Hi Everyone I hope you are keeping warm and have escaped the horrendous winter bug that has inhabited me for the last couple of months (and many other people)............ Seen it off though now – i think! J Ja an nu ua ar ry y C Cl lu ub bn ni i t te e with Harry Hussey and Lily’s Weepers What a wonderful event the January clubnite was yet again, even though we had the elements and the Met Office severe weather warnings to contend with. The ticket sales were tremendous and at 111 sold or assured, we closed down the ticket selling at that number. In the event the weather was not as bad as predicted but some members erred on the side of caution and stayed in and the count in the room was probably about 90. The tables were all set out with tea candles giving the room a great jazz club feel and there was also a commemorative programme for everyone containing a light hearted Holditch friendly jazz quiz from Terry Brunt. Trombonist Terry (also playing baritone horn) did a wonderful job again as band leader and Harry Hussey was on the front line with Pete Brown on trumpet and of course Terry. Peter (Pedro) Robinson was on guitar and banjo, Chris Pendlebury was on drums and yours truly on bass made up the rhythm section. Terry and Pete gave us some great vocals. We set off with Back Home in Indiana followed by All of me, Beautiful Dreamer, China Boy, The Birth of the Blues and The Best Things in Life are Free. There was a halt half way through when we sang Happy Birthday and presented a cake with candles to Graham Butler who was celebrating his 90 th birthday and his return to the club and band after a few days in hospital. The band then had a rest and Harry played a lovely medley which included Moon Glow and I Can’t Give you Anything but Love. Harry’s contribution to the band, as usual, was wonderful and North Staffs Accordion Club Newsletter February 2015 N No o 4 4 5 5 1 1 The North Staffs Accordion Club welcomes all accordion enthusiasts playing or non-playing. We hold a ‘Clubnite’ at Holditch Miner’s Welfare Club, Chesterton at 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month where entertainment is provided by club members or guest artists. The venue also hosts a band rehearsal all other Tuesdays and a beginners’ class every Monday at 7.30 pm and a class for schoolchildren on Mondays 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Phone 01782 823668.
Transcript
Hi Everyone
I hope you are keeping warm and have escaped the horrendous winter bug that has inhabited me for
the last couple of months (and many other people)............ Seen it off though now – i think!
JJJaaannnuuuaaarrryyy CCCllluuubbbnnniiittteee with Harry Hussey and Lily’s Weepers
What a wonderful event the January clubnite was yet again, even though we had the elements and the Met Office severe weather warnings to contend with. The ticket sales were tremendous and at 111 sold or assured, we closed down the ticket selling at that number. In the event the weather was not as bad as predicted but some members erred on the side of caution and stayed in and the count in the room was probably about 90. The tables were all set out with tea candles giving the room a great jazz club feel and there was also a commemorative programme for
everyone containing a light hearted Holditch friendly jazz quiz from Terry Brunt .
Trombonist Terry (also playing baritone horn) did a wonderful job again as band leader and Harry Hussey was on the front line with Pete Brown on trumpet and of course Terry. Peter (Pedro) Robinson was on guitar and banjo, Chris Pendlebury was on drums and yours truly on bass made up the rhythm section. Terry and Pete gave us some great vocals.
We set off with Back Home in Indiana followed by All of me, Beautiful Dreamer, China Boy, The Birth of the Blues and The Best Things in Life are Free. There was a halt half way through when we sang Happy Birthday and presented a cake with candles to Graham Butler who was celebrating his 90th birthday and his return to the club and band after a few days in hospital.
The band then had a rest and Harry played a lovely medley which included Moon Glow and I Can’t Give you Anything but Love. Harry’s contribution to the band, as usual, was wonderful and
TThhee NNoorr tthh SSttaaff ffss AAccccoorr ddiioonn CClluubb welcomes all accordion enthusiasts playing or non-playing.
We hold a ‘Clubnite’ at Holditch Miner’s Welfare Cl ub, Chesterton at 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month
where entertainment is provided by club members or guest artists. The venue also hosts a band rehearsal all other Tuesdays
and a beginners’ class every Monday at 7.30 pm and a class for schoolchildren on Mondays 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone 01782 823668.
what amazing solos and wonderful rhythms he seems to pluck out of nowhere. The first half drew to a close with When You’re Smiling and finally It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t got that Swing with a great two-way conversation with Terry singing in ‘scat’* and Harry ‘answering’ on accordion (pictured above left).
During the interval mince pies, lovely Christmas cake and sherry were served. We must thank Reenie McCarthy again for her donation towards the delicious Christmas cakes. At the end of the interval Terry briskly went through the quiz with the audience and then it was straight into the second set. First we played a wartime medley including It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, and then straight into Down by the Riverside. Two singers from the audience then got up, the first, Les Lawton, sang Hello Dolly followed by Delaine Wood who gave us Sweet Georgia Brown. Pedro then featured with Avalon followed by a solo again from Harry who played The Harry Lime Theme followed by the beautiful All the Things You Are. He then looked across at me and said we should do Tea for Two as a quartet, just him and the rhythm section, which was lovely. The full band resumed with Apple Blossom Time, a scary St. James Infirmary, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and a lovely What a Wonderful World. The evening was rounded off with When the Saints Go Marching In.
Yet again everyone had had a most enjoyable night judging from the sea of happy smiling faces that filled the room and I’m sure that everyone looks forward to Harry and the ‘Weepers’ returning next year.
*To scat is to use your voice as an instrument to create nonsense syllables to improvise over music.
How I Came to Play the Accordion By Ken Marek
I was first introduced to the accordion at the age of about 6 or 7 when my father bought a 48 bass Hohner which I still have today. He played a little – self taught – but he had arranged for me to have lessons with
Cynthia Barker. We lived in Weston Coyney at the time and used to travel by bus each week to her parents’ shop in Bucknall where, if I remember correctly, she used to teach in an upstairs room above the shop.
I continued with lessons for a couple of years until I suffered from a long illness during which I was absent from school for several months. After that I didn’t return to continue my musical education, perhaps a decision made on my behalf by my parents.
Fast forward 50 plus years and I noticed a small ad in The Sentinel which said that the North Staffs Accordion Club was running a session for beginners in the autumn of 2013. One of my lifelong regrets is not picking up where I left off all those
years ago – Better late than never, I thought!
Playing is not like riding a bike however so I’ve had to start from scratch – still struggling to read – but getting there. Many thanks must go to Geoff Millward, Greta, Steve and Graham and everyone else at the Monday night Beginners/Improvers group who all offer help and encouragement.
Many of our group were invited to my other club – Stoke on Trent Boat Club - when we held an open weekend in May 2014. It took place in glorious weather and we had booked the North Staffs
Accordion Band to entertain us on the Sunday afternoon and had the pleasure of showing some of my new friends around my boat during the interval.
None of our friends at the boat club know about my accordion so it came as a complete surprise when I turned up in the middle of a sketch during this last New Year’s Eve show. The theme was based on a 1940’s style ‘Concert Party’ with old songs and sketches. I appeared in a sketch based on ‘Allo Allo ’( see pictures). I played a couple of tunes that I’m familiar with, Lily Marlene and Amore, which I played at our November clubnite. It went well despite nerves and was well received by the audience.
One friend, a former Lord Mayor of Stoke on Trent, afterwards admitted that when I sat down and took my accordion out of the case he turned to his companion and said, “There’s no way Ken’s going to play that!”- thinking I was going to mime to a backing track. In his words he was ‘speechless’.
Our Very First Club Newsletters As the 28th January was our actual 30th birthday we thought that you might like to see the very first two newsletters.
Theme Nights The feedback we have had is that theme nights add a bit of interest to our clubnites and so to give you a bit more warning we have selected themes for our players’ nights for the rest of the year. A theme night does not mean that you can’t play from your own repertoire; it just means that for at least one of your selection you put a bit of effort into finding and presenting a theme piece. Brownie points if no one else selects the same one.
The next clubnite falls just four days after Valentine’s Day, and, as in previous years the theme for the night – Songs with Love in the title. There’s plenty to choose from.
The others are:
April: French music June: Waltzes August: Place Name September: A piece that you have not played at the club before November: Duets or small group
Accordions at the Castle in May
‘Accordions at the Castle’ will take place again this year at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool from the 10th to the 15th of May.
As always there will be top class entertainment in the evenings and during the day workshops and various group activities will be available or you can just relax and please yourself.
The organ trade show as well as the accordion trade area will be there again and Caroline Hunts will be exhibiting her fabulous vintage accordion collection.
The guests and artists will include Giancarlo Caporilli (Italy), Gennaro Rufollo (Italy), Jean Dauvin (France), Steve Roxton, David Vernon (Scotland), Denise & Stefan Andrusyschyn, Rosemary Wright, Harry Hussey, Bert Santilly and Alan Young.
There will also be dancing and late night jazz.
To book tel: 01780 782093 Diary
Members’ Adverts
Accordion Tuition. Pauline Hardwick Tel 01782 397248 Accordion and/or piano Stefan Andrusyschyn Tel 07958261024 Accordion and/or piano Mike Gibson Tel 01782 660865 Piano
For Sale
Roland FR-18 Diatonic V-Accordion for sale £1000 tel. 01625 432530
Barcarole Dominante 96 bass, 11 treble, 3 bass couplers. Includes case and is in good working order - only needs seeing. £250 (no offers). Phone 01782 323046
Galotta 26 treble, 2 voice, 48 bass in standard 6 rows, hard case, in good condition - £200. Tel. Brian 01538 382610
Fratelli Alessandrini modern accordion. Blue. 96 bass, 4 voice, musette, 9 treble couplers, 3 bass couplers, Hohner gig bag, full decoration, miked for amplification. Modern keyboard – black notes are blue. £1800. Tel. Rob Borrett 07428 079752
President Brian Shufflebotham Chairman Mike Richards 01782 642101 Secretary Steve Hughes 01782 787935 Treasurer Mike Richards (acting) 01782 642101
Committee
Every Monday 5.00pm-6.00 pm Accordion classes for young players at Holditch Every Monday 7.30 p.m. Beginners’/Improvers’ night at Holditch Tuesdays other than 3rd 8.00pm Band rehearsal at Holditch Every 3rd Tuesday of month 8.00pm Clubnite at Holditch 2nd Thursday of the month 12 noon
Chord Workshop followed at 1 p.m. by Solo Session, Knutton Ex-Servicemens Club
Tuesday February 17th 2015 Clubnite.Theme – Songs with ‘love’ in the title. Tuesday March 17th Guest artist – Rosemary Wright Saturday April 5th Leek Peace Festival May Sun 10th-Fri 15th ‘Accordions at the Castle’. Norbreck Castle Hotel,
Blackpool 17th to 19th April NAO UK Championships, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool Sat 14th and Fri 20th, Sat 21st March. See www.newcastlefestival.org.uk
Newcastle-u-Lyme Festival for Music, Speech and Drama
2015 30th anniversary year of our club
Tony Britton, Helen Brown, Graham Butler, Graham Hughes, Lily Lynch and Greta Moseley.
