Rake ‘n’ Scrape Children’s Camp to Save the Endangered Accordion of the Bahamas

July 2, 2015

Special Episode of Accordion Noir dedicated to Rake ’n’ Scrape music from the Bahamas with guest Diana Hamilton. She opened The Cat Island Accordion and French Camp to teach children and adults this lively music and keep it from disappearing. Not often we get a chance to lend a hand to a tradition that’s down to three active players.

Please consider supporting this: Donate to buy an accordion. Schedule to attend the camp (next year, if you can’t make this weekend), and support their proposed Caribbean Accordion Festival planned for 2017-2018. (Who wouldn’t love a documentary about that?)

The Cat Island Accordion and French Project: https://www.facebook.com/dhaccordion242

Lovely to finally connect with Diana. I’ve been trying to learn more about rake ‘n’ scrape and ripsaw music for years. I hope she doesn’t mind my edits to get more of her inspiring story into the short time we had.

Stream or download the show:

http://www.coopradio.org/content/accordion-noir-237

Accordion Noir on Vancouver Co-op Radio’s site:

http://www.coopradio.org/content/accordion-noir

Musically I tried to play some of the Rake ‘n’ Scrape from the Bahamas and then some other music from the African diaspora that includes scraper-type percussion (brought from Africa by slaves in captivity) and the accordion (brought from Europe in the late 1800s or so.) If you make the documentary about this music, I want to see it.

Playlist: (Not listed: Me blabbing on.)

* Ophie & the Websites – If you touch that thing – (Thanks to Diana Hamilton for this track.)
* Ed Moxey’s Rake ‘n Scrape – The Timestable – Bahamas Islands Of Song (1995) – Ragged Island and Cat Island, the Bahamas – http://www.folkways.si.edu
* Diana Hamilton, Cat Island Accordion & French Camp – Diana Hamilton 1: Intro, Raking the Scraper – Rake ‘n’ Scrape Interview 2015-05-08 – Cat Island, The Bahamas – https://www.facebook.com/dhaccordion242
* Antonio Sanches & Tchota Suari – DJonsinho Cabral – Music From Cape Verde (1994) – Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa – http://www.cdroots.com/
* Ed Moxey’s Rake ‘n Scrape – Big Belly Man Polka – Bahamas Islands Of Song (1995) – Ragged Island and Cat Island, the Bahamas – http://www.folkways.si.edu
* Diana Hamilton, Cat Island Accordion & French Camp – Diana Hamilton 2: Preserving a Tradition At Risk – Rake ‘n’ Scrape Interview 2015-05-08 – Cat Island, The Bahamas – https://www.facebook.com/dhaccordion242* Thomas Cartwright and the Boys – Nobody’s Darling But Mine – Bahamas Islands Of Song (1995) – http://www.folkways.si.edu

Pompey “Bo Hog” Johnson

* Diana Hamilton, Cat Island Accordion & French Camp – Diana Hamilton 3: Accordions for the World’s Children – Rake ‘n’ Scrape Interview 2015-05-08 – Cat Island, The Bahamas – https://www.facebook.com/dhaccordion242
* Thomas Cartwright and the Boys – Watermelon Is Spoiling On The Vine – Bahamas Islands Of Song (1995) – http://www.folkways.si.edu
* Paul Mcziel (Mczeal) & Wallace Gernger – French Waltz – Zydeco, The Early Years (1961) – http://www.arhoolie.com/

(Finishing up with a few upcoming Canadian shows.)

* The Jerry Cans – Suqutaunngilaq – Nunavuttitut (2013) – Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada – http://thejerrycans.com/
* The Mahones – Whiskey Devils – Irish Punk Collection (2008) – Kingston, Ontario, Canada – TheMahones.ca