Anglo Enthusiast

Well done, Wolf. Solid stuff. I definitely enjoyed. The instrumental arrangement of Let It Be is interesting and the Bach minuet and opening tune are strong. Keep up the good work.

This is fantastic news! I'm particularly pleased to see that she is unaccompanied on the entire album. My favorite tracks on her other albums are the ones that feature only her concertina playing. On Jackie Daly's debut album "Music From Sliabh Luachra," he alternated between unaccompanied accordion and unaccompanied concertina. I love it when one instrument is given the opportunity to speak for itself with perfect clarity and wish musicians would fly solo more often (though of course I don't mean to disparage ensemble playing; the interplay of a few talented musicians that are connecting can provide its own kind of excitement).

Condolences on your loss, Alan, and thanks for your continued involvement in the concertina community.

I'd love to see the duet International project materialize. I'd also love to see Bertram Levy's 2 albums SAGEFLOWER SUITE and especially FIRST GENERATION re-issued on cd. Neither are currently available in digital form, but a few tracks from FIRST GENERATION showed up on the anglo International compilation and they sounded great. Any chance updating Bertram's 2 out of print concertina albums might be a project the International series folks might consider taking on? These 2 albums single-handedly inspired me to take up learning the concertina and I consider FIRST GENERATION to represent the pinnacle of recorded instrumental folk music.

You nailed it with this take! Superb!!!

Coming along splendidly.

Ballet des feus from Suite #1 of Praetorius's Terpsichore dance tune collection.

Thanks, Don. Yes, it's a single track recording. It's astonishing how much ground one can cover with just a standard 30 button layout (on a C/G tuning, at any rate; I can't speak first-hand for any other tuning).

It's a 30 button, C/G Morse Ceili in Wheatstone layout.

Thanks, guys.

https://soundcloud.com/andy-western/praetorius-dance-from-terpischore-1

My concertina has 2 ends with buttons and bellows in between...

Well squeezed, lads.

Do you guys have other recordings that might be appropriate to submit for, e.g., Theme of the Month? As far as I know, that's not restricted to solo work. Funny you should ask: I just wrote the draft of the Tune of the Month Poll for February, and one of the selections - Tra Veglia e Sonno - is a Squeezers tune. And we are eclectic; we pair it with John Kirkpatrick's wonderful Dance of the Demon Daffodils in a medley. And I think Squeezers might have something to submit for the February Theme of the Month. Stay tuned. Excellent!

Well, if it's a "work in progress", then you're still "learning", aren't you? But just who are "The Squeezers"? I'm guessing I'll always be learning. The Squeezers: a band including English concertinist Randy Stein, melodeonist Gus Voorhees and myself. We do a bizarre assortment of music - English trad, klezmer, jazz and pop, ragtime, Eastern European, whatever. BTW, we will be appearing at the Folklore Society of Greater Washington winter festival on Feb. 8. Jim, I'm guessing you're too far away to come, but it would be great to see some other c.netters there! Jim, thanks for sharing this. A truly unique sound from a unique ensemble. Terrific execution on Whistling Rufus thus far, I'd say. I'd love to hear more from the Squeezers.

Wonderful and freshly unorthodox. Thanks for posting.

Yeah, I enjoy listening to this guy as well. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up. Roughly it means that your opinion is made of stern stuff indeed with which nature itself cannot contend. Blimey again. My man, we are living in a world full of mystery, spectacle, and the unfathomable. Blimey, indeed... Gosh. Déjà vu (ici)...! D'AAH!!!

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up. Roughly it means that your opinion is made of stern stuff indeed with which nature itself cannot contend. Blimey again. My man, we are living in a world full of mystery, spectacle, and the unfathomable. Blimey, indeed...

And what you're playing is not an adaptation, but everything as written? I suspect the answer is yes, since you're playing in A, which in my limited experience seems to be the "standard" key for classical banjo. And on a C/G anglo, yes? Yet another example to show that the anglo is not as limited as many seem to assume. By the way, classical banjo music is also great for the English, since -- unlike the piano and even guitar -- all the notes of the banjo (in standard classical tuning) are within the range of a standard treble English. I have a few such pieces of music, both solos and duets, and they're great fun to play. I suspect the same would be true of classical mandolin music, though I haven't yet come across any to try. Hi, Jim. Yes, I'm playing a c/g anglo concertina (30 button). As for whether it is my adaptation or not, if you mean to ask whether I transposed it to another key than it was originally written in, then the answer is no. I'm playing it in its original key. But it is my own arrangement. I came up with the harmonies and flourishes and what have you. I appreciate your acknowledgement that the anglo is much more versatile than is generally given credit for. Bertram Levy's advanced tutor "American Fiddle Styles For the Anglo Concertina" has opened my eyes to the full potential of the instrument. It sounds like you play and English system concertina, Jim, yet possess an understanding of the value and possibilities an anglo system offers. Do you play both systems? Perhaps you could share a bit more about your experience with the concertina. Andy.

Thanks,mate!

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge! Blimey yes. I must get round to looking it up. Roughly it means that your opinion is made of stern stuff indeed with which nature itself cannot contend.

Thanks for the ineluctable opinion, good Sir Dirge!

Very nicely done, great tune. Lots of great tunes in that genre. I used to play this one with a couple of friends who were deeply into this music : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sttqYQG-9-U . But never recorded it. Thanks, Jim. And thanks for sharing that youtube. Can you still play that tune? I'd love to hear it on concertina.

I hereby submit to the forum a performance of the classic banjo tune "Too, Utterly Too" done by myself on my 30 button wheatstone layout Morse Ceili anglo concertina. https://soundcloud.com/stream