Jim Besser

Amazing performance of a great tune.

Another adventure in trying to figure out the incredible playing of Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne . He recently posted Trip to Islington - a simple tune, but so much going on in his recording. Having 8 fewer buttons than he has adds to the challenge. Played on a 30 button GD Jeffries Anglo.

Are you asking about whether you might have a problem carrying an English built concertina through US customs and possibly getting hit up for import duties? I've made the trip multiple times and never had a problem. The first time, I did take the precaution of bringing along the sales receipt for my English-built instrument from a US concertina seller. If you're asking about problems on the departure end - getting through security and the like - I've never had a problem ,but I do what David B suggested. Many years ago, I caused a minor panic at security when the scanned image looked suspiciously like the radial pattern of a weapon of mass destruction. I've never had a problem since then. If asked, I describe it as a 'musical instrument like an accordion.'

It's not just you. For every great vintage brand - Wheatstone, Jeffries, Lachenal, Crabb - there were variations in quality straight from the factory. And differences over the course of a brand's existence: early vs late Jeffries, Linota Wheatsones vs. later, etc. Then, the impact of time: many decades of use, or decades of just sitting on a shelf. And the unpredictable results of many trips to the shop for minor tweaking or major repairs. I'm a Jeffries person because I love the sound. I've played many Jeffries Anglos; some are incredibly smooth and easy to play, and I've played a few dogs. And many in between. Every one I've played has felt different, which has affected my playing. I haven't liked most of the vintage Wheatstones I've played - but a few years back I had a go on one that was - for my individual way of playing - absolute magic. Five minutes into the experience, I felt like I was playing better than ever. Sadly, it belonged to someone else, and short of burglary, I was never going to get it. And - 'high level instruments' is a very fuzzy term. Often I feel that I play best on my Morse C/G Anglo - a modern, modestly priced hybrid box with accordion reeds. Something about it - the touch of the buttons, the lightness of the instrument, the way the reeds respond - elevates my playing in ways that my vintage boxes, whose sound I prefer, do not.

IMO, a well cared for Morse (or Edgley, or Tedrow) will be easier to play and faster than almost any Lachenal except for those fitted with modern riveted mechanisms. I've had Edgleys and Morses, and the biggest difference I see between the two is in weight; the Morse instruments are the lightest I've played, the Edgleys significantly heavier. Both are very fast, responsible and reliable. I have less experience with Tedrows, but the few I've played have the same qualities. I have several very good vintage instruments, but the concertina I pick up when I'm just playing for my own pleasure is the Morse CG. It's also my primary Morris dance instrument because of the combination of great volume and light weight. Tone - No accordion reeded instrument sounds exactly like traditionally reeded instruments. In my experience, a good CG hybrid sounds pretty close, especially the Morse. Close, but not the same. Every GD hybrid I've played sounds much more accordion-like. It's not a bad sound,and I've played in band situations with mates who preferred that sound, but it's different. That said, when played through a PA, the difference tends to wash out. My Jeffries and my Morse GDs sound incredibly different when I'm playing unamplified; played in a big dance hall through a PA, few people would notice any difference. But sound is so very subjective; there are no hard and fast rules.

PM me your email address and I'll add you to the list!

Randy and I have done regional (Maryland / DC / Virginia) squeezebox gatherings and have a fairly extensive mailing list of players in the region.

Of course! Our little session in Canajoharie was just a day before I met you at that funky restaurant near your home and "entertained" the diners.

Indeed I do remember that canal side jam, with a great deal of pleasure. And we're planning to do the Erie Canal ride again this year - and maybe we can do it again!

It's a fine tune for experimenting with arrangements. Here's a recording I did recently - on Anglo, forgive me.

You do incredible things with a 20 button Anglo.

Remember? Are you kidding? I am spending time these days revisiting old tunes looking for new ways to play them.

