JUNE 2016 - accordion-club-sandiego.org 2016 Volume 23 Issue ... if you intend to play your...

JUNE

2016

June 2016 Volume 23 Issue 6

RSVP and checks are due by June 2, 2016.

Make check payable to ALSI and send to: The REED BLOCK c/o Mary Lou Erwin P.O. Box 712571 Santee, CA 92072

Number of people attending _______ $___________ total enclosed.

Indicate total number of sandwich preferences: ______Beef or _____Chicken

Names of people attend-

ing:____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

Please cut this page up and mail your reservation to Mary Lou so

she can order our lunch. Also, call Bob Warner and let him know

if you intend to play your accordion so he can make a play list or

else you will have to take your chances on the sign up sheet.

Cost is $13 for ALSI members, $14 for non members. Some meal tickets

will be available at the picnic for $15, so ok to bring a last minute friend.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE by Gordon Kohl

Harold & Helen Estok

Founders of A.L.S.I.

President:

Gordon Kohl

619-395-0454

Presidents Emeriti:

(Founder) Harold Estok

Ron Griffin

Kjell Holmes

Gloria Ensign

Vice President:

Mary Lou Erwin

619-448-9588

Meeting Coordinator:

Bill Barr

619-337-1111

Treasurer &

Ensemble Director:

Vicki Eriqat

619-563-5586

Recording Secretary:

Sharon Marotte

619-286-3948

Newsletter/

Webmaster:

Bob Page

760--815-4783

Ted Hill

619-276-5890

JUNE

2016

Volume 23 Issue 6 June 2016

Hello ALSI Friends! Summer is almost here again!

The weather is feeling great. Take

some time and go to the beach in the

late morning or afternoon. We are going to have some fantastic days

ahead for beach lovers. It is also time

for a “fantastic” day at beautiful and

pristine Lindo Lake park June 12th. I

am hoping many ALSI members and

friends of accordion music will plan to

come to this event. All Accordionists,

of any level are all welcome to play

two of their favorite solos at the pic-

nic. I think it would be fun to have

a name that tune section in the after-

noon. Well, what do you all think

about this idea? Whatever we decide

to do at the panic, it will be super. Thanks to a generation of Accor-

dion music students, players, competi-

tors, and dancers we have enjoyed a

plentiful group of accordion events to

attend yearly. Now that many of us

have grown up with our music for for-

ty years, many events are ending in

America. For the few conventions and

competitions that remain, they will

need our help to remain successful.

For these events to continue to exist,

we need to attend them. It is apparent with the younger

generation accordion enthusiasts and

world music followers that the instant

curiosity and the web interaction has

supersede a desire for live musical

performances. This is true today

with America’s symphony orchestra

world. There are fewer full time

classical symphony orchestras left .

The number of performances is al-

most as getting fewer. We, the music lovers, can

help events survive as well as our

very own accordion club. Be active

and participate when possible. Your

talent and experiences around the

world of live music and with your

accordion playing will help music

events thrive and multiply. I hope all accordionists out

there who are not part of A.L.S.I.

will enjoy coming to our meetings.

You are welcome to join or just visit

our club and engage the world of ac-

cordion music with us. Together

new musicians and those of us who

have played our entire life can learn

new ideas from each other. The ex-

perience of sharing live music is a joy

to feel. This fosters players and lis-

teners to be a integral part of music

in the future. The Accordion music experi-

ence is worth saving and enjoying for

audiences of any age!

— Gordon —

HAPPINESS AT ALSI - by Erika Baier

Our ALSI May 1st meeting was held at Bailey Hall at 12.30 on a crisp, cloudy day.

Players around the village were: Brandel – Jerry Odling, Cafeteria – Vicki Eriqat.

Bob Page was the first player of the day. His songs were: Moonglow, La Vie

en Rose, All I ask of you and Don’t get around much any more. He plays

with so much expression and what a pleasure to listen to.

Marilyn Harkins was next. She played: Abide with

me and Varsouviana. You are getting better all the

time!

