Leyland Accordion Club, Leyland, Lancashire, England.

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Leyland Accordion Club - 16th September 2009

 

Our September Concert

Our September concert started with myself playing Crusing Down The River, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, Old Bull and Bush, Lassie From Lancashire, My Girl's a Yorkshire Girl, A Gordon For Me, I Belong To Glasgow, Keep Right On, Oslo Waltz, Jaqueline Waltz, Plaisir D Amour, Whispering Hope and Sailors Hornpipe. Colin Ensor played Please, Pigalle, Tangerine and Secondary Waltz. Bernard Bamber was our next player with Rose of Tralee, Isle Of Innisfree, Here I Am From Paddysland and 40 Shades Of Green. It was now time for our guest artist Ken Astin to take to the stage, he started with Eleanora and Autum Leaves, then continued with Nola, Musette For A Magpie (Written For Jack Emblow) The Parrot (A Clap Clap Song), What A Wonderful World, La Cumparsita, Soir De Paris, Luxembourg Polka, Yesterday, Domino and his Oliver Medley which consisted of :- Oliver, Food Glorious Food, Where Is Love, Boy For Sale, Consider Yourself, You've Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two, I'd Do Anything, Who Will Buy, Reviewing The Situation and Oom Pah Pah. It was now time for the break, there was plenty of chat and socialising before we continued with the raffle and then back to the entertainment. After the break we started with Graham Driver playing Lovely Nancy, The Pullet, Weasels Revenge, Staten Island, Carolines Waltz, A Walk In The Country, Much Wenlock and Upton On Severn. It was now time for our guest artist Ken Astin to take to the stage for his second spot, he played Espana, March from Brassed Off, Vera Lynn Medley, The White Cliffs Of Dover, I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time and We'll Meet Again. The accordion standard Tritsch Tratsch Polka was followed by The History Of Love and Once In A While. Ken then played the theme tune to Allo Allo which always goes down well, he continuted with Louise, Pigalle, Luce E Ombre, A Britannia and Bel Viso. It had been a great concert from Ken and the comments from the audience were that they definitely wanted him back in the near future.

David Batty


Our Website

Our Internet website has had 132,230 visitors as at the 11th of October 2009, that's 787 visitors since last month. The video of Ken Astin playing last month has had 208 people watch it in the 3 weeks it has been on the site so far.

 

This Wednesday


This Wednesday we have a concert featuring our own Local Players. The Doors open at 7.30 for an 8pm start. Please let your friends know about this event and if you have an accordion then please bring it along and give us a tune. Our local players concerts are always fun as they feature a wide range of talent and musical styles. New players are encouraged to have a go and give us a tune, we all started somewhere and Leyland Accordion Club has always championed giving people the encouragement to play in public. Whether your a player or not, please come along and be an audience. See you there... David Batty


New Accordion Club

The first concert of the newly formed West Sussex Accordion Club will take place on Sunday October 11th, 8pm, at The Cyprus Hall, Cyprus Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex RH15 8DX. The first guest artist is Oleg Sharov, from St. Petersburg, Russia. Email: accordionfriends@aol.com for further information.

 

Grand Musical Charity Evening

A concert titled ‘Grand Musical Charity Evening’, organised by Harry Kipling, takes place on Thursday October 15th, 7pm, at The Shire Hall, Howden, Yorkshire DN14 7BJ. All profits go to the St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice. Accordionists performing include Oleg Sharov (Russia), Harry Hussey, Sam Pirt and The Hut People, banjo player Bill Sables, & the Lindum Accordion Club. Doors open at 4pm, and there will be a trade show that includes Geoff Holter Accordions, a free buffet and a licensed bar. For further information email: henrykipling@fsmail.net


Diamond Jubilee of Scottish Festival

The 60th All Scotland Accordion & Fiddle Championships, organised by Bill Wilkie MBE, take place in Perth, Scotland, on October 31st. Competitions for the various accordion and fiddle sections begin at 9am in the concert hall and other local venues, and the contest for the All Scotland Senior Accordion Championship takes place during the evening. This year, to mark the diamond jubilee of this festival, there will be two grand variety concerts. The Saturday evening concert stars Pearl Fawcett-Adriano, plus a supporting cast that includes accordionists Jimmy Cassidy and Craig Paton. On Sunday afternoon, The Alexander Brothers will top a bill that also features accordionists Michael Philip and Alex McIntyre, and their Scottish dance bands. Both shows will feature the Bill Wilkie Accordion Orchestra, plus the Sandra Wright and Julie Young dancing teams. The All Scotland event is probably the longest running music festival anywhere in the world organised continuously by the same person. For further information email: wilkiesmusic@btconnect.com

 