And now for something different...I've been updating a tune we used to play for contra dances - American Patrol, an 1885 march by Frank White Meacham that became a Swing Era hit for Glenn Miller in 1942. Played on a 30 button CG Anglo concertina. https://soundcloud.com/concertinist/american-patrol-1-14-2023

I bought a square Herrington CG (possibly the one in the picture above! It looks like my case) 25 or so years ago, and have since owned a number of more traditionally shaped instruments. I'll leave a technical discussion of the ergonomics of instrument shape to those who are more knowledgable. What I can say: I never felt much of a difference in terms of playability. For a few years, I'd switch back and forth at dances between the square Herrington and a more conventionally shaped vintage Anglo without any awkwardness. I played the Herrington standing up for Morris, sitting down for contra/ceilidh dances, and never felt that the shape had any impact on my playing Having owned a number of instruments and played many more, I believe there is no universally "right" box shape, button design, button spacing, etc. We all have preferences, but my experience is that we quickly adapt to physical differences in the instruments we end up with. Every new instrument I've purchased felt awkward and strange at first, then perfectly fine after a while. We can drive ourselves a little crazy obsessing about a chimerical perfection.

A Shetland fiddle tune, played on a 30 button Jeffries G/D Anglo. I played it a bit last year, but it came up this week as the tune of the week on a Facebook music group, and I thought I'd try a different arrangement. And it reminds me to say: happy holidays to all and a happy new year.

Of course I remember him from Bucksteep - but he was also at CHiminey Corners as recently as 5 or 6 years ago. I remember because he was the only musician who wanted to play Horizonto, one of my favorites!

I first heard this on an excellent new CD by English concertina player Robin Beech, and wondered how it would work on the Anglo. The intriguingly named "Bang Your Frog on the Sofa" was written by Will Harmon, and I suppose if it's representative of a genre, it could be labeled Irish. Whatever, it's a lovely tune. Here played on a 30 button Jeffries G/D Anglo. https://soundcloud.com/concertinist/bang-your-frog-on-the-sofa-2-12-2022

Amazing, as always. I know how much energy you put into arrangements, and it really shows.

An interesting comment. As an Anglo player who doesn't play Irish, I realized recently that the ITM players I like to listen to are mostly playing English concertinas. Something about the way ITM on the Anglo has evolved does not attract me; the EC players I know who play Irish seem to focus more on the beauty of the melodies, less on extreme ornamentation and raw speed. I know this is heresy, but there you have it. I don't claim this as a universal truth, just one old guy's personal preference.

Thanks! I was wondering about the second tune; it's very cool, and pretty challenging on 30 button Anglo. I actually have 2 copies of the Anglo International set - an early pre-release version and the commercial version, whose tidy CD case fell apart from overuse. And what a fantastic resource it is. Now all my music is on the compute and phone, and the CDs are tucked away in boxes, which reduces clutter but also means I don't have access to liner notes. Seemed like a good idea at the time....

The Bedfordshire March. I first heard this on the Anglo International compilation set, I believe played by Andy Turner , but I can't find the CD to verify, and I may have remembered it creatively - incorrectly, if you prefer. According to the Traditional Tune Archive, it's also known as Jove in His Chair, Major Reed's March, Odd Fellows' March and The Suffolk March. Enough names for any tune, I think. Played on a 30 button Jeffries GD Anglo.

I'm currently using two SM57s in a crossed pattern, feeding a Scarlett Focusrite 212i audio interface. This seems to produce the best audio quality with minimal weirdness, but yes, the stereo thing can be a bit odd. It's much worse with mics at either end of the instruments- the ping pong effect is disturbing. The crossed mics reduce that effect, but it's not perfect. For really good recordings I use two KSM137 condenser mics, and back away from the instrument a bit, which seems to improve things, but they're expensive mics, and we have a toddler in the vicinity. The SM57s are dynamic mics and need to be close.

Two more sprightly old English tunes, played on a 30 button Jeffries G/D Anglo.

Outstanding, as always.

Playing with one of my favorite partners in musical crime. We did many Morris gigs together - Anglo concertina and nyckleharpa.