Leyland Accordion Club - 14th April 1999
Our April meeting opened with Rebecca Postlewhite who was back from university. Rebecca started our proceedings playing Tico Tico, this was followed by a french piece which she did not know the name of, she then ended her session playing Fizarmonica Impazita. Rebecca sent me an email last week over the Internet, she is able to keep in touch with us via the university computers as well as the newsletter which she receives in Oxford while she is away. Next up was Tom Bennett, Tom played Whiter Shade of Pale and Voices of Spring by Strauss, I think they were still talking in Summer - Only joking Tom, it was a long piece and I think Tom deserves some credit for attempting a piece needing someone to turn the pages for him, this was done well by Jean Southern. I would have offered to help Tom but there it is anyone's guess when the pages would be turned if I tried to follow the music as he played. Agnes then gave us a nice selection of tunes on her Midi accordion, this included Wild Rover and the Skye Boat Song. Agnes recently featured in a variety concert in aid of her clients at work. Keep it up Agnes and remember us when you are famous. Tom Gornall then treated us to Scotland the Brave, Cock of the North, Fields of Athenry and Mocking Bird Hill. George Hicks then gave his new accordion an airing playing Margie, Hello Dolly, Blue Danube and Beautiful Days. George liked his new accordion but found he did not have enough keys on the right hand side, he is now back on his old accordion. Frank Scholes then played Everyone Wants To Be A Dreamer and other tunes I missed hearing the titles of. Alan Thwaites then took to the floor, it was
Rebecca in Action
Alan's debut performance at a club, he played well in front of all those scary looking faces looking at you, Alan played Camptown Races and Tavern in the Town. Well done Alan, the first time playing in front of people is the worse, it does get easier if you keep it up though. It was now time for the break and the usual chatting and general mixing that I hate having to stop when so much mixing is going on. We started our second session with Ian Fralick, another new player making his debut, Ian spotted us on TV last month, came to our practice night and then made his debut at the club playing Two Lovely Black Eyes, Kalinka, Scotland The Brave, Barren Rocks of Aiden, Donauwellan and Du Du Liegst Mir Im Hirzen (You You Leave Me In Heaven). When he found out about us last month, Ian was over the moon, he thought he was the only player in the area and has been looking for other accordionists to talk to and play with for the past year, now he has found us he has suddenly found out that his emigration to Canada was to be earlier than he thought, he left for Canada the following Friday. I was contacted by a person in Canada who had been following us on the Internet and who was looking for advice on starting a new club in Canada. I sent information and advice on how to start and run a club as they requested, when I told them that Ian was going to Canada the following day and was offering to be one of their first members they heard that he was to start looking for a job once he got there, his details were then passed on to someone who possibly has a vacancy for him, I will let you know if he got a job. Ian was pleased that his job hunting had taken a positive turn before he had even left England, he says that he will keep in touch with us. The person looking at starting the new club in Canada also wants the new club to twin with us to swap newsletters and information. Links to this one and Perth in Western Australia could eventually lead to exchange visits! Hey, I wonder if there is anyone in Barbados or Hawaii wanting to start a club?. Chick Stephens then played Doctor Zhivago and a german drinking song In Munchen Steht Ein Hofbrauhaus. It was my turn next, I started with The Sailors Hornpipe medley which was requested by someone, I am not used to getting requests (apart from 'please stop'), this tune gets easier the more I play it, I followed this with Whispering Hope for which I have to thank Robert Hood for introducing to me. I finished with Return to Sorrento. I think I played well, well done me. Next it was Jean Southerns turn, sorry Jean for putting you on after such a hard act to follow but you coped well. Jean played one of my favourites Style Musette followed by Bel Fiorie and finishing with Tyrolleon Accordion. Dugald Mcallum then followed Jean playing Banjo Breakdown-Troys Wedding, Indifference, 79th Farewell to Gibraltar and Drunken Piper. I like Dugalds style of playing and always look forward to his return to the club. Next we had the second break followed by the raffle. For those of you who have not been to one of our practice nights we have an informal evening which is a bit like the break but with playing and practicing going on all around you. The hot water is kept topped up all evening and although the numbers at the practice nights are not up to the numbers at the club nights we do have lots to talk about and share with each other. You will notice that I have booked practice nights for the rest of the year due to their success and the fact that we have a new manager at The Highfield who we first met at the last practice night and who is pleased to have us there, he is very friendly and looks forward to this our first concert night following his appointment, he says that he is going to be a permanent manger a the Highfield and he asked if it was alright for him to join us sometimes to listen in, he likes the accordion. If he joins us this Wednesday I will introduce him to you. After the break we were treated to Jay and Jeff Ward, Jeff on the Accordion and Jay on her keyboard, Jay and Jeff are going on an accordion week on Thursday morning and may not be able to make it to the club on Wednesday night, hope you both have a good time. Basil Berry was up next playing amongst other tunes, 'A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square', Basil is one of those who are in Italy at the moment visiting two accordion factories, if you see him and Jean at the club on Wednesday I am sure that they will have lots to tell you about this trip. I am looking forward to hearing from those on the trip. It was now 10.45 and just time for Alan Gelling playing Snow Waltz and Carousel before our last player Bill Hobbs took to the floor. When Bill stopped at 11.02 I headed for the floor to close the night, but Bill wanted to play another tune, I said ok as long as it was a short one because it had already gone past 11pm, he then went on to play not one tune from his music in front of him, but once he had finished it he did not stop but continued with a non stop medley of loads of them which only finished at 11.15. In future I will have a stick with a hook on the end, Bill did not stop despite me waving my watch at him and pointing at it whenever he looked my way. All to no avail. People started getting up and leaving because they have taxis waiting and people to drop off. I am sorry to those who needed to get off and could not leave because of the club over-running so much, this was a one off, in future I will have to step in and stop the playing if this happens again. I look forward to seeing you all this Wednesday 12th May 1999 when we have a great evening promised in the form of our Guest Artist Walter Perrie, Tom Cowing and Walter's friend the drummer. I am looking forward to hearing this Trio in action. See you there. P.s. don't forget to bring your friends along and make them our friends as well.
