future listeners can continue enjoying it as digital audio courtesy of its new online home at the Internet Archive.  Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2010-11-17, Smooth Trim with Mrs Marple

* Artist – Song – Album (year) – Where are they from? – Contact info if we’ve got it.
* Margaret Rutherford as Mrs. Marple – She Did Mary a Frenchman… – Murder at the Gallop (1963)
* Gus Viseur & L’Orchestre Victor – Tiger Rag – Squeeze Me 2: 1938-45 Squeezin’ The Blues (1941) – France – http://www.proper-records.co.uk/artists.php?action=alview&alid=2011
* Andy Fielding – Accordion Noir theme (medium version, 1:47) – Accordion Noir (2010) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – recorded special just for our show! More, http://www.andyfielding.com/temp/visigoth.pdf
* Johanna Juhola – Tango 4 – Fantasiatango (2010) – Helsinki, Finland – http://www.johannajuhola.net/
* Ed Cox – Le Fanfare De Teuffeurs [waltz intro] – Harcordian – http://www.myspace.com/edcoxlife4land
* Alan Kelly – The Bearhaven Lassies / Matt The Thrasher (Reels) – Out Of The Blue (1997) – Galway, Ireland – http://www.philcunningham.com/
* Lubo & Kaba Horo – Sofra – Contrabanda (2008) – Montreal, Quebec, Canada / Sofia, Bulgaria – http://www.luboalexandrov.com
* Accordion Crimes – The Moores Of MacLama (quiet for first 15 or so) – Accordion Crimes (2005) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – http://www.accordioncrimes.ca/
* Tom Waits – November – Black Rider (Beautiful Maladies: The Island Years) (1993) – – http://www.tomwaits.com/ Greg Cohen is the accordionist (I think)
* Tin Hat Trio – March Of The Smallest Feet – Book Of Silk (2004) – San Francisco, California, USA – http://www.tinhattrio.com Sounds a little like “Summertime,” no?
* Joaquin Murphy with (Andy Parker and) The Plainsmen – Sweet Georgia Brown – Joaquin Murphy Compilation – Joaquin Murphey, steel guitar – http://westernswing78.blogspot.com/2009/09/joaquin-murphey.html George Bamby, acc?
* The Scarring Party – Revelator – Come Away From the Light (2008) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA – http://www.scarringparty.com/
* Amoebic Ensemble – Tango – Limbic Rage (0) – Providence, Rhode Island, USA (Home of HP Lovecraft!) – http://aleckredfearn.com/
* Bombolessé – Menteries – Pucha-Pucha (2006) – Montreal, QC, Canada / Brazil – eldonjulio@yahoo.com http://www.bombolesse.com/ Brasil
* David Gonzales – Tired of Being Me – The Man Of Somebody’s Dreams: A Tribute to the Songs of Chris Gaffney (2009)
* Roxanne Oliva – Secret Body [Feat. Jeff Martin] – Accordion Babes 2011 (2010) – http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
* Emmylou Harris – I Still Miss Someone – Anthology [Disc 2] (1988)

Still trying to catch up with our podcast, broken after the hard work of the long fund-drive specials. We hope for a big maintenance update in the new year.

And for the cover image? A weird gargoyle face that comes up if you google “Mrs. Marple Melodeon.”

——-

Get all your Vancouver Area accordion information at:
http://www.SqueezeboxCircle.org

Support Accordion Noir, we love our supporters, and our supporters’ supporters – even our detractors love our supporters.

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2020-11-11: Armistice Day, Julie Gardner, and How do We Go On

AccNoir 2020-11-11

This week’s Remembrance Day episode of Accordion Noir took a somewhat extraordinary tack. Bruce knew of the military intersection in the musical career of Black female accordionist Julie Gardner, right down to having read reviews of specific showstopping numbers she had included in her sets… but, sadly, due to sexism, racism and the vagaries of history, this pioneering performer never recorded. So for the chewy core of this episode, he put together a playlist of the songs she had performed on accordion to great acclaim, played in other (typically accordion-less) arrangements by other performers, painting the contours of her career in negative space if you will.

