John Dexter - Morris Tunes On Anglo

[Jody Kruskal]

I have a page where I put up audio of concertina players I know and admire. John Dexter is the latest addition, playing 3 Sherborne morris tunes on his Jefferies 38 Anglo. Great playing and an interesting story about this amazing musician and Bouwerie Boys squire.

 

http://jodykruskal.com/player_profiles.html

[gcoover]

Thanks, Jody, what a great player and what wonderful arrangements of the tunes!

 

Gary

[David Barnert]

Interesting. John's been asking me about concertinas every time I see him for years, and I know he's been bugging your brother (Tom Kruskal) for pointers. This is the first time I've ever heard him play the thing.

 

But what is it in "Princess Royal" that he refers to as a "modulation"? I don't hear anything that sounds like any kind of modulation. It's all pretty straightforward C major. I'll have to ask him when I see him in June at the Psudx.

[Jody Kruskal]

Yeah, I gave him a short lesson a few weeks before he got his box delivered. I was showing him about um-pa accompaniment... a concept he has soundly rejected.

[Jim Besser]

But what is it in "Princess Royal" that he refers to as a "modulation"? I don't hear anything that sounds like any kind of modulation. It's all pretty straightforward C major. I'll have to ask him when I see him in June at the Psudx.

 

Me too - Sxsudx. See you there, David. And Dexter too, of course.

 

He has an interesting style on Anglo. I like that Princess Royal, very different from the way I play it.

[adrian brown]

But what is it in "Princess Royal" that he refers to as a "modulation"? I don't hear anything that sounds like any kind of modulation. It's all pretty straightforward C major. I'll have to ask him when I see him in June at the Psudx.

 

David,

 

Perhaps I'm completely on the wrong track, but isn't he referring to that moment in the "A" section when he seems (to me!) to throw in a D major chord (He's playing the tune in C) which briefly takes us into G major, before we pop back into C?

Otherwise, like you I can't detect another modulation.

Great playing, and quite unlike anything else I've heard - Thanks for posting this Jody...

 

Adrian

Edited May 3, 2016 by aybee

[David Barnert]

...um-pa accompaniment... a concept he has soundly rejected.

 

Yeah. I noticed.

 

Me too - Sxsudx. See you there, David. And Dexter too, of course.

 

Great! I'll be day tripping it Saturday. Don't look for me Friday night.

 

Perhaps I'm completely on the wrong track, but isn't he referring to that moment in the "A" section when he seems (to me!) to throw in a D major chord (He's playing the tune in C) which briefly takes us into G major, before we pop back into C?

Otherwise, like you I can't detect another modulation.

 

You're undoubtedly right, but you and I both know that's not a modulation. I would have thought a conservatory-trained professional violist did, too.

[adrian brown]

Perhaps I'm completely on the wrong track, but isn't he referring to that moment in the "A" section when he seems (to me!) to throw in a D major chord (He's playing the tune in C) which briefly takes us into G major, before we pop back into C?

Otherwise, like you I can't detect another modulation.

 

You're undoubtedly right, but you and I both know that's not a modulation. I would have thought a conservatory-trained professional violist did, too.

 

 

Thanks for your confidence in my education David, but I had to look it up to find out that it's all about the lack of a cadence!

 

On the other hand, modulation has such a nice ring to it compared to tonicization. I can just imagine Graham Chapman* pronouncing modulation… It's a far more 'woody' word than tonicization, which strikes me as a little on the tinny side :-)

 

Cheers!

 

Adrian

 

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gwXJsWHupg

[Robin Harrison]

Yep, thanks Jody; I hadn't discovered this listening and learning resource, and a resource it surely is.

It's not easy to find recordings you are interested in and then be able to pause, slow etc to de-construct what is going on, and here especially with the solo concertina.

You are in such a great position with your travelling to concertina events and your curiosity about other concertina players to do this for us.....

Two things............I think that if anyone who listened to Jan Elliot did not know she was an English player, they would probably guess she played Anglo.

She absolutely nails the spirit of the anglo but adds the fluidity an English enables.

She has influenced me more than she knows in that listening to her play the English concertina for Morris is a lesson in how to play the Anglo for Morris.

Second thing.....doesn't listening to Dave Prebble just fill you with the joy of owning and playing a concertina. I've never heard him play before but it just wants to make me go and practice.

 

Thanks again,Jody..................Robin