Internet Video Jukebox #26
December 2020
Curated by Paul Walker
Full marks to James Dangarfield, ICA reader in Australia who alerted me to Homebaked Concertina series of concerts. Here’s number 2 – catch Lee Knight playing the Klezmer tune “A Night in the Garden of Eden”.
Steve Taggart has been sleuthing the web for your delectation, readers, & has has uncovered many Duet concertina performances, he comments:-
Jim Bayliss – “The Breeze & I” (Originally called ‘Andalucia’ with music by Ernesto Lecuona) played on a Wheatstone 82 button Hayden duet concertina.
“Folk blues of the easily misunderstood – RAH: Were you born under a star of misfortune? Have you suffered through failure because people constantly misunderstand you? Here’s 2 original songs for you. Let’s change our stars. I’m finally playing this 100 year old Lachenal! Plow through the resistance bros. “ “A Short Stroll” and “The Refugee” written by RAH”.
“Godfather Waltz” on Hayden Duet -Duet Concertina Garmoshka Godfather Waltz/ Nino Rota/ from Lithuania, I’m guessing.
Raymond Devos (and friend) -Quelle merveille !!! – “La marine (concertina)”
l didn’t know of the latter, until l saw him described as “the new Gorck”. l think they must have meant Grock.
A really lovely bit of playing here by Thomas Restoin. Music Wmatins d’Automne” by Claude Thomain. l believe the film Modern Times also included the song “Smile” composed by Charlie Chaplin, but this piece is right up there with it, in my opinion.
l hesitate to put “on Duet concertina” as does the caption, remembering as l do that several of these boys play on some most unusual one-off “specials”.
This is reader Stephan Spohner writing from Germany (in response to last issue’s Jukebox). “Steve T wished, he spoke German, so I will translate the words from the Concertina from Hell-video.” In his Video Stefan said: “Die Konzertina ist ein vielseitiges Instrument, man kann traditionelle Sachen drauf spielen, aber auch Rock. Mein Instrument ist 100 Jahre alt. Ursprünglich wurde da andere Musik drauf gespielt. Ich benutze viele Gitarreneffekte, das macht die Sache etwas interessanter und machmal ist es überraschend – sogar für mich – was da rauskommt. Ich spiele alleine, ich bin eine one-man-band und damit die Sache etwas interessanter wird, habe ich mir eine Stopnbox gebaut, die bringt ein bißchen mehr Schmackes. Und dann benutze ich noch einen Looper, aber hauptsächlich nur, um Rhythmus zu machen.”
Translation: “The concertina is a versatile instrument, you can playtraditional stuff on it, but also rock. My instrument is 100 years old.Originally it was used for another type of music. I like to use tons ofguitar effects, which makes it more interesting and sometimes theresults are surprising – even for me. I play alone, I am a one man band.To make things more interesting I built me a stompbox, which providesmore power. On top I use a looper, mainly for providing rhythm.”
“Stefan Böhmer is a really nice guy, he played for us in our small village for about 30 people and is was more kind of a party than a concert.” Concertina from Hell part2! – “Dust my Broom.”
Steve Taggart continues: Paul, just a bit of fun and nowt to do with concertinas this one l’m afraid, but l’ve always liked this tune ever since l heard Phil Hopkinson play it on McCann it at a meeting of the Midlands Group. Reminded of it by the current crop of CW “goodies” l had a bit of a trawl and came up with this gem. lt actually does seem quite a bit of an effort to operate the thing as he does appear to be working very hard.lt also interested me as l am (still) in the process of building a little hand-cranked street organ that l started rather too many years ago. “Hong Kong” a jazz one-step (1916) Joe Rinaudo at the American Fotoplayer.
Something completely different No. 2. A Town With An Ocean View From ”Kiki’s Delivery Service” ; Composed by Joe Hisaishi –played by: コンサーティーナ周辺を巡る旅–gene.
Dirk Laas – “Concertina Boogie” Dirk (Cornelius) Laas (1923 — 1995) was a concertina player who played with some of South Africa’s most prominent boeremusiek figures, including Hansie van Loggenberg, Duffy Ravenscroft, and Collie Burger. Dirk Laas loved boeremusiek and died from a heart attack while playing the concertina. Unlike most boeremusiek players, he also loved Jazz. Unfortunately, it does not appear as if any of his Jazz numbers were recorded — so here is the next best thing: his “Concertina Boogie”, which he composed with Neels Steyn. This recording, in which he was backed by Duffy Ravenscroft’s band, was also the tune which put him on the map.
Many thanks to Steve Taggart for all his hard work researching clips.
STEVE TAGGART- A SHORT BIO: Steve, a qualified craft teacher, spent much of his life as a musical instrument repairer, working in and around the beautiful Georgian market-town of Stamford, in Lincolnshire. He acquired his first playable concertina, Wheatstone No.1428, from an open-air market stall, back in the 1960s. Steve’s main musical interest these days is in making, and trying to play, his own arrangements for the 48-key English concertina, of light-classical pieces, jazz standards, songs and folk tunes. He would describe himself as a “non-performing soloist”.
By Jeremy Hague ICA Librarian