• All About Jazz: Accordion Three-Fer
  All About Jazz reviews three recent jazz accordion releases by Angelo DeBarre/Ludovic Beier (Paroles de Swing), Lola de Valance (Eaux Troublés), and Richard Galliano (If You Love Me (L’Hymne à L’Amour)).
• Idi Amin Playing Accordion
  After The Last King of Scotland was released, I read how Forest Whitaker learned to play accordion as he prepared for his role as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. But, until now, I’d never actually seen a clip of Amin playing. (Probably not the ideal poster boy for the accordion, though…)
• How Being ‘There’ at Right Time Paid Off for State Farm Musicians
  The Monkees have nothing on the made-for-TV band Los Felinos de la Noche. Advertising Age tells the story of how they met during the filming of a State Farm commercial and became a successful, touring band.

Do you dig jazz accordion? Yesterday’s Boston Globe has a glowing review of a recent performance by Cory Pesaturo, a 21-year-old jazz accordionist from Boston. Pesaturo is the only accordion player at the New England Conservatory of Music and, according to the Globe, “makes the instrument sound as natural and native to jazz as the saxophone or trumpet.”

Pesaturo switches between acoustic and digital accordions, using the latter to play solos as different “instruments” simultaneously. In an interview with the Providence Journal, he mentions how people are often surprised by the accordion’s versatility:

“It catches people’s eyes, and you can do anything with it. Most people think it’s only the polka box, but you can do totally everything.”

He’s just released a new album, Change in the Weather, with saxophonist George Garzone, who’s a teacher at the Conservatory where Pesaturo is a student. Here’s their rendition of a Cole Porter classic from that album:

Cory Pesaturo: What Is This Thing Called Love? (MP3 download)

Always wanted to live in New Orleans? Looking for a band? Ben Schenck of the Panorama Jazz Band is looking for an accordion player:

“I’m hunting for an accordionist, someone who’d like to consider relocating to New Orleans. I need someone with hot-shot chops, who can read charts and knows klezmer and jazz. Balkan and Caribbean would be nice, too.

We stay pretty busy. Work mostly in and around New Orleans with occasional trips. We do one weekly set in a downtown bar room plus weddings, bar mitzvahs, private parties, music festivals, etc.”

If you’re interested (or know someone who might be), you can contact Ben through the Panorama Jazz Band’s website.

NPR aired an excellent review yesterday of Ojos Negros, the new album by Argentinian bandoneon great Dino Saluzzi and German cellist Anja Lechner. Saluzzi and Lechner have been collaborating for years and play chamber music rooted in Argentinian folk traditions.

Their music floats between classical and jazz, combining the formal structure of Saluzzi’s compositions with intimate interplay and improvisation between the bandoneon and cello. They’re touring the United States this month, including a show during the “Compressing the World” accordion music series at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles.

You can listen to the full review on the NPR website:

Ojos Negros: A Mix of Highbrow and Funky (NPR, 3:35)

Accordions are still all too rare in jazz, but Will Holshouser is doing his part to change that. A master accordionist, composer, and improviser, Holshouser’s unique sound crosses a wide range of genres, from chamber-jazz to folk to avant-garde and experimental.

It’s no surprise given his eclectic list of collaborators; in addition to his own band, the Will Holshouser Trio, he has played with David Krakauer & Klezmer Madness, Matt Munisteri & Brock Mumford, Musette Explosion, and numerous others. In a recent interview, Holshouser talked about