Randy Stein

We had the delight to spend the day watching my 3 year old granddaughter. Preschool was off and my son and his wife had to work. So we did pajama day and she came over for all day snacks and games. She came in my music room during my practice and asked to play. Too cute not to show you.

Brilliant

Giving advice to a new player to the concertina is like asking for directions: Everyone knows the best way to get there but most everyone's directions are different. Look at the buttons. Don't look at the buttons. Place it on your right knee. Place it on your left knee. Hold it up. Elbows in. Thumb straps tight. Thumb straps loose. Learn by ear. Learn to read ABC or music notation. Yeah, it is a lot to take in. So I say if you are new to the concertina and want to play, start playing. Pick a tune out and see how your body places itself as you play. Always seek out help from different players for ideas and suggestions to see what works for you. Attend sessions. Watch. Listen. Learn. And take some organized lessons either in a group or privately. I teach the English system using musical notation. I know Anglo teachers who use ABC notation as well. For the most basic beginner I will often use a fingering placed below each note to assist. Below are fingering notation I made for the EC and ABC charts for an Anglo (from thesession.org) for the reel Harlequin Aire. Both assist the player with bellow direction and fingering. Practice and learning the tune will eventually displace the need to constantly refer to these charts. HARLIQUIN AIRE.pdf

Yesterday my hot club jazz group, DC Ambiance, performed for a private event. It was a celebration of a gentleman who survived major heart surgery and his 61st birthday. The vibe and happiness was incredible and infective and the band had a great time. In addition to our swing repertoire, we were requested to play some bossa nova tunes as well. About halfway into our first set, a gentleman walked up and said he'd like to sing with us. Originally from Argentina he also spoke and sang, in addition to Spanish and English, Portuguese, French , Hebrew, and a smattering of Greek. He sang with us a few bossa tunes and a couple French ballads. All in all a great impromptu experience. Since he is local, we will ask him to join us now and then as a special guest. Fun stuff...

My experience with playing more traditional genres of music is primarily in sessions at pubs or in the homes of musical mates. I really never played for contra or ceilidh and the such though I thoroughly enjoy them and the music. When my swing group, DC Ambiance, performs at a festival, restaurant or pub it's not unusual to have a couple here and there get up and swing dance to our music. But performing or jamming is very different than actually playing for a swing dance. Styles of dance (Lindy hop, jitterbug, west or east coast swing, Balboa etc.) require specific styles of music and tempos. For the dancers there are some set dance moves and styles but their choreography is just as creative and individual as the musician playing a solo. Our group has recently been booked to play more of these dances. It is a fun challenge to come up with ever increasing ways to to keep pace with the dancers. Just saying...

For anyone interested in learning to play or improve their playing on the English Concertina, I have a few slots open for new students. I'm located on the east coast in the US. I have students across the pond and all around the US and Canada. I teach via Zoom. All lessons are crafted to benefit your individual need and improvement in bellow control, fingering technique, and playing abilities. I supply pdfs of all music. If interested ping me and we'll start a conversation.

My Django swing style group, Lezards de Salon, is performing on Friday, July 14th 6:30 - 8:30 at the Lost Boy Cider Pub. 317 Hooffs Run Drive, Alexandria, VA , USA. https://www.lostboycider.com/event/bastille-day-party/

Absolutely brilliant and beautiful. Thank you

One more snippet. Buco set up his recorder but it stopped working

EVENT CANCELED DUE AIR QUALITY ISSUES. The duo 2 Many Buttons is performing at the FDA Farmers Market in Washington, DC on Friday, June 9th. 11:00 - 1:00 Come by, say hello

Here is a clip of the band playing Swing Gitan. We had a couple more tunes in our set when we were told we needed to finish up so the lead guitarist started playing. We played the tune with solos unrehearsed at pretty good tempo.

Yesterday my swing jazz group, DC Ambiance, was featured at the Washington Folk Festival on the Yurt Village Stage. Photos by Jeffrey MacMillan.