If you haven’t yet been notified of the availability of this episode by your Apple or Android podcast subscriptions, you can always simply rustle it up as digital audio courtesy of the Internet Archive. Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2020-11-11, Armistice Day, Julie Gardner, and How do We Go On

My two pieces about Julie Gardner are up at:

Julie Gardner: the accordionist behind Charlie Parker
https://accordionuprising.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/julie-gardner-charlie-parkers-backing-accordionist/

and

Julie Gardner, 1944: “Are you fer it, Sergeant?”
https://accordionuprising.wordpress.com/2020/11/11/julie-gardner-1944-are-you-fer-it-sergeant/

• Daniel Kahn & The Painted Bird – Freedom Is A Verb – The Butcher’s Share (2017) – Michigan, USA / Berlin, Germany – http://www.paintedbird.net/
• The Once – Valley Of Kilbride – Row Upon Row of the People They Know (2011) – Newfoundland, Canada – http://theonce.ca
• Will Holshouser Trio – Department of Peace – Palace Ghosts and Drunken Hymns (2009) – Brooklyn, New York (USA) – http://www.willholshouser.com
• The Hurricanes – Pistol Packin’ Mama – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jn-j_cAooA&feature=related (1955) – –
• The Tramp Band. Joe Carroll on vocal. – Hit That Jive, Jack – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rDtnqQ3yCU (1943) – Personnel should be identical or similar to their scene in the film Stormy Weather: Carroll and Pinky Johnson up front, Nick Aldrich piano, Johnny Cousin guitar, Ebenezer Paul bass, Willie Jones drums, Alvis Cowans washboard. JosephNScott (Comment on Youtube vid) [Sorry this one’s so noisy, worth watching the video!]
• Etta James – Don’t Cry Baby – Etta James: Her Best: The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection (1961) – – (Originally performed in 1929 by Bessie Smith) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Cry_Baby
• Ella Mae Morse With Freddie Slack & His Orchestra – Cow Cow Boogie – The Very Best of Ella Mae Morse (1942) – Mansfield, Texas, USA – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Mae_Morse
• Nat King Cole Trio – Are You Fer It? – Nat King Cole Trio/ Hit That Jive, Jack: The Earliest Recordings 1940-41 (1941) – New York, New York, USA – A Pile o’ Cole’s Nat King Cole website says: October 22, 1941, New York. Nat Cole (piano), Oscar Moore (guitar), Wesley Prince (bass) http://apileocole.alongthehall.com/sessions/session1941.html
• The Dreadnoughts – Gavrilo – Foreign Skies (2017) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.thedreadnoughts.com
• Lankum – Sergeant William Bailey – Between The Earth And Sky (2017) – Dublin, Ireland – http://lankumdublin.com
• Ejaculation Death Rattle – Penitence and Glory – Accordion Maess (2019) – Vancouver, BC, Canada –
• John Kannenberg – Pauline Oliveros’ Primordial / Lift (in four minutes) – Monsters of Experimental Music (2009) – – https://johnkannenberg.bandcamp.com
• Daniel Foley and Tiina Kiik – Still Life – (2020) – Toronto, Ontario, Canada – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnG8zykSyIc http://thepolkadogs.com

Maybe we can include the Still Life Video, from Daniel Foley and Tiina Kiik, for folks going through our modern crisis:

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Julie Gardner, 1944: “Are you fer it, Sergeant?”

Too many artists in my Accordion Revolution never recorded or didn’t record enough. Julie Gardner is probably the one I would most love to hear. I wrote about her in 2012, most of which made it (seven years later) into the “Jazzing the Accordion” chapter of my book (pages 102-105, if you’re reading along). I’ve learned a bit more recently.

As detailed in that post, Gardner was in the first group of Black artists to perform internationally as part of the global USO military entertainment effort.

Julie Gardner, with a USO Troupe during a performance on the stage of the 130 QM Bn Theater (US A. SC Photograph 16 May 44) 

The photo above is from her 1944 tour in the South Pacific. It would have been similar to a performance that war correspondent Vincent Tubbs described — with the band in uniform on plain folding chairs, no fancy stage risers, and with Gardner singing and rockin’ her piano accordion.

Some of the tunes she played are mentioned by Tubbs (as quoted in my earlier post). I dearly wish we could find Armed Forces Radio recordings of any of them. The closest we may get is others’ (non-accordion) versions of songs Gardner performed on those WWII tours. I just figured the Nat Cole one today, so I’m gathering them all together again here. Julie, I wish we could hear you. (I plan to play a set of these songs on Accordion Noir Radio tonight, breaking our “all accordion” constraint for the sake of musicians lost to history.) 🪗

Pistol Packin’ Mama (The Hurricanes in 1955):

Julie Gardner, singer and accordlanist, also known as the ‘Pistol Packin’ Mamma’ because of her special rendition of that song 

Nov 13, 1943 – Chicago Defender, Willie Bryant and USO Show Wow Servicemen Across Pond

“Are you fer it, Sergeant?” the line from a song Julie Gardner played, would have been from a version of Nat King Cole’s “Are You Fer it?”