David Batty
Our Internet Website
Our Internet Website has had 11,990 visitors as at 10th May 1999, that's 1065 visitors since last month. As you can read on the left, we are to be featured on the BBC this week, this follows my suggestion to them about featuring our broadcast of Walter Perrie over the website which I told you about last month and them looking at our website to see that we are serious about the accordion and we are serious contributors to the Internet scene with our website. It will be interesting to see how many visitors we have over the next month or two after we have gone out over national TV.
RSA and OCR accredited tuition by Sector Software
My company has been registered as an RSA test centre for about 6 years for delivery of RSA courses, I now have new OCR courses for delivery to individuals or companies. If anyone is looking for accredited computer tuition I am currently delivering RSA (Royal Society of Arts) and OCR (Oxford Cambridge and RSA) courses such as CLAIT, IBT2, IBT3 and Internet Technologies as well as general IT tuition for individuals or for delivery to a company's staff on or offsite, tell your boss to phone me (01772 454328) or to take a look at www.sectorsoftware.co.uk for details. You may get free tuition if you company is looking to train it's staff in IT skills.
BBC TV filming us for the Webwise computer program
Following our TV Debut, I mentioned in the last newsletter that I had a few ideas up my sleeve and to watch this space, well the first one of them has borne fruit. The BBC are coming to Leyland on Wednesday to do some filming for their Webwise series and campaign, our last appearance was on local BBC, this time the club is being featured on national TV. They were interested in our broadcast this week of our Walter Perrie Concert which is to go out over our Internet Website for all to take part in. The Webwise campaign for those of you who have not been watching is the BBC's campaign to get the country on the Internet, their logo is that friendly looking black spider you see on adverts for either the Webwise program or the other associated programs hosted by Hale and Pace. They want to film their presenter being 'wooed' by an accordionist and they want to cover the fact that Walter is being broadcast via the Website, they will give out details of the club and our website address, they will also give out our address on the BBC website, in their literature to all those who ring in for one of the free taster sessions and we will be looked at and listened to by all the schools, colleges, universities and training centres who are taking part in this campaign. The idea is for people to turn up at these places and be shown how to access the websites of those featured on the program. I will be taking a new 'wrap around photograph' of the club this Wednesday so that all those who visit our Website will be able to take a look around the room at all of you as they listen in to our concert. I don't need to tell you that this is very good for both the club and the accordion scene. Photographs of those who played on the night will be on the website as well as the wrap around photograph, and any photographs taken during our concert. Our Steve Roxton broadcast in November was very successful, it was the first month we received over 1000 visitors to the site. This second broadcast coupled with all the BBC publicity should send our site hits soaring. I know that many of you have been mentioning to me that you are looking forward to Walters return as a guest artist, this time he is again playing with Tom Cowing on second accordion but his drummer friend who Walter is used to playing with is also joining them. This is the first trio we have featured at the club as guest artists and it promises to be a great night, Walter on his own goes down very well so Walter and friends should be a storm. Make sure you are not sat with anyone you don't want to be seen with! The photograph will stay on the site for around at least a year until it is updated as the last wrap around photograph has done, it will probably stay on there much longer to accompany the concert. Why not drag your friends down this Wednesday and give them a treat, I cannot say when the broadcast will be at the moment but all I know is that it will be within one week on BBC 2 (possibly on Monday 17th at 7.30), at the time of writing this all I have is the confirmation that the BBC are to come down, I do not have any further details, they are ringing me late Monday or Tuesday to arrange things, by that time this newsletter will be on it's way to you or on your table. I look forward to seeing you on Wednesday for once again a great night of accordion entertainment.
Members travelling abroad
Basil and Jean Berry along with 36 others left for Italy on May 4th for a week, staying at Cattolica. The trip features a visit to Castelfidardo to visit an accordion factory. Several people have taken their accordions with them for the trip, they return this Tuesday 11th May. They should be popular people at the club with their tales of Accordion factories and things Italian. Gina and Romany Rye have just returned from a Texas accordion convention where they were guest artists, they are probably full of interesting information about their trip as well. It will be interesting asking both the above about their respective trips.
Our Next Practice Night
Our next practice night is on Wednesday 26th May 1999. On practice nights the doors open a little later than normal club nights, I aim to get there between 7.30 and 7.45. for an 8pm start, we finish at 11pm as usual. The practice nights are a bit like a club nights breaks but without an audience, they are attended by players and non players and consist of people practicing, lots of chatting & getting to know people and lots of coffee being drunk. Why not join us.
Marcosignori - Guest artist at Stockport Club
Stop Press: Stockport A/C 19th May, Marcosignori, Tel. 0161 480 8858