Leyland Accordion Club - 11th August 1999
Our August meeting got off to a fine start with Dugald McCallum playing La Valse Des As, a set of three reels, O' Bade and Tailspin, that last one Tailspin takes some playing and I think credit is due to Dugald for doing such a fine job. Basil provided a contrast with his rendition of Serenade in Blue, I've Got You Under My Skin and Embraceable You before he finished with a nice version of Cavatina. I was next to take the stage playing Oslo Waltz, Can't Help Falling In Love, Johnny Cash Medley, Sailors Hornpipe/Magic Roundabout and the Gracie Fields favourite Sally, not that I remember who Gracie Fields is but I do read books! This gave Jay and Jeff Ward chance to get ready to take us to the break playing Red Rose Café, Playa Silencio, Hear My Song-Violetta, Exactly Like You and After Your Gone. During the break we had second hand sheet music and accordions for sale brought in by some of the club members (if you have any music or accordions to sell then bring them along to the club), the tables near the door make a good selling place during the breaks. After the break we had a welcome return to the club of George Hicks who has had a recent illness.
One of our non players
George has recently moved from Liverpool to Crewe, we have to thank Dugald McCallum for driving from Liverpool to Crewe to pick George up and bring him to the club. George was joined by Jean Southern and, because he was borrowing Jeff's accordion, I had to sit behind him and hold the straps tight. George and Jean started off playing O' Solo Mio, La Paloma and Spanish Eyes before playing some of their regular tunes Bourasque, Perfidia and Sway. George finished the spot playing a solo - My Florence. After getting the feeling back in my hand from holding the straps together on Georges accordion during the above tunes I introduced Rebecca Postlewhite who assured me that she did not need her straps holding. Rebecca started with Reveil Musette, Whiter Shade Of Pale and finished with Sperantze Perdusa. Alan Gelling was next on the floor playing his white Corelli accordion. Alan started with a Tyroleon Medley then continued with Don't Laugh At Me and Snow Waltz before finishing with Tulips from Amsterdam. Our last player before the second break was Roy Mabbutt who plays a red Piermaria button accordion. Roy played us up to the next break with a French selection starting with Oh Marie, Under The Bridges Of Paris, Madame Madame, Pigalle and La Seine. After the break and the raffle we brought Dugald McCallum back to the floor to play Sky Of Seville. Rebecca then gave us two tunes in her second spot - Under Paris Skies and 12th Street Rag. I was the last solo player of the night playing Return To Sorrento before Jay and Jeff Ward finished the night off for us with their accordion and keyboard duet of Pennies From Heaven and I'll Remember April. It was now 11pm and time for home. It is always about 20 or 25 past eleven before the last people leave, some rush off at 11pm - they might be on a promise! Others chat and say their goodbyes to each other for another month.
If you are missing someone at the club until the next month you can arrange to meet at our practice nights which are not group training sessions as some people think, they are very informal social get togethers where our players share their knowledge with each other and drink lots of coffee. Non players are welcome at the practice nights and some do come down to join us. Now on to this month where we have another great night of entertainment lined up at our next meeting this Wednesday 8th September when we have Harry Hussey as our guest artist, Harry is a regular player at accordion festivals where he is often to be found in the pub, playing - not drinking, or in the restaurant playing while the rest of us eat our meals. Harry is normally to be found playing at accordion festivals, around the south of England during the summer or in France during the winter so it was nice to be able to bring him up to Lancashire this month. This will be another night not to be missed and I look forward to seeing you there. Some people like to come early for a chat before the concert starts so I make sure that the doors are open from 7.15pm and the concert starts at 8pm.
David Batty
And two more non players
Our Internet Website
Our Internet website has had 16042 visitors as at 6th September 1999, that's 1006 visitors since last month. I am about to have a spring clean of the site and make it load faster, a lot more interesting and because it has 'evolved' over time, I also intend to make it appear as though it has been thought about. I don't want to lose the 'let's browse around and find interesting things' aspects of the site and I also intend to make some slightly hidden areas which people will stumble across and be able to explore. I want the site to be faster and more intuitive for those looking round it. We have had loads of email messages telling us how good our site is and some people go as far as to say that it is the best accordion site on the Internet but we have to keep moving or those behind us might run us over. If you have any ideas for inclusion on the site then let me know, we have to promote the club and provide a service for all accordionists. Has anyone got any ideas?
Accordion Picnic
On the morning of Sunday 8th August it was raining so I knew it must be the day for our picnic. The rain gave up around 12 noon and I set off to prepare the field. By 2pm we had set up a stage from a trailer, a metal trellis and a tarpaulin. You could have been forgiven for seeing the likeness to Sydney Opera House but on a slightly smaller scale. The first cars started arriving around 1.40pm and parked themselves up with a good view of the stage. By 2pm we had 22 cars and over fifty people in the orchard. The entertainment started and, while the players did their bit I went to each car as they arrived and told them which frequency to tune their radio in to. I then helped many who had no idea which buttons to press to find the broadcast. The sound was brilliant, Dugald McCallum said it was the best reproduction he had heard from any accordion sound system at any venue. This was the start of five and a half hours of non stop accordion playing. We had solo artists, duets and even a trio of players who do not normally play together. One person went for a walk and came back to tell me that he could hear the concert blasting out from the local farmhouse, they were listening to us on the radio. There was good trade going on from the back of a car full of accordions for sale with Tom Bennett stepping in to be a demonstrator for potential buyers. Tom had to take his family home at teatime to get them to church and he was still listening to us on the radio on the first part of his drive home. We continued playing until 7.30pm when we decided to call it a day, this had been a great event that I want to turn into an accordion festival next year with guest artists running from Friday night until Sunday Night. The next day was a sad day when I turned my radio on in the car and there was just static where a brilliant concert had been. Did anyone else notice this?
Tom Bennett
Tom Bennett was rushed to hospital following a heart attack, he is now back home and recovering slowly. He might be at the club on Wednesday for a short while if he is feeling well enough. I made him a get well card on my computer art package featuring a naked woman accordionist on it which he says did him a lot of good. He will not be playing the accordion for a short while so it gives the rest of us chance to catch up with him. Hope you get better soon Tom.
Leyland Festival
I received a phone call last week from the organisers of Leyland Festival saying that they have heard about us and would like Leyland Accordion Club to feature in the music tent at the Festival next year. I said I was interested in putting together a group of players for this event and I was told that they will write to me officially. Walter Perrie came to visit me that same afternoon to do some recording and have his publicity photographs taken, he volunteered to be a part of the show. I hope we can open the eyes of some of the public about our club and the warmth of the people who follow the instrument. I know that this is Leyland Accordion Club but I also see it as Leyland Friendship Club. I have met lots of new friends at the club (about 150 of them) and, although I am always rushed off my feet organising things, I do try and say hello to as many as possible. Let's hope we meet lots more new friends at the festival next year and also at the club each month.
Wyre Accordion Club Visit
Twelve of us from Leyland went on an outing to the Wyre Accordion Club last month and had a great time, there were only two of us from Leyland playing the accordion (myself and Dugald McCallum), the rest were enthusiastic listeners or players who had not brought their accordions which is understandable when going to a new club. I have just had an email from Norway asking if a group could visit us, they were looking for a weekend visit which would not coincide with any of our concerts. We will have to see if another date becomes available to them.
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