"Alternative" Anglo Concertina Players

[Sean M]

Most of the anglo concertina players I know play Irish trad and although I'm not as familiar with it, I'm assuming there are a good number of English folk musicians who play them as well. Does any one have any suggestions for music outside of England/Ireland that plays anglo concertina? The instrument has a big history in Germany as far as production but was it commonly played there as well?

 

While writing this I remembered that the anglo concertina has a big role in Boer music. Anywhere else I can look for anglo players across the world?

[Ken_Coles]

The collection on CD "Anglo International" would give you a good sampling. New copies are sold out IIRC, but you may find a set somewhere if you look.

 

Ken

[CrP]

Here are some ideas about other musics that sound good, in my opinion, on anglo and for which a typical 30-button anglo in C/G is well suited. That's not necessarily to say that musicians within these traditions have made or are still making extensive use of anglo concertinas, just that there is some (or even a great deal of) evidence that concertinas have served those musics well in the past and may still serve:

Swedish [lots of polska & other dance tunes]

French dance music [concertinas seem to have been generally but not completely eclipsed by melodons & accordions]

Russian [Russian music has a strong tradition of using English and anglo in the genre called "chastushki"]

Czech & Slovak

Klezmer dance tunes and lots of Yiddish songs (concertina as accompaniment or as melody lead)

Sea shanties from many countries

and, of course, South Africa's "boermusik"

 

I suggest that you consult Dan Worrall's 2-volume masterpiece called "The Anglo-German Concertina: A Social History," Concertina Press, Fulshear, Texas 2009 ISBN 978-0-9825996-0-0 if you want to delve deeper into this.

 

 

[Jody Kruskal]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Jody Kruskal

[Jody Kruskal]

Lots more traditional African Anglo Squashbox and Palm Wine Concertina on the web if you search hard. This is one of my favorites...

SQUASHBOX - LE CONCERTINA ZOULOU ET SOTHO EN AFRIQUE DU SUD (1930-1965) (1993)

and the last I checked, can be downloaded here:

https://liradopovo.blogspot.com/2008/11/squashbox-le-concertina-zoulou-et-sotho.html

 

Great stuff!

Edited November 14, 2019 by Jody Kruskal

[Jody Kruskal]

Bolivian traditional concertina players mostly use the English system.

 

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Jody Kruskal

[Fane]

4 hours ago, Jody Kruskal said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The third video is the best sound I've ever heard out of one of those Chinese 20-key Anglos!