Loren Gardner thought the band would play but was ready to play solo in-

stead. His selection was: Star Dust , Styrman’s Waltz, Backes Polka and

Marylin Valtz.

Jerry Odling chose to play about three famous cit-

ies in Europe: Wonderful Copenhagen, Vienna—

City of my dreams and Under Paris Skies.

Al Jacobs – The afternoon wouldn’t be complete without you playing, Al!

These were the songs he chose to play: Anything goes, Cheek to cheek, Just

one of those things, Dancing in the dark, Night and Day and Begin the Beguine.

With the help of Lois Lahoud I was busy collecting the money. Everybody enjoyed coffee and

cookies that Jane Ford always has ready in time.

After the break we were all looking forward to the Concert of Bonnie Birch.

BONNIE BIRCH SHOWCASE by Bob Warner

MAY 1, 2010

We looked forward to having Bonnie Birch back with us again! With her pleasing personality and artistic skills the afternoon was an entertaining interlude to say the least. This time she played with a new accordion, the Model AM1000 Leggara by Petosa, a fine sounding acoustic instrument. Her tech-nique and interpretive skills are superlative and the program content had enough variety for everyone. She began her program with an excerpt from the “ESPANA RHAPSODY” by Chabrier in quick waltz tempo for a warmup. The right hand plays a catchy staccato rhythm using three and four finger chords. She followed this with a brisk German march which fits well with the accordion. We heard next a medley of classical pieces which demonstrated the versatility of the accordion. ‘La Donna e Mobile” should have been recognizable to most people. Theme music from the Godfather movie was especially nice including the tarantella at the end. In the theme music from the movie “AMILE” Bonnie used differ-ent combinations of the three middle treble reeds to highlight the tuning differences. In waltz tempo this piece has a repetitive, melancholy melody that increases in volume from beginning to end. From the opera “CARMEN” Bonnie played a Seguidilla followed by the “DANCE BOHEME”, prominent pieces in Verdi’s opera. Tempo and interpretation were right on. It seems that Irish music and the accordion were made for each other as Bonnie’s Irish medley showed. “PEG OF MY HEART” came across nicely in swing tempo. Shifting to the Spanish genre “EL CUMBANCHERO” gets our at-tention with its fast pace and popular melody. Bonnie plays all of these pieces with clean treble work and great bellows control. She doesn’t over power the accordion. You will hear no screaming reeds that go off pitch or bellows breaks at the wrong time. Bonnie next played a very challenging and interesting variation of “Rachmaninoff’s Prelude In C Sharp minor.” Part of the arrangement was standard, the rest in rag time. The French musette “THE SORCEROR” was next and it was just right for the tuning of her accordion. There was a lot of treble work in this arrangement. This next piece, called “FLICK FLACK”, a novelty, could be the show stopper. It was fast, tough and performed perfectly. Her presentation ended with an encore of “DARK EYES”. At this time Gordon Kohl joined Bonnie for an informal, unrehearsed jam. They started with “AMAPOLA” followed by “CHERRY PINK AND APPLE BLOSSOM WHITE”, “CEST MAGNIFIQUE”, and finishing with a polka. With two professionals playing the jam was highly entertaining. The audience was highly appreciative of Bonnie’s program. We hope she will be back again soon.

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO - UPCOMING ALSI EVENTS

Next ALSI Meeting

June 12th Our June Picnic at Lindo Lake Park in Lakeside!

Sunday, June 12. will be our 23rd Annual ALSI picnic starting at 11:00. Lunch will be served from 12:30 to

1:30. The Barbeque Pit will cater our event like last year. The menu is BBQ Beef or Chicken sandwich plate

served with potato salad, coleslaw and baked beans. A chocolate brownie for dessert will finish off the meal.

The club will provide lemonade and ice water.

There will be an opportunity for everyone to play. Invite your friends and family to join us for this picnic

outing! The famous ALSI band directed by Vicki Eriqat will also perform before the lunch break.