“Are you fer it? Are you fer it? Are you fer it, Sergeant? Well, join this song – and groove with me.”

The Southwest Pacific: USO Show, Girl Thrills New Caledonia G.I.’s. By Vincent Tubbs, Baltimore Afro-American, May 6, 1944

Cole’s version swings with, “Are you fer it? You never heard a jam so super fine! Are you fer it? Well then, join with the crowd and fall in line!

International Lyrics Playground

(The A Pile o’ Cole Nat King Cole website says the original Cole version was recorded in 1941, with Nat Cole, piano; Oscar Moore, guitar; and Wesley Prince, bass.)

When [Gardner] grabbed her squeeze box and began to sing ‘Hit that Jive, Jack,’ she locked it up.

Hit That Jive Jack (The Tramp Band. Joe Carroll voc. 1943?):

Julie finished her set with ‘Kow Kow Boogie’ and ‘Don’t Cry, Baby.’

Cow Cow Boogie (Anna Mea Morse):

Don’t Cry Baby (Etta James):

We may never turn up any recordings of Gardner herself, but listening to these “alternate takes” by different artists, we can say as I posted before: “My god, she must have been awesome.”

The only other information that I’ve seen about Gardner is from music historian Antoinette Handy‘s book Black Women in American Bands & Orchestras (1981). Handy interviewed Gardner in 1979 and shared two photos of her.

Handy detailed:

JULIE (JULIETTE) GARDNER (ARCHER) accordion, vocals
b. February 8, 1925, Augusta, Georgia 

Most remember Julie Gardner as the girl accordionist who played for a brief period with the Earl Hines Band in 1943 (at the same time that Sarah Vaughan was on second piano). Following this affiliation Gardner attracted attention as a “versatile artist,” playing and singing favorites at clubs and cafes in Boston and New York City. Other bands with which she worked were those fronted by Sabby Lewis, Charlie Barnet, Lucky Millender, and Louis Jordan. Primarily, however, she appeared with her own group (duo/trio) or in strict solo. 

Though best known in the eastern part of America, Gardner’s skillful accordion playing (and her voice) carried her on tours throughout the Caribbean, China, Japan, Alaska, and Green land. Upon hearing her play, critics often commented that it was difficult to distinguish the sound from that of an organ. She was considered a blues singer “through and through” and often hummed in octaves with the accordion. 

Julie was one of the racially mixed six-piece ladies’ band that appeared at New York City’s Jazz Museum in November 1973. For the all-female jam session she brilliantly contributed both her accordion playing and her voice. 

Handy, D. Antoinette. Black Women in American Bands & Orchestras. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981, pg 185-186.

Remembering all those impacted by wars: Armistice Day, November 11, 2020. If anyone remembers Gardner and her music, I would welcome hearing more.

Accordion Noir radio playlist 2010-11-10: Falling Up

Phew, and with that, we’re done with another installment of the annual Accordion Noir Festival!  How to celebrate?  Why, by listening to back episodes of the weekly Accordion Noir radio program, of course!  Here’s episode 203 from ten years ago.  It doesn’t appear to have any particular theme, which is just fine by us, allowing us to celebrate our core mission: offering a wide spectrum of free reed music across all cultural and genre boundaries!  At its original online home, this episode tracked some 6480 listens, and we hope it will continue ensnaring unwary ears for years to come courtesy of the Internet Archive, where you can listen to it going forward.  Here’s its playlist:

AccNoir-2010-11-10, Falling Up

* Artist – Song – Album (year) – Where are they from? – Contact info if we’ve got it.
* Fishtank – The Last Shamisen Master – Super Raoul (2005) – Los Angeles, California, USA – http://www.fishtankensemble.com/
* Andy Fielding – Accordion Noir theme (medium version, 1:47) – Accordion Noir (2010) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – recorded special just for our show! More, http://www.andyfielding.com/temp/visigoth.pdf
* The Barbary Ghosts – The Ghost Of The William Grey [Feat. Joan Wilson Rueter] – Accordion Babes 2011 (2010) – San Francisco, California, USA – http://www.myspace.com/thebarbaryghosts http://accordionpinupcalendar.com/
* Milann & Laloy – Blackout Hotel – La Marquise (2009) – http://wwww.homerecords.be
* They Might Be Giants – James K. Polk – Dial-A-Song: 20 Years of They Might Be Giants (Disc 2) (1990) – –
* Adham Shaikh – Carpet Breaker (Featuring Boris Sichon, Jaron Freeman-Fox) – Universal Frequencies (2010) – Nelson, British Columbia, Canada – http://www.sonicturtle.com
* Danielle Martineau – La porte ensorcelée/La chaloupe/La cuisse – Les secrets du vent (2004) – Canada – http://www.qim.com/albums/description.asp?albumid=2679
* Shelley O’Brien – Clay – You, Me and the BIrds (2008) – Vancouver / Toronto, Yukon Territory, Canada – http://www.shelleyobrien.ca
* Charanga Cakewalk – Tu y Yo – Loteria de la Cumbia Lounge (2004) – Austin, Texas, USA – http://www.charangacakewalk.com/
* Girls Girls Girls – Vagabond – Hello Sailor..! (2010) – UK – http://www.GirlsGirlsGirlsband.co.uk
* Ismo Alanko Säätiö – Datsun – Sisäinen Solarium (2000) – Finland – Kimmo Pohjonen, acc.
* Rico Bell & The Snakehandlers – Hear The Sirens Call – Darkside Of The Mersey (0) – http://www.ericbellis.com/
* Jelena Milojevic – Three Nocturnes: II Nocturne – The Art of Accordion (2010) – Victoria, BC, Canada – Former Yugoslavia – http://www.myspace.com/jelenamilojevic
* Amy Denio – Darling Please Dont Wake Me – Tutto Bene (2010) – Seattle, Washington, USA – http://www.amydenio.com/

And for the cover image? A grasshopper playing concertina, from: http://www.indian-musical-instruments.info/accordion-musical-instrument/

——-

Get all your Vancouver Area accordion information at:
http://www.SqueezeboxCircle.org

Support Accordion Noir, we love our supporters, and our supporters’ supporters – even our detractors love our supporters.

Thanks for reading us here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!

Accordion Noir Radio Playlist 2020-10-28, Soundscape / Accordion Noir: The Night The Drone Stood Still

THE NIGHT THE [SIC] DRONE STOOD STILL, Oct 28, 2020 (image: M. Carsience)

A bit over a week and it feels like a world ago, as part of the spooky Fall Fund Drive for Vancouver Co-op Radio, we teamed up with our radio neighbour (normally on just before us), Brady Marks from the experimental sound-art show Soundscape. For years we’ve traded Pauline Oliveros tunes and talked about co-operating on an episode to raise funds for our co-operative radio station. This year, in the spirit of coming together in COVID isolation, we produced an almost four-hour experimental/drone-tone accordion extended-mix. Presumably an unprecedented event, it is available for your ears now.

If you haven’t yet been notified of the availability of this triple-length episode by your Apple or Android podcast subscriptions, you may listen or download the episode as digital audio courtesy of the Internet Archive.

It was a particular joy to produce this show with Brady, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

@AccordionBruce

Here is the playlist:

* Accordion Noir Soundscape Drone PRA (audio version of this Pre-Recorded Announcement) – Accordion Noir (2020) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Watch the pretty video version here: https://youtu.be/u6zLLC_b9X4 – Unretouched In-Camera Photos by Meagan Carsience.

* A.E. Bridger –  Middle of the Night – Museum (2015) – St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada – www.aebridger.com

* Danielle Martineau – Rouge falaise – Les secrets du vent (2004) – Canada – http://www.qim.com/albums/description.asp?albumid=2679

* Kalle Moberg – Wish Upon A Satellite – The Tokyo Sessions Volume 1: Unheard-of (2020) – Oslo, Norway – http://kamorecords.bandcamp.com  (All acoustic, no overdubs, solo, equal-temperament accordion)

* Meg Carsience and Bruce Triggs – Resurrection-Renewal –  (2019) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://mcarsience-photography.com

* Nate Trier – Palehound (Record One Dronecore) – Palehound / In a Sea of Color (2019) – Connecticut, USA – https://natetrier.comhttps://natetrier.bandcamp.com/album/palehound-in-a-sea-of-color  “I used dice and made some piano-and-accordion-and-audio-artifact drone core.”

* Kimmo Pohjonen – Sensitive Skin – Sensitive Skin (2015) – Finland – www.kimmopohjonen.com

* Guy Klucevsek – Pauline, Pauline (for Pauline Oliveros)_ 4_ Dronespeak; Piper’s Lament; The Queen of Kingston – Carousel of Dreams (2018) – Staton Island, NY, USA – www.guyklucevsek.com/

* Pauline Oliveros and Andrew Deutsch – Summer Bugs – Springs (1999) – Kingston, New York, USA – www.deeplistening.org

* Kim Kashkashian – Litany – Variation 1 – Ulysses’ Gaze (1995) – Greece, Armenia, etc. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses%27_Gaze  Andreas Tsekouras, acc.