Eastbourne Accordion Festival

Friday 16th October 2.00 Arrival and check in. 3.00 Welcome cup of tea or coffee 4.00 Harry Hussey 6.00 - 7.30 Dinner 7.45 John Romero 8.30 Interval 8.45 Oleg Sharov 9.30 Interval 9.45 David Lukins 10.30 Interval 10.45 Romeo Achino and Giuseppe Grosso 11.30 Guest Busking session led by Harry Hussey Saturday 17th October 8.00 - 9.30 Breakfast 9.00 Seminar - Jean Hanger - Orchestra 10.00 Seminar - Trevani - 10.00 Seminar - Sue Bennett - Absolute Beginners 11.00 Seminar - Angie Lukins - Folk and Barn Dance 11.00 Seminar - Harry Hussey - Jazz 12.00 Seminar - Oleg Sharov 1.00 Lunchtime - Roman Voloshchuk 2.00 Guests Concert - Hosted by John Romero 4.00 Complimentary cup of tea or coffee 6.00 - 7.30 Dinner 8.00 Harry Hussey 8.45 Interval 9.00 Romeo Achino and Giuseppe Grosso 9.30 Interval 9.45 Oleg Sharov 10.30 Party Time with the Lukins Family - 11.30 Late Night with Roman Voloshchuk Sunday 18th October 8.00 - 9.30 Breakfast 9.00 Seminar - Jean Hanger- Orchestra 10.00 Seminar - Trevani 10.00 Seminar - Sue Bennett - Absolute Beginners 11.00 Seminar - Angie Lukins - Folk and Barn Dance 11.00 Seminar - Harry Hussey - Jazz 12.00 Seminar - Oleg Sharov 1.00 Lunchtime - Roman Voloshchuk 2.00 Orchestra and Seminar Concert - Hosted by John Romero 3.00 Harry and Guests - hosted by Harry Hussey 4.00 Complimentary cup of tea Complimentary cup of tea or coffee 6.00 - 7.30 Dinner 7.45 Sue Bennet and Angie Lukins 8.15 David Lukins 8.45 Interval 9.00 Romeo Achino and Giuseppe Grosso 9.30 Oleg Sharov 10.00 Interval 10.15 Charity Raffle 10.45 Party time Pro Jam Session 11.30 Party time Guest Jam Session led by Harry Hussey Monday -19th October 8.00 - 9.30 Breakfast 10.00 - 11.00 Farewell Concert and Goodbye.

 

Cumbrian accordion band still going strong after 50 years

When Lyne Valley Scottish Dance Band leader David Bell was 12 he asked his parents for an accordion but, assuming it would be a ‘nine-day wonder’, they said no. So David had to wait until he was earning a wage and could buy the coveted instrument for himself. More than half a century later he’s still playing – with the same Carlisle-based band he started as a teenager. And he has no plans to give up anytime soon. David, 69, said: “I’ll have to see what the circumstances bring but some folk retire and some folk play until they drop.”Lyne Valley’s first booking was at Hethersgill Village Hall which at the time was little more than a wooden hut. Their fee was £4.10s. The pounds were divided up between the four members and the shillings went towards repaying David’s father – who had bought the band an amplifier, speakers and microphones. David can’t remember much about that evening of September 1959, other than an overwhelming fit of nerves. His stagefright was soon banished and the band went on to perform at almost 200 venues across England, Scotland and Wales. One of the most memorable destinations was Butlins’ holiday camp at Ayr, where Lyne Valley claimed victory in a regional heat of the 1961 talent contest. The final was held during a week-long free holiday and David’s wife Diane says the revelries helped the Cumbrian contingent recover from the disappointment of defeat. Over the years, the band’s line-up has varied to include 34 different full and part-time members. David’s sister Rosalind Snaith left in 1961 to train as a nurse but returned as pianist in 1989. Second accordion player Donald Ridley joined in 1963 and has been a mainstay ever since. The current quartet is completed by drummer Robert Willens, a relative newcomer having joined in 2000. The set lists have also evolved, with David adding Latin and sequence dancing music to the band’s repertoire. At one point Lyne Valley was playing at 90 dances a year but these days there’s a self imposed limit of about 40. In the main, the band’s audiences have aged alongside its musicians although there is some interest from younger generations, particularly for traditional reels such as Drops of Brandy. Some bookings come through agencies but the vast majority are made thanks to word of mouth. Robert, 64, believes the band’s bonhomie is a large factor in its continued popularity. He said: “We come together to play music but we’re also four very good friends. “It’s quite an achievement to have kept a band going for 50 years.”

 

George Booth

Veteran professional accordionist George Booth from Fleetwood, born in 1919, died on September 23rd at the age of 90. Despite his London accent, George Booth was born in Nottingham, the son of a coal miner. George played accordion and piano from an early age, and became a professional musician after leaving school, working in variety theatres. In the 1930s he played with Macari’s Dutch Serenaders and the Al Podesta Accordion Band. During World War Two George saw active service in the British army in Italy, which led to him acquiring a new Wurlitzer accordion from some US troops he had been entertaining. In the post-war years George became a Bavarian-style band leader, fronting the very successful Willi Gatte and his Alpen Dorf Musik, touring extensively around Britain and Europe for many years, and also making recordings. He also led various dance bands and show bands. In 1952 the American comedian Jack Benny was in England for a performance at the London Palladium, and a strike called by the US Musicians’ Union meant that his team of accompanists – including the legendary Pietro Deiro – could not appear. Thus it was that George Booth found himself on stage with Jack Benny, filling in for the great Pietro Deiro. Afterwards, George and Pietro met up backstage, socialised and played music together.In his later years, George Booth retired to Fleetwood, Lancashire, but was a frequent visitor to accordion clubs and festivals, where his often critical views on other accordionists made him a controversial character.

 

 

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