Who Will Carry On The Music

[Randy Stein]

Don't do this too often, but wanted to post whats on my mind.

I played last evening for a private function aboard a 180 ft Yacht that was moored off the docks of Old Town Alexandria. It was quite an over board affair (pun intended). Though I was hired for only two sets I was requested to play a third. To date it was a most appreciative crowd I've had in a while and very enthused about the concertina and the music I play.

There was a wonderful couple who, though live in the states now, were originally from Lyon and lived through WWII. They recognized much of the music I play from that time period and related stories of seeing Edith Piaf live in Paris where they met and married and lived for several years before coming to the states.

We sat together for a good hour after discussing who would carry on the tradition of this popular genre of music of this period. Unlike Irish traditional music that seems to have a regular venue and rich musical heritage, once this generation dies off much of the music is lost and relegated to archives of history.

Just saying.

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Edited April 18, 2010 by Randy Stein

[Dirge]

I think you're being needlessly pessimistic there, Randy. Surely the music you are talking about is recorded, not just sound but in many cases on video, so it will be there as a reference for anyone who is interested, not 'lost', and fundamentally it involves a lot of clever and interesting harmonies as well as good tunes, so made for that polyphonic wonder, the concertina. Certainly I'd be willing to bet that when Duet International comes out there will be more than a few 30's tunes on it; duet players like them for sure.

 

I bet you put on a brilliant show; I'd have bought a ticket!

 

(180' yacht!!!)

[NoNaYet]

Randy,

 

I am curious about the music you were playing; by title. I do not play, nor particularly care for, the Irish concertina music you will typically find if Google up "Irish Concertina." The Irish I play is more of the ballad tunes, like The Minstrel Boy or The Four Green Fields. I am particularly interested by your comment that you play WWII era songs. Two of my favorite things to play are several minute long medleys of American Civil War tunes, and one of WWI tunes.

 

A favorite that always gets a good response is The White Cliffs of Dover.

 

NNY

[Ralph Jordan]

I think too that you are needlessly pessimistic. Certainly, anything can be played on a Duet.

There will always be people who discover older music (any genre) that floats their particular boat. As has been said. It's all out there, recorded and indeed videoed too.

Only time will tell, I know. But, a good tune is a good tune.

The cream will float to the top, and the dross will sink.

We'll never know of course, because we won't be around then!!

I think that you found yourself in a nostalgia fest with these folks that you met. (and nothing wrong with a bit of wallowing!!)

But at the end of the day (or life!) There's bugger all we can do about it anyway!

The music will survive (or not) as time passes.

On that happy note. Glad the gig went well

Regards Ralphie

[Rod]

I think you're being needlessly pessimistic there, Randy. Surely the music you are talking about is recorded, not just sound but in many cases on video, so it will be there as a reference for anyone who is interested, not 'lost', and fundamentally it involves a lot of clever and interesting harmonies as well as good tunes, so made for that polyphonic wonder, the concertina. Certainly I'd be willing to bet that when Duet International comes out there will be more than a few 30's tunes on it; duet players like them for sure.

 

I bet you put on a brilliant show; I'd have bought a ticket!

 

(180' yacht!!!)

 

Why the emphasis on the Duet ? I have no experience of Duets but much of the old 20's/30's 'popular' music can be satisfactorily adapted for the Anglo, but I get the impression that it seldom is.

[Randy Stein]

Dirge, it was a private party and quite an amazing affair. Well attended by the "other half". Also, I play exclusively the English Concertina. I played solo last eve as background to cocktails and a light dinner fare. There were probably about 50 people in attendance though there may have been more in the lower deck. Perhaps "lost" is an overstatement. My 25 year old son laughs that I buy CDs instead of downloading the songs I wish to listen to. I have a collection of a couple thousand LPs and many of the blues LPs are no longer in print or available other than maybe through the Library of Congress. I still use my turntable. I grew up listening to my grandparents 78s and had the advantage of listening to very unique and now obscure artists and music.

I play lots of popular European (French, Italian, Spanish, etc) from the 20th century mostly prior to 1960. I have a lot of obscure stuff but find I receive a better audience and have more charts to arrange from with the more popular tunes.

Scott Joplin would have most certainly been an obscure artist if it were not for the movie The Sting. The recent movie about Edith Piaf brought a short notoriety to her songs once again. But these are temporal at best. As Ralph astutely points out the music survives but little else we can do about it. But much of it is lost to history. But then much of history these days is only relevant to the experience of those who lived through it.

Thank goodness there are Concertina players to keep this all alive in some form or another.

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[Dirge]

I'm too mean to buy records as a rule. I buy great piles of s/h sheet music from jumble sales on a 'lucky dip' basis. I've just had to move it so I can tell you it now fills four of those big cardboard boxes they ship bananas in, (so I think I might try and stop there for a while).

 

This is another way old music survives. As long as people like me hoard all this tatty paper it will be there to be rediscovered. I couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away, even though Ralphie's description 'dross' certainly applies to a good part of it. This is not a clear cut line either though, often the musical dross has a particularly nice cover, or is an interesting period piece in some way. I just keep it all.

 

My music gets bought in job lots, cheap 'to get rid of it'. Each new batch gives me hours of fun trawling through it to see what I've scooped, and I recommend the sport.

 

It's not so much an emphasis on duet, Rod, just what I know about. But now you made me think about it, of course when Al Day favours us with a tune it's often an old 'pop' tune.

[Mikefule]

Who will keep it going? Musicians. Not the ones who are trying to keep it going, but ones who have just discovered it.

 

As in English folk music: old men didn't go looking for Cecil Sharp to pass on their songs before they died. Cecil Sharp "discovered" them. In much the same way as Columbus "discovered" America - much to the surprise of the millions of natives who hadn't realised it was missing.

[Ralph Jordan]

Who will keep it going? Musicians. Not the ones who are trying to keep it going, but ones who have just discovered it.

 

As in English folk music: old men didn't go looking for Cecil Sharp to pass on their songs before they died. Cecil Sharp "discovered" them. In much the same way as Columbus "discovered" America - much to the surprise of the millions of natives who hadn't realised it was missing.

Lol!

Your Columbus reference could equally apply to Australia!

God, How I miss the Empire!!!!!

[michael sam wild]

I'm too mean to buy records as a rule. I buy great piles of s/h sheet music from jumble sales on a 'lucky dip' basis. I've just had to move it so I can tell you it now fills four of those big cardboard boxes they ship bananas in, (so I think I might try and stop there for a while).

 

This is another way old music survives. As long as people like me hoard all this tatty paper it will be there to be rediscovered. I couldn't bring myself to throw any of it away, even though Ralphie's description 'dross' certainly applies to a good part of it. This is not a clear cut line either though, often the musical dross has a particularly nice cover, or is an interesting period piece in some way. I just keep it all.

 

My music gets bought in job lots, cheap 'to get rid of it'. Each new batch gives me hours of fun trawling through it to see what I've scooped, and I recommend the sport.

 

It's not so much an emphasis on duet, Rod, just what I know about. But now you made me think about it, of course when Al Day favours us with a tune it's often an old 'pop' tune.

 

 

 

How much to ship to N/Z I've got a big box full I got at an auction in a foolish moment!

 

 

Incidentally I was always surprised that Michael Hebbert didn't spark a revival on duet with his Free Reed 'Ramping Cat' LP in the 70s. Maybe it was too complicated for its time and not many people knew what a Jeffries Duet was or where to get one.

 

 

What goes round comes round and you can always pour a bucket of water back into the river of sound.

Edited April 19, 2010 by michael sam wild