Our September Concert
Our September concert started with myself playing Triste Sourire and Sailors Hornpipe until Colin Ensor was ready to take to the stage, Colin then continued with Please, Pavements Of Paris, Down Forget Me Not Lane and Domino. Basil Berry was our next player with September In The Rain, Autumn Leaves, A Man And A Woman, Charade and Unforgettable. It was now time for our guest artists Walter Perrie and Tom Cowing to start their first half with a set of warm up reels which were Circassian Circle, Bottom Of The Punchbowl, Flowers Of Edinburgh, My Love Is But A Lassie Yet and Spey In Speight. The next medley consisted of Westering Home, Bonny Dundee, Will Ye Go Lassie Go and Highland Cradle song. It was time for some accordion standards now starting with Bourrasque and Bel Viso, then continuing with Printemps, O Sole Mio, Funiculi Funicula, Amour and La Don E Mobile. To take us up to the break Walter played a scottish set of Aye Fond Kiss, Hot Punch and St Anne’s New High Level and finally Kilcurin Waltz. After the break we started our second half with Ann Parker playing Under Paris Skies and Beautiful Days, followed by her daughter Rebecca playing Moon River and Glamour Girl. Our next player was Barry Graham who was our last guest artist, Barry played Montys Czardas and Bel Fiore. As Barry left the stage Walter Perrie and Tom Cowing returned for their second half. The entertainment continued with My Homeland, Scottish Soldier and a set of reels including Johnny McNeil. After Moving Clouds, Walter continued with The Jacqueline Waltz, Hot Punch and Bonnie Dundee. It was now time for a set of reels including Ballachyle, Making Hay and D’Oiseau. Coquette by Frosini was followed by a Walter leaving the stage, and a set of reels were played by a friend of theirs called Cynthia and Tom Cowing. Walter then returned and himself and Tom played Brahms Hungarian Dance Number 5, a set of reels, Migliavacca and some Chopin waltzes. John Higham was then took to the stage to play a I Hear Music duet with Walter followed by No Regrets. It was getting near to the end of the night and time for a slow air, a march and then Bonny Galloway, Caddan Woods, Figaros Aria and Cuckoo Waltz. After thanking us for having them, Walter and Tom finished the night with a set of four fast scottish pieces. It had been a great night and Walter was certainly on form. There were many positive comments as people were leaving the room and a great time seemed to be had by all. David Batty
Postal Strike
Due to the postal strike I am posting this letter the week before the club night, in the slim chance it will arrive on time. The postal strike started two weeks before the club night so I had no warning or chance to get this out, I am posting it on Wednesday which is the first day that post has been collected or delivered since last Wednesday. Hopefully with a week to get to you, your reading this before the concert….
This Wednesday
This Wednesday is one of our great local players concerts featuring a wonderful collection of our own players doing their stuff. The entertainment along with the great company you always meet down at the club make this another not to be missed social occasion. Please bring along your accordion and give us a tune if you can play, we look forward to hearing all players, even with beginners its good to see where they are and then be able to watch their progress over the coming months and years. Please tell your friends about the club and bring them along for a great night out. Doors open at 7.30 for an 8PM Start. I will See you on Wednesday….
David Batty
Fleetwood Accordion Competitions
The Blackpool and Wyre Accordion Festival and the National Accordion Championships North West Area are to be held at Marine Hall, Fleetwood on Sunday 25th of November 2007. The adjudicators for the competition are Frederick Parnell, Mavis Parnell, Raymond Bodell, Wendy Farran and Ken Farran, There are also sections for Keyboard, Piano, Guitar and Voice. The evening will end with a presentation concert with the CIA and CMA World Champion. Julian Gonzales and a guest orchestra will also feature in the concert. For more details of the competitions or of the concert, contact the event organiser Gina ranelli on 01253 778764 or 822046. If you haven’t been to this event before and dont play then you might like to know that non players can turn up and watch the competitors competing throughout the day.