Cost is $13 for ALSI members, $14 for non members. Some meal tickets will be available at the picnic for

$15, so Ok to bring a last minute friend. Please send in the reservation form on the front page to Mary Lou.

Some chairs will be there, but it would help if you have one to bring. Do not forget to also bring your ac-

cordion.

Happy Birthday to you

all!

6/5 Miriana Ferino

6/14 Juergen Rosenfeld

Penny Page 6/7

Bob Page 6/30

A Very Happy Anniversary

Wish In June To:

Roy & Ardith Birdsell- 6/30

PICNIC MAPS

From Hwy 67, take the Winter Gardens turnoff going south to the traffic light. Turn

left onto Woodside Ave and continue straight. The road will curve to the right into

Lindo Ln. Continue driving by the park. Turn left onto Park St., you will see a large

VFW building on the corner. Picnic area is a short distance on the right, look for the

large gazebo. Parking can be difficult, early people can find spaces in the loop.

X

July 10th Patriotic day at ALSI.

ALSI band will play.

July 10th Showcase by Gwen Shoemaker.

Gwen is a member of the Melodions. She will be playing her

own solos and selections to entertain us. ALSI looks forward to

her presentation.

July 10th Workshop by Bob Page.

Bob will present Latin rhythm and improvisation. His lead

sheets, The Girl from Impanema and Meditation, will

be used to work on accordion technics. Please see last two

issues of the reedblock for the music.

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO - contined

August 14th In the works, TBD.

Sept.ember 11th In the works, TBD.

October 9th Octoberfest in Balboa Park

Accordion Events to Travel To !

August 8 - 11th Las Vegas accordion

convention.

August 20 - 21th Cotati (near Santa Rose, Calif.) accordion event.

This event is held in the center of the city in a closed-off outdoor park

with nice big trees to provide shade. Gordon will set up his 10x10

tent to do accordion sales. Many other accordion and food vendors

will surround the place. A wild variety of accordion performances will

be on stage all weekend. There is a dance tent which host polka

music during the day and Zydeco in the evening.

A.L.S.I. is on

the WEB at

www.accordion-

club-sandiego.org

Back issues of the

REED BLOCK

newsletter

are found there.

Gordon Kohl

Plays Casuals, Weddings Dances and

Special Events. Gordon’s Combo is noted for their repertoire of ethnic music such as Ital-

ian, French, German and Latin, Their specialty is

Private Parties & Dancing Music. (For more information and future

availability. please call Gordon at:

619-395-0454.)

PATRIOTIC MUSIC

Member Spotlight - Jane Ford - by Lois Lahoud

Jane was born in New York City. She

began her interest in music at the age of 8 with

piano lessons. She also sang duets with her

younger sister, Margueret. When she was 10

she was inspired by Lawrence Welk’s music and

began taking accordion lessons (on a 120 base)

at the New York School of Music. In 1954, she

and her fellow students played at Carnegie Hall.

She attended Brown Business School.

Upon graduation she began working In the Diet Kitchen at several hospitals. She also worked in

the garment district and became experienced

on machines that assemble garments: the but-

tonholer and button sewer and others. She also

worked in a hat factory.

Her main career lasted 32 years with the VA

and she transferred here from New York in

1990. Her last 18 years with the VA she was a

Surgical Scrub Tech in the O.R. She also served the VA as an Ombuds-man, under the auspices of the Director’s Of-

fice, solving problems for patients. It was while

working at a hospital that she met the love of

her Life, James. They were married for nearly 30

years. Her favorite kinds of music are jazz and

blues, and her favorite musician is Art Van

Damme. Jane is a talented, multifaceted individ-

ual. She has studied Ballet, Tap, Ballroom Danc-

ing, Karate, Pottery, Flower Arranging (also

worked in a flower Shop), Voice, Piano, Banjo

and Ukulele with the Hui Uke Club, and Accor-

dion with Tom Baxter, Gloria Ensign and Lou

Fanucchi. She is also an accomplished seam-

stress (and is Wardrobe Mistress for the ALSI

Band). While a member of the Mira Mesa Wom-

en’s Club she completed 25 quilts (donated to

hospitals here and abroad) and over 1000 com-

fort pillows to be used by people who have un-

dergone breast cancer surgery. She still makes

these pillows and photos of her creations are on the Mira Mesa Women’s Club website. She also

