Concertina for Jazz?

[wannaplayjazz]

I found the Dave Townsend clips – fabulous! Thanks Dirge. And thank you Randy – I loved Summertime especially. Many thanks also to Kautilya for all your research. It’s fantastic to hear all the different approaches and styles of playing.

 

I have also been in touch with Chris at Barleycorn and he’s been very helpful as you all said he would be.

 

So taking everything into account (drumroll please!) ... I have decided to go for an English. I think it best suits how I want to play. When I think about what I like to listen to and what in the music I react to as a dancer (lindy hop & balboa), it’s always the melodic instruments more so than the rhythm section that I’m drawn to. I think the English will allow me to play more with that side of things with the option to also play around a little bit with harmonies, but without getting bogged down in having to arrange pieces. Coming up with arrangements is never something that I particularly enjoyed with the piano so, despite my best intentions and ambitions, I don’t see my laziness in that regard changing anytime soon! Another consideration is that I would like to play with my friends, who have a range of different instruments, so having the flexibility to play in different keys easily is essential and the English should allow me to do that too.

 

But even if I didn’t take your particular advice, I’m very grateful for it. Not knowing anything about the instrument, it was invaluable for me to hear about the specific properties of each type and what you all liked about the instrument you play in order to decide which most appealed to me personally. This was my first post on this site and I am totally overwhelmed with the outpouring of genuinely helpful and meaningful advice I received.

 

I can’t wait to get one now!

[Kautilya]

I found the Dave Townsend clips – fabulous! Thanks Dirge. And thank you Randy – I loved Summertime especially. Many thanks also to Kautilya for all your research. It’s fantastic to hear all the different approaches and styles of playing.

 

I have also been in touch with Chris at Barleycorn and he’s been very helpful as you all said he would be.

 

So taking everything into account (drumroll please!) ... I have decided to go for an English. I think it best suits how I want to play. When I think about what I like to listen to and what in the music I react to as a dancer (lindy hop & balboa), it’s always the melodic instruments more so than the rhythm section that I’m drawn to. I think the English will allow me to play more with that side of things with the option to also play around a little bit with harmonies, but without getting bogged down in having to arrange pieces. Coming up with arrangements is never something that I particularly enjoyed with the piano so, despite my best intentions and ambitions, I don’t see my laziness in that regard changing anytime soon! Another consideration is that I would like to play with my friends, who have a range of different instruments, so having the flexibility to play in different keys easily is essential and the English should allow me to do that too.

 

But even if I didn’t take your particular advice, I’m very grateful for it. Not knowing anything about the instrument, it was invaluable for me to hear about the specific properties of each type and what you all liked about the instrument you play in order to decide which most appealed to me personally. This was my first post on this site and I am totally overwhelmed with the outpouring of genuinely helpful and meaningful advice I received.

 

I can’t wait to get one now!

 

Brian Peters

http://www.cdroots.com/pug-6.html

 

Harry also said apart from his only playing Anglo:

"Jazz on the concertina is certainly not new or unique. I believe that the very first recordings of the concertina (in 1929 & 1932) made in Ireland were 3 tracks, one featuring a ragtime-style piece, and one a jazz band which has a fantastic solo, backed by the band, of course - a few seconds only, tantalisingly - on English.

 

"However, I think that to play as a soloIST (i.e. unaccompanied) the anglo or duet would be more obviously the men for the job. "

there endeth the lesson!

Edited January 12, 2012 by Kautilya

[Steve Mansfield]

Glad you've reached a decision.

 

I look forward to hearing the sound clips - keep us informed!

[wannaplayjazz]

Oh another fabulous clip! Really enjoyed that one a lot - thanks Kautilya. I've just added that to my "want to learn" list! And that early track would be fascinating to hear! Can you imagine?

 

Er, Steve, I'm supposed to upload clips??!! *gulp*

Edited January 12, 2012 by wannaplayjazz

[Steve Mansfield]

Er, Steve, I'm supposed to upload clips??!! *gulp*

 

Don't panic, only if you want to. It's just nice to hear what unusual avenues people take the concertina down - there's no pressure or compulsion!

[Kautilya]

wannaplayjazz - have u checked yr cnet personal mail?

[wannaplayjazz]

wannaplayjazz - have u checked yr cnet personal mail?

 

Hi! Yes I did. I sent you something yesterday. It obviously never got you. I sent another just now.

[Kautilya]

wannaplayjazz - have u checked yr cnet personal mail?

 

Hi! Yes I did. I sent you something yesterday. It obviously never got you. I sent another just now.

done - in process.....

[wannaplayjazz]

Just bought a lovely-looking Wheatstone by email correspondence! Can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks ever so much to all of you for your guidance.

[Kautilya]

Just bought a lovely-looking Wheatstone by email correspondence! Can't wait to get my hands on it. Thanks ever so much to all of you for your guidance.

We look forward to hear/ see you you jazzing about! :)

[conzertino]

If you are into jazz on the ES concertina, come the the German Concertina-meeting in March ( check out www.concertinas.de!! ). There will be classes both for beginners and advanced players!

 

Rainer Süßmilch will teach some Jazz-workshops ( together with Dave Townsend, Mary Macnamara and others ). You can hear him on the "English international" CD! I have some lovely unofficial recordings of him...

 

My old friend and teacher, the late Piedro Valente, used to teach at the meetings and really inspired the German concertina scene. I have his CD, a video and great recordings from the meetings.

