Jump to content

English International Lineup


Recommended Posts

At last I can report some progress on this project Graham Bradshaw Roots Records has made his selection from the many recordings I have sent him and has just finished the marathon task of Sound Engineering them all ready to be sent for manufacture.The Booklet still has to be written so there will still be a delay for the release date, which you will be informed of.It will be a 3CD set as before approx four hours of English System playing, By using many rare archive recordings and modern players we have represented the playing of the instrument's history from about 1850 to the current period.

The Artists featured are as follows in order of appearance

The Heywood Concertina Band,Walter Dale,Ernest Rutterford ,Gregori Matusewitch,Allan Atlas,Tommy Dale,Raphael, Frank Olloms,Fayre Four Sisters,Julliette Daum,Rainer Submilch,Mark Gilston,

Pauline de Snoo,Harry Dunn,Robert Harbron, J.Hume ,Wim Wakker, Danny Chapman,Ashton under Lyne Concertina Band, Alf Edwards, Tom Jukes, Tom Prince, John Nixon,Tommy Elliott,

Martyn Bradley, Lea Nicholson, Dave Townsend,Tim Jennings, Bernard Wrigley, Alistair Anderson,Ian Robb, Damian Barber,Simon Thoumire, Sarah Graves,Jan Elliott and with Tom Kruskal,

Henrik Muller, Obi's Boys and Graham Jenkins.

 

I think you can see now why it has taken about 18 months work.

My sadness is that we could not include all those players who sent me recordings.

 

Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 79
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Excellent news!

But why is it called "International"?

May be simply to call it "English Line-up"?

Jan Elliott, Tom Kruskal, and Allan Atlas are Americans, Juliette Daum is French, Wim Wakker is Dutch, Gregori Matusewitch was Russian-American. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other international examples as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jan Elliott, Tom Kruskal, and Allan Atlas are Americans, Juliette Daum is French, Wim Wakker is Dutch, Gregori Matusewitch was Russian-American. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other international examples as well.

 

Jan Elliott, Tom Kruskal, Allan Atlas, Juliette Daum are Americans. Only Wim Wakker and Gregory Matusevich are not.

So we have Brithish (see, I learned!), Americans, one periodically based in the US Dutch and one permanently settled in the US Russian. Unless you count British as "international". :blink:

If you gather bunch of people, whose mother tonge is English and call them International, it sounds more ambitious than it is. I'd say, if out of three CD's you can count only Wim Wakker and Gregory Matusevich as truly non-English speakers, it's not International.

I understand the idea, but it clearly didn't work. Unless you have close to 50% of players been of different culture, offering different approaches to EC playing, demonstrating ethnic divercity, it's not really International. I have wonderful 3CD set of International accordion, not all tracks I like, but obviously no two tracks are alike or from the same cultural tradition. Truly accordion is multi-cultural instrument, ranging from Africa to Australia.

The lineup clearly shows EC as Englsh oriented instrument.

Anglo International also was heavily English leaning and not much International.

BTW, Matusevich is from Minsk, he's my compatriot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The original concept of Anglo International was to show the versatility of the instrument and likewise for the English collection.The name was changed from "Versatility of the Anglo" to Anglo International ,not by me, but I could see no reason to argue with it, as many of the players were included from as many parts of the World that I could find players demonstrating different styles.The name of the Anglo Collection being fixed it naturally followed that the other collections should have the same name. It is of no interest for me to include players from other countries who do meet the standard of the rest,or that players from other countries like Australia who choose not to submit recordings or answer my Emails. It is my part of this collection to find or obtain the recordings to the best of my ability (not for financial gain, I would like to add) to show what can be achieved on the instrument. To quote International Accordions is not what I would have expected as an example. The World plays Piano Accordion to fantastic standards and such a compilation would not be that difficult to achieve. The World does not play concertinas, or if they are out there I could not find them.

out of 28 tracks disc one 15 are from overseas players (not UK)

out of 24 tracks on disk two 4 are from overseas players

out of 24 tracks on disk three 11 are from overseas players.

Not as International as some would wish, but have I demonstrated the versatility of the instrument?

I expect you will tell me.

Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What a wonderful project!

 

I've just started playing English concertina, and have spent a few hours this week on the internet searching for cd's to listen to - and had very little luck.

 

Suggestions appreciated for now, but I'll really look forward to getting my copy of your project!

 

Pamela

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am very grateful to Alan for all his hard work in this area.

 

If others really want to there is nothing to stop them collating recordings and releasing something, it only takes enormous patience, perserverance, skill and weeks and months of time...phone calls.....e-mails....letters...piece of cake really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kudos to Al and Graham for getting things done!! We can all look forward to enjoying their efforts.

 

If memory serves Al posted a notice on cnet asking for suggestions of whose playing might be included in this project. I made a suggestion of someone who was not included and belatedly thought of someone whom Al and Graham included on their own. There was a process that invited participation.