* Sarah Davachi – Third Hour – Gave In Rest (2018) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Los Angeles, California, USA – www.sarahdavachi.com

* Maria Mazzotta – Amoreamaro – Amoreamaro (2020) – italy / Madagascar – www.zeronovenove.com  Bruno Galeone, acc

* Sarah Davachi – Evensong – Gave In Rest (2018) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Los Angeles, California, USA – www.sarahdavachi.com

* Lankum – Lullaby – Cold Old Fire (2013) – Dublin, Ireland – http://lankumdublin.com/  Radie Peat plays broken Russian bayan accordion

* Ejaculation Death Rattle – Prayers of the Faithful – Accordion Maess (2019) – Vancouver, BC, Canada – https://ejaculationdeathrattle.com/

* Sarah Davachi – Gilded – Gave In Rest (2018) – Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Los Angeles, California, USA – www.sarahdavachi.com

* Lost Bayou Ramblers – O Marie (Live) – Gasa Gasa Live (2014) – Louisiana, USA – http://lostbayouramblers.com/

* Miss Murgatroid – The Clown Tube – Methyl Ethyl Key Tones (1993) – Portland, Oregon, USA – http://www.missmurgatroid.com/ 

* GZARA [Adam Matlock] – Unfolding/Stressed Steel/Tread – Ophidian Street Rot (2019) – New Haven, Connecticut, USA – http://anhistoricmusic.bandcamp.com

* carrie z – S̴t̴a̷y̴i̶n̸g̶ ̵U̸p̶ ̵L̸a̴t̶e̷ (from “My New Roommate Is A Void Monster”) – music for dumplingsquid’s bitsy games (2018) – Northeast US – http://carriez.bandcamp.com  Featured in mini games at: https://dumplingsquid.itch.io

* LaSaM – Tina Pearson – Tectonach – Sonic Whisper concert (0) – Victoria, BC, Canada – Chris Reiche (Yamaha DX7), Kristy Farkas (grand piano) and Tina Pearson (accordion, voice) in concert November, 2008 in Victoria, BC. Recorded by Mario Milat.https://tina-pearson.com/

* Lankum – The Wild Rover – The Livelong Day (2019) – Dublin, Ireland – http://lankumdublin.com/  Ian Lynch, concertina; Radie Peat, harmonium

* Francesco Maria Narcisi & Giacomo Fidanza – D2 – (Voce celeste II) – The Accordion Sessions (2017) – Alameda, California. USA – http://timereleasedsound.bandcamp.com (With bits of broken accordion included in the CD packaging!)

* Pauline Oliveros and Andrew Deutsch – Springs (Pt. 3) – Springs (1999) – Kingston, New York, USA – www.deeplistening.org

* Clay Rendering – Waters Above The Firmament – Waters Above The Firmament (2014) – Michigan, USA – www.ClayRendering.com  Tara Connelly, acc.

* Pietro Roffi – Is There a Place in Your Heart – 1999 (2019) – Valmontone, Italy – www.pietroroffimusic.com

* Martin Green – Etteridge – Featuring Brìghde Chaimbeul – The Portal (Music album from the 12 episode 2020 podcast) – Uk – www.martingreenmusic.co.uk

Footnotes (Items mentioned in the show):

The Pauline Oliveros articles about her EIS Extended Instrument System are online at:

The Expanded Instrument System: Recent Developments, David Gamper with Pauline Oliveros (possibly 1998?) PDF on the www.deeplistening.org site at: http://www.deeplistening.org/site/sites/default/files/downloads/EISicmc98.pdf

Expanded Instrument System: Artistic Statement, Background, History, Pauline Oliveros, 2007. Originally from the www.DeepListening.org site. Archived at: https://web.archive.org/web/20190308124818/http://deeplistening.org:80/site/content/expandedmusicalinstruments

The Sarah Davachi event Brady mentioned was: Destroy Vancouver VII (Sept 2013) Featured Wally Shoup, Nurse, Torsten Müller, Sarah Davachi, Rusalka, Sisters Of Seance, and Colonize
https://www.vivomediaarts.com/programming/performance/destroy-vancouver-vii

Berberian Sound Studio (2012) The film Brady mentions about the performance-screamers in 1970’s Italian horror films. Sounds like it’s worth a watch next Halloween! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berberian_Sound_Studio

Thanks for reading here (and hopefully listening to us, there), but if you find you want more, you can always keep up with us on Twitter (@AccordionNoir and @AccordionBruce), Instagram (@AccordionNoirFest), and Facebook at Accordion Noir fans, the Accordion Noir Festival, and the Vancouver Squeezebox Circle. Cheers & squeeze on!