 

Juliette Daum plays and sings some lovely jazz-melodies. Just search at youtube.com for Juliette Daum... She added some new tunes recently!

 

I have been playing all kinds of music on the ES, including tango, French musettes and jazz-standards. I hope to record some youtubes soon. Recently I programmed my own backing-combo with band-in-a-box.

[conzertino]

PS: I love to play jazz on a F-Tenor concertina, that is, I play normal treble-fingering, but it sounds five notes down!!!

Edited January 30, 2012 by conzertino

[kevin toner]

Wannaplayjazz,

 

Good to hear you've succeeded in a good find!

 

Good luck with that preferred style too.

 

My granddad Danny sometimes summed up his style by saying he plays simply "jazz". My initial thought/reaction was hmm interesting, but confused as I'd always thought jazz was post-war jazz - very different. He was definitely referring to the pre-war period as you do.

 

I had the impression that his favourite ca.1920s popular Nos may have been 'Alice Blue Gown' and undoubtedly 'Bye Bye Blackbird'. He was a firm believer in 'play what people will know of', mainly to accompany their singing! I would say he certainly slowed these down (improvised) to incorporate great harmonies, which I suppose you might label as jazz. Some uploads will be on their way shortly as previously promised. I think one of his favourite 30s songs might have been 'Brother can you spare a dime', as he often said to me if I'd known it - no I had to confess - a song that seemed to be rediscovered in the 1970s to an extent, perhaps in the folk genre (?) It might work well in your targeted style!

 

Danny mentioned "musical-comedy" was what he was drawn to (a google search might help define what this was), which I used to think referred to 'musicals'! and definitely an alternative to the quite different post-war jazz, which wasn't his cup of tea, and nor certainly was "rock n' roll" for that matter. [i can see that much 1930s, e.g. Duke Ellington written material, seems to have anticipated post-war jazz convention to a degree, e.g. 'Mood Indigo' and 'Sophisticated Lady'.]

 

I'll have to wait on hearing/studying any recordings of him before I can make assertions. I can't wait to find out as many as possible of the songs that he played - he was a big request pleaser and could play instantaneously in any key too. It's been so long since hearing him at his prime live back in the 1980s/90s around when I was a teen. Friends and family have promised me some material to hear/upload soon!

 

I would certainly recommend many of the 1930s standards, which are often skeletally 1920s if not in feel. I'd certainly recommend: 'Ida, sweet as apple Cider' and 'careless love' as 2 of the most enduring that had spanned the decades in terms of popularity; and then possibly such 1930s standards proper as 'Basin Street Blues', 'When it's sleepy time own south'; 'Have you ever been lonely'; 'Lazybones' and 'Back to those Happy Days'. Hopefully there are some worthwhile pointers there worth pursuing.

 

These suggestions are from the book compilation that I'd mentioned on the Strictly Ballroom thread recently, which comprise mostly regular dance hall or big band favourites.

 

[A song I’ve got practically ready for recording (my own playing) is ‘Memories of You’, 1930 which I’d say was either Ellington-esque or vice-versa an influence upon him (?), but definitely with a ballroom dance slant for sure. This is the first song that I've been taking seriously from that compilation - sorry that this might be off your beaten track by quite a bit, but I think that this one is probably one of the best jazz standards of its time. I'm also looking forward to catching up on 'I only have eyes for you' and 'once in a while' as other enduring jazz standards (plus ballroom classics) originating from slightly later in the decade, not to mention lots more from such compilations. I'm also practically ready with 'Winter Wonderland' 1933 after 6 weeks, a great xmas time jazz standard, but can be apt from 21 Dec. to 21 Mar. (or 1 Jun. to 31 Aug. if southern hemisphere) so don't hold back!]

 

Kevin

Edited January 30, 2012 by kevin toner

[wannaplayjazz]

Oh, the German Concertina Meeting sounds great but I won’t be able to make it. However, I will look up the musicians you suggested – thanks Conzertino.

 

And thank you Kevin for those recommendations too. At the moment I’m working on Minor Swing, Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho and Nature Boy. And I’ve ordered a book of Django music because I’m already getting lazy about learning by ear and trying to write and arrange stuff myself, so it’ll be easier for me to use books as a starting point. I must also get some good notation software because, as I say, I’m lazy about writing stuff out by hand and it annoys me if it looks messy!

 

I’m also organising for some tuition from a professional musician for myself and a bunch of friends who want to learn more about jazz and jamming etc. Should be fun!

 

I’m totally enchanted by the sound of the concertina and can’t believe I finally own my very own instrument! Plus, it’s been easier to learn than I had anticipated ... though it’s a long way from sounding how I’d like it to yet! But I am making progress I think.

[kevin toner]

No problem Wannaplayjazz,

 

Thanks for citing some of your repertoire.

 

I've also made some progress recently, not on the playing side at present (as I have an annoying finger ailment), but on the sourcing old recordings side. I imagine that some of the [authentically played old time jazz] tunes that I've been hearing/discovering (from home recordings) might get published online at some point as help is on the way. This is primarily solo work, but also includes frequent jamming; duets; vocal accompaniments etc., from my granddad that I'd mentioned earlier.

 

I'm sure he wasn't the only one that played in this style, but surely has to be one of the rarest and most naturally gifted... I'm sure some samples can be posted shortly, but needs time to organise. As a preview: I can only say, we've got much catching up to do!

 

Kevin

Edited February 8, 2012 by kevin toner