Appreciation For Concertina Influences

[Greg Jowaisas]

There have been some recent nice comments concerning my case building and repair work in a separate topic. I want to thank everyone for the kind words about my work and I will continue to do my very best to live up to those standards.

 

This seems like a perfect time to remember and acknowledge some of the wonderful people I've met on my concertina journey the past four years.

 

Early on Paul Groff impressed me with his intensity and integrity.

 

Goran Rahm got me thinking so much my head hurt.

 

Wally Carroll has been an endless source of inspiration and encouragement and quite generous with advice and expertise.

 

Malcolm Clapp has been a long distance mentor. He has provided good sense,guidance and exercised supreme patience until I came around to seeing things his way!

 

Dave Prebble took time to recognize and respond to a newby and has been a constant source of good advice.

 

Noel Hill supplied a map through the anglo minefield and showed what is possible.

 

Michael O Raghallaigh gave permission to play and have fun.

 

Geoff Crabb has been gracious enough to take my questions seriously, and reply and explain in depth.

 

Stephen Chambers has always taken time to explain and respond.

 

Chris Algar and Jim Shiels always seem to turn up wonderful instruments.

 

Paul Schwartz provided this wonderful forum which jump started my learning curve and Ken Coles has proven an able and selfless administrator to keep the learning lanes open and flowing.

 

And there are dozens of fellow students, concertina buccaneers, instrument makers and tinkerers who have helped and shared and inspired. Nearly without exception my fellow members of concertina.net have been supportive and inspiring.

 

Thank you all!!

 

The recent passing of Barry Callaghan and Pete Dickey have reminded me that our time together is limited.

I'd like to open up the floor to anyone who'd like to acknowledge a special friend, mentor or inspiration.

 

Greg

 

Edited to correct the inexcusable exclusion of Malcolm Clapp, "Repairman Supreme".

Edited May 3, 2007 by Greg Jowaisas

[Peter Brook]

I'd like to open up the floor to anyone who'd like to acknowledge a special friend, mentor or inspiration.

 

Greg

What a lovely idea for a thread.

 

Thanks to Father Ken for letting me play William Kimber's Concertina and lighting a spark in me (over 25 years ago).

Thanks to Peter Bellamy for memorable performances and making the concertina seem "cool" to a teenager.

Thanks to John Kirkpatrick for being such a generous teacher, a fantastic encourager, an inspirational player and even taking time to write down the notes of one of his tunes for me.

Thanks to Will Duke for his wonderful playing and unbelievable modesty.

Thanks to Valmai Goodyear (and Bryan Creer) for Concertinas Anonymous and for organising lovely workshops down in Lewes.

Thanks to Dave Townsend for Hands on Music weekends and for also taking time to write down a tune for me.

Thanks to all the "local" players, particularly Bryan Hawes (for goes on vintage concertinas and help with playing for Morris) and Mick Lynn for encouragement.

Thanks to eveyone on c.net, the providers of the forum, and the collective goodwill, knowledge and experience that I have benefited from - so far

[stuart estell]

The recent passing of Barry Callaghan and Pete Dickey have reminded me that our time together is limited.

I'd like to open up the floor to anyone who'd like to acknowledge a special friend, mentor or inspiration.

 

Great idea Greg. It's easy to let the opportunity pass, isn't it... the "concertina person" I'm most grateful to is Pam Bishop - the impact she's had on me as a musician has been incalculable. She's been a complete inspiration, source of songs and events, and a reliable and helpful critic. And I'm very glad that she lives just round the corner, so we get to play together.

 

Others:

 

The chap who leant this curious anglo-player an out-of-tune 46-key Maccann and made me think "wow, I need one of these" - sadly I've forgotten his name

 

Chris Algar - of course - both for supplying me with two tremendous instruments and for telling me how "demanding" I was being with a smile on his face

 

Sandra Kerr - for opening my eyes in one of those really inspiring "aha!" moments while showing me how an autoharp works at the last Swaledale Squeeze!

 

Dave Townsend - for letting me loose on classes at Witney - some of the best fun I've had teaching

 

John Kirkpatrick and Alistair Anderson - for both being so warm and supportive towards the very nervous anglo player from Birmingham who had just come off stage at the tutors' concert at my first Witney...