 

I'm sure Misha's comments are motivated by his desire to hear and share all that the world has to offer in the way of english playing. But at some point Al and Graham probably had to look at one another and say, "This is what we have. If we keep waiting for submissions to trickle in the project will never get done!"

 

Definition of a critic: "Someone who goes down to the battlefield after the fight and shoots all the survivors."

 

There will be plenty of time for us all to "coulda', woulda', shoulda', over English International. Right now I just want to thank Al and Graham for the conception, conniving and enormous expenditure of time and energy to get it done. Thanks Guys!

 

Greg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I expect that this compilation will be of the same quality as the Anglo set. I listen to it over and over at the workshop, and always find it entertaining. The production quality of the CDs is excellent, as is the booklet which accompanies it. As for how "international" it is (or the English one will be) we have to bear in mind that while it may be a great concept for concertina players the whole world over (eg. Mexico, Lithuania, Lapland, Afghanistan etc) to be on the CD, such players either do not exist, are unknown to Alan and Roots Records, or do not play at sufficient standards to qualify. The Anglo International is truly international, as it contains tracks from various countries, not necessarily the whole world. Anything that includes more than one country is "international." I commend Alan and Graham for their work. I certainly feel priviledged to have been included on the Anglo International!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FOLKS: let me join with those who, without even hearing the collection, have sung its praises in terms of the concept that it tries to get across. . . . . .as one person put it, we can all should coulda woulda. . . . .

 

further: i think it was robert booth who said something about Alan and Graham being rewarded in the "afterlife". . . . .well, if we all buy four copies of the entire set, perhaps they'll even be rewarded in the "presentlife". . . . . . .

 

m3838: didn't know you came from Minsk. . . . .there's a very talented composer by the name of Alla Borzova who is from Minsk (now resides in NY). . . .she's written a wonderful piece for the english concertina and piano: "Pinsk and Blue". . . . . .I know Wim has played it a couple of times. . . . . . .

 

by the way: my grandmother came from Pinsk. . . . . . . .allan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the work done on behalf of all people interested in concertina music.

I personally already had recordings of: Anderson, Thoumire, Townsend, Nixon, Daume, Nicholson, Wakker, Wrighly & Harbron. But I am very curious about all other players. I heard Pauline de Snoo playing (she is Dutch and speaks Dutch and lives in Holland) when I lived in the Netherlands, but of (most) other players I do not have a clue what kind of music they make, what their technical level and style is etc etc.

Wouldn't it be great if such a project was done every 25 years or so; it would be wonderful to keep track of the evolution of concertina playing.

Keep us informed when it becomes available (might buy the anglo one as well).

Hermann

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the work done on behalf of all people interested in concertina music.

I personally already had recordings of: Anderson, Thoumire, Townsend, Nixon, Daume, Nicholson, Wakker, Wrighly & Harbron. But I am very curious about all other players. I heard Pauline de Snoo playing (she is Dutch and speaks Dutch and lives in Holland) when I lived in the Netherlands, but of (most) other players I do not have a clue what kind of music they make, what their technical level and style is etc etc.

Wouldn't it be great if such a project was done every 25 years or so; it would be wonderful to keep track of the evolution of concertina playing.

Keep us informed when it becomes available (might buy the anglo one as well).

Hermann

 

Thanks Hermann and to you all for your comments.

The joy of putting these compilations is to find players that we all have never heard, of or just a few of us.For those who have heard the tracks of Tommy Elliott are saying he must have been the best miniature player ever.An example is for you to decide.Some are old ICA members,some masters of the instrument in their time. Most of these old recordings are from private collections and an example, Ernest Rutterford (playing English not his usual Duet) is a test recording and was never issued.I have collated all this lot but many have donated time, advice and recordings to make this a one off collection.

Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to add my congratulations. I eagerly look forward to getting my copy and hearing all of it. I do not know of all the names listed but I trust the compilers to have ensured they are all of a high standard.

 

- John Wild

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would like to add a few comments regarding selection of artists for these collections.The valid point raised by M3838 regarding Worldwide selection of artists is a factor that is taken into consideration in the final selection, as is styles of play.It is our intention to include as many different styles of play and music that we can,( if the quality of playing is good enough), an unusual style or type of music would get priority over another. In the same way many have suggested names to be included and none of these suggestions have been ignored.In fact some considerable time has been spent listening to and discussing artists that are not included in this collection.This in no way means they were not good enough, it is more likely that it is because we have already a player who plays a similar style who is showing the capabilities of the instrument , or that there is insufficient room to put them in. Alternativly if a recording is below the standard of the others then we are doing the artist no favors to include it, as some may be playing professionally and it could damage their career.

Graham and I work as a team ,I put forward the recordings and he makes the final selection.

This is good for me because it will be all his fault.

Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...