Coupe Mondiale
This prestigious International Competition is to be hosted for the first time in Scotland from Tuesday October 21st to Sunday October 27th, and the website containing the rules, schedule and all other information is now online. The CIA Coupe Mondiale, recognized as the most prestigious annual accordion competition of international scope, takes place in a different country every year, under the auspices of the Confederation International des Accordeonistes. This will be the 5th time that this event has been held in the United Kingdom – Brighton (1955), Leicester (1968), Folkestone (1984) and London (2001). “The Coupe Mondiale attracts accordionists and enthusiasts from all over the world. We are pleased to host such a diversity of talent in the UK, especially in the beautiful surrounds of Scotland,” says 2008 Coupe Mondiale Co-ordinator Anna Bodell. There will be over €10,000 in cash prizes being awarded to the winners of the six international categories and each first place winner will be featured in the Gala Finale Concert. Further details can be obtained from the competition website www.coupemondiale.org
Eastbourne In February
The winter accordion festival at Eastbourne is now booking up fast, places are possibly going to be sold out well before the end of the year. Artists booked so far include Gary Blair, Gary Blair Junior and Harry Hussey. If you do plan to go to Eastbourne from the 15th to 18th of February 2008 then give John or Jackie Romero a call on 01323 733700.
Travelling Folk
Archie Fisher’s Travelling Folk is on BBC Radio Scotland on Sky channel 0116 on Thursday 18th October 2007 from 20:05 to 21:58. This 1 hour and 53 minutes long programme features folk music from Scotland and beyond.
Caister Festival
I havent mentioned this before because I haven’t seen any details of it but I found this online….The annual festival ‘Accordions International 2007’, takes place at Haven Holiday Park, Caister, Norfolk, England, from November 1st to 5th. This year’s guest artistes include the trio ‘Accodemia’ – Vladimir Ushakov (Russia), Svetlana Stavitskaya (Latvia) and Sergei Likhachov (Russia), Bernadette Conlon, Valentin Osipov (Russia), Giancarlo Caporilli, plus UK accordionists Amaryllis, Gary Blair, Norvic Concordia, Bert Santilly, and Romano Viazzani. Vladimir Ushakov and Sergei Likhachov were guests at Caister in 1996, as members of the popular St Petersburg Musette Ensemble. Bernadette Conlon makes has toured the USA, Canada, China and Europe, and has won over 100 first places in competitions, including several Australian and South Pacific Accordion Championship titles to her credit. This will be her first appearance at a Caister accordion festival. The festival includes concerts, weekend orchestras, workshops, master classes, ‘free & easy’ playing, dancing and a trade show. The first Caister event was organised in 1986 by the late Malcolm Gee, and his legendary phrase that the weekend is “a total indulgence in accordions” remains true to the present time. Email: heather@accordions.karoo.co.uk
Eastbourne Goes
September 8th to 13th September 2008 will see John and Jackie Romero of Eastbourne Music Festival fame running their first festival at St. Audries Bay. This will be primarily teaching festival with other accordion entertainment throughout the six day festival. There will be two to three orchestras in the mornings and then numerous teaching sessions in the afternoon. Further details will be released shortly as and when they become available. As with the very successful Eastbourne Festival, this new St. Audries Bay festival will feature a well organised programme of events and concerts. Watch this space for further details.
Accordion Safari CD
The new CD from Rosemary Wright is called Accordion Safari. This CD contains a great mixture of popular tunes that are pruduced using good quality recordings. The tracks are A Swinging Safari, Accordeon Samba, Accordion Theme, Dancing Fingers, Elizabethan Serenade, Preludio, Jacqueline Waltz, Bourrasque, Chanson D’Amour, Tarantella Napoletana, Marcha Espanola, The Original Maigret Theme, Tango-Etude No 3, Comet Valse, Ritual Fire Dance, The 6.20 Two Step, Au Sommet Du Cervin, Seguidilla, Take Five, MacFarlane o’ The Sprotts, Highland Whisky, Staten Island and finally The Flying Scotsman. The CD is available for £13 including post and packing from Rosemary Wright, 23 Skye Way, Countesthorpe, Leicestershire, LE8 5TY. Telephone 0116 277 7631. You might have heard me play this at our last two concert nights in the break?
Newport Folk Festival
On BBC 4 (Sky channel 161) there is a programme about Bob Dylan at Newport Folk Festival. This is on Thursday 18th October 2007 from 00:30 to 01:50. This 1 hour and 20 minutes long documentary features Bob Dylan’s performances at the Newport folk festival between 1963 and 1965 – the time when Dylan changed the music of the world and changed himself from the fresh-faced cherub singing Blowin’ in the Wind to the rock ‘n’ roll shaman who blew pop music apart when he went electric.