 

Jenny Cox - for running the Hawkwood Concertina Band weekends and giving me the chance to compose for the band

 

Jane Edwards - for organising Swaledale, and the late-night crowd who stay up playing till light

 

And as you say Greg, this forum and the people in it were a fabulous resource when I started off, and continue to be one. There are so many people... and the trouble is, the moment I click the "add reply" button I'll remember no end of others. This musical world of ours is a wonderful place

Edited May 2, 2007 by stuart estell

[Michael Reid]

Thanks to Alistair Anderson for his 1984 concert in Leesburg, Virginia. That's where it all began for me. Before that event, I had only the vaguest idea of what a concertina is. By its end, I knew I needed to get one.

 

Thanks to Concertina & Squeezebox Magazine, which helped me learn about concertinas in the pre-Internet days.

 

Thanks to The Button Box for the Northeast Squeeze-In, where I first got to meet other players and try their instruments.

 

Thanks to Micheál Ó Raghallaigh, whose playing inspired me to take up Anglo.

[Robert Booth]

Nice idea.

 

First, thanks to Alan Day who sent out the first tutorial and was kind and supportive to a very green newbie; included in that tape was a bit recorded at a session at The George that positively electrified me, thus proving that this was, indeed an instrument that I wanted to learn. Anglo International was the icing on the cake!

 

Second, the members here. Everything I know about the concertina, be it instructional or the lore and culture associated with it , I have learned from all of you. Learning a new instrument is sometimes difficult; learning at a far remove from anyone else who has even seen that instrument is a bit daunting. Having such a learned and jolly community literally at finger's tips beggars the imagination.

 

Thanks all.

Robert

[John Wild]

For me, my first thanks would go to the late Glad Thorp, for identifying that I was a concertina player before I had even thought of it! and for continuing inspiration and encouragement over many years.

 

Thanks to a quartet of professional players (there are more of course but I can't list everyone) - Alistair Anderson, John Kirkpatrick,Dave Townsend, and Tim Laycock for their inspirational performances and workshops.

 

Thanks to the many composers, collectors and publishers of music, without which I would be very limited in what to do with my concertina.

 

Thanks to all the players more advanced than me, who act as a spur to greater things.

 

Thanks to organisations such as the West country Concertina Players, the Chiltinas group, and the International Concertina Association, who provide for getting concetrina players into groups and out of isolation.

 

I think that is enough for now but expect I will think of more after I have sent this post.

 

 

- John Wild

[Chris Drinkwater]

Well, apart from the late great Charles Wheatstone himself, initially, I have Colin Dipper to thank for introducing me to the concertina. We both went to the same secondary school. (well, someone has to!) Around 1963 or 1964, Colin acquired a couple of Jeffries anglos, made a good one out of the two, learnt to play it, and with his brother Andrew on guitar, instead of an English lesson one day, they gave us a short folk concert. It was wonderful! Mind you, it's taken me 40 years to pluck up the courage to learn to play one myself and I acquired my first concertina, a Wheatstone treble English, in 2005. Apart from that, it's all the usual suspects, the great and the good of the concertina world, past and present and Concertina.net and all its idiosyncratic members and contributors, all of whom are clearly passionate about this wonderful instrument and are prepared to put up with my occasional off the wall contributions. Thank you all for being so friendly, understanding and knowledgeable. Also, a thanks to my partner Rosie, who has being playing English concertina for over 30 years and is a real whizz on it (and on the melodeon too!). Obviously, I have a lot of catching up to do! Finally, a thanks to John Dipper, Colin's son, who is better known as a fiddle player. He was the English system tutor at the recent Kilve concertina weekend and I found his playing and teaching truly inspirational.

 

Chris

[Greg Jowaisas]

Of course the problem in embarking to thank all the wonderful and helpful concertina enthusiasts in one's life is the danger of leaving someone out.

 

As I was revoicing some newly tuned reeds I suddenly felt terrible that I had forgotten to mention and credit Malcolm Clapp. I can't begin to remember all the sound advice he has given me the past three years. If Malcolm lived closer to me or I lived closer to Australia, I would never have started repairing concertinas. I would have just sent them to Malcolm Clapp!! He is amazing!!

 

So I need to "revoice" direction and acknowledge Malcolm.

 

Sorry, Malcolm. You know what they say, "Out of hemisphere; Out of mind!"

 

Best regards,

 

Greg

[Robert Booth]

Oh! Mustn't forget...

 

thanks to Jim Lucas for all the puns!