made the Naugahyde cases to hold the music

stands used by the ALSI Band. She still does al-

terations for her friends and church congrega-

tion. Her current role with ALSI has been to

organize seating and refreshments for the

monthly meetings. She creates centerpieces,

makes the coffee (arriving early, as the pot takes

an hour to brew). In general she transports

what is needed to the meeting room to make

the food service run smoothly.

THANK YOU, JANE, FOR ALL YOU DO!

FEBRUARY 8, 2015

Chuck has been a relatively fre-

quent visitor here at ALSI. We appreciate

his taking the time from his busy sched-

ule to visit with us. This time he arrived

with his Roland F7X all electronic accor-

dion using the Midi output to drive a BK-

7M backup box that accurately reproduc-

es a host of orchestral instruments and

accordion. He also played the Roland

FX7 by itself. Chuck plays a smooth style

of dance and easy listening music and

sometimes singing along as he plays. He is

a very competent player, comfortable

over the keyboard and very knowledgea-

ble in the operation of his instruments

and equipment. The acoustic accordion

has received a huge assist with the addi-

tion of electronic sounds in the last 20 or

CHUCK HENRY SHOWCASE - by Bob Warner

30 years. Times change, the public tastes

in music change. Chuck is on the forefront

of those changes. Chuck began his program with the

BK-7M box using a pre-programmed back-

up rhythm and various band instruments

carrying the melody. His “SPANISH HAR-

LEM” was a mellow, danceable piece fol-

lowed by a familiar country song with his

vocals. Chuck uses a variety of instruments

in these pieces choosing them seamlessly

and smoothly. We hear sax, trumpet, piano,

organ, guitar and many more. A swing ver-

sion of “IF I WERE A RICH MAN” from

Fiddler on the Roof was very entertaining.

Chuck is a good swing player as we heard

with “IN THE MOOD”. Nobody is going to

get bored hearing the same sounds when

he uses his setup. Piano from the BK-7M is

really pure. In his version of “SPANISH

EYES” he worked in a very nice acoustic

accordion sound in mellow combinations

with other instruments. Playing the Roland by itself he began

with the “CHICKEN DANCE” using a real-

ly nice middle reed voicing followed by a

mix of other instruments and different ac-

cordion voicings. Then we hear the drink-

ing song heavy on sax. The instrument

voicings he used in “HELLO DOLLY” were

very accurate. This was a very nice ar-

rangement in fast 4/4 time. Back to the BK

-7M we heard “YACKETY YACK”, “BORN

FREE” and then ending with a swinging

dance piece. This was Chuck’s last piece

before proceeding to a scheduled work-

shop which he would lead.

— Continued on next page —

Chuck Henry Showcase—Contined

Chuck’s setup is ideal for playing dance gigs. By carefully layering

in the various instruments with acoustic accordion he is able to sound

like a band or ensemble. It was an enjoyable afternoon and I’m sure

Chuck will be back with us again.

***

Gigging with a digital hybrid accordion that has artisan quality hand-

made accordion reeds and an extensive digital instrument library has been

very enjoyable for me. The digital accordions today give me the tools I

need to play great orchestral and solo arrangements as musically required

in today’s gigging stage. I am able to mix an acoustic reed Accordion tone

with other solo, orchestral and synthesized instrument voicings.

These new age digital accordions make new musical horizons possi-

ble for me and the many new young accordionists who only know the digi-

tal technologies built Into musical instruments today. The movie industry

has opened up new doors for song writers, and musicians like the digital

accordionist. I believe that technology is still improving for the key-

boards and accordions. It may be another generation or so before a major-

ity of accordions will be digital reedless sampled instruments.

I am glad that I have been able to learn and play both an acoustic

and electronic/digital accordions. Whether we play an acoustic or digital

accordion we still can play with feeling and technic. Have fun combining

your talent and imagination with your music. As my teacher’s would say

“THE SKY IS THE LIMIT’’ ! Accordion with beautiful sounding Swedish

steal and Italian artisan quality reeds has helped me compete with the

Keyboardist

Digital Accordions by Gordon Kohl

On

the

Move !!!

This part of the newsletter is for members to interact with the club. This

section is especially needed for members of the club who do not come to

our regular meeting and want to keep in touch with fellow accordion play-

ers and friends. Please email me (Ted) at [email protected] with com-

ments and pictures or phone me at 619 276-5890.

On May 27, the ALSI band will be playing at Meadowbrook at the commons center for the residents.

On the Road....

Jack Marotte spent a weekend in Spokane, WA celebrating his sister, Sharon's, 75th birthday. He

enjoyed a great family reunion there. Then Jack & Sharon Marotte went on a road trip for two

weeks - 3568 miles. They visited Fredricksburg & Luckenbach, TX. Katy, TX was another

stop to visit Sharon's daughter & family - to celebrate granddaughter Haley's 12th birthday.

Dallas, TX was the next stop to visit a dear friend, then on to Norman, OK to meet Jack's

daughter, Lyn. She was given up for adoption and has now been re-united. We also visited the Me-

morial for the OK Bombing in 1995, went to Toby Keith's restaurant & did a river boat ride. On to

Albuquerque, NM to visit Jack's daughter - we played Bingo & I won $7, then to Dewey/

Humboldt/Prescott Valley, AZ to visit friends. We arrived home safely in between some bad

weather but we were very lucky to miss it.

Did anyone leave a pair of sunglasses at my house at the party. Call me if so. ?

More Digital Accordion Info from Gordon Kohl

The electronic accordion instrument has been an attraction for many accordi-

onists for fifty years. Accordionists have been able to add so many wonderful musi-

cal sounds to their own acoustic accordion song play lists. Today the electronic ac-

cordions are designed with digital sampled instrument voices. A digital accordion

now many have hundreds of individual Instrument sampled voices to choose from, it

is like going to a candy store. There are so many choices to choose from that you

may be overwhelmed at a glance.

Monthly Newsletter ALSI

Statement Of

Purpose:

ALSI is San Diego’s forum

for appreciating and per-

forming accordion music,

including the MIDI elec-

tronic accordion We welcome members who

enjoy listening to or playing

accordion music. We have an accordion en-

semble group, monthly

meetings, local concerts

featuring local and interna-

tionally famous performers,

an annual picnic and a

monthly newsletter.

JUNE

2016

EDITION

The REED BLOCK

c/o Mary Lou Erwin

P.O. Box 712571

Santee, CA 92072

Quick Notes:

A.L.S.I. is on

the WEB at

www.accordion-

club-sandiego.org

Back issues of the

REED BLOCK news-

letter

are found there.

June 12th —ALSI picnic at Lin-

do Lake Park, Lakeside.

Starting at 11:00

July 10th —Showcase by Gwen Shoe-

maker.

July 10th - Latin Rhythm workshop

with Bob Page

Town of Castelfidar-

do, Italy. It is a small

place with many ac-

cordion factories.

The Victoria Accor-

dion Factory Is lo-

cated her

The people of the

town are so friendly

and welcoming.

Places in the town

are easy to get to by

foot, just keep a map

handy as these 13th century towns have many winding streets. It is

truly the city of the accordion, signs and shops for accordions are

everywhere.

JUNE 2016 - accordion-club-sandiego.org 2016 Volume 23 Issue ... if you intend to play your...

Documents

Transcript of JUNE 2016 - accordion-club-sandiego.org 2016 Volume 23 Issue ... if you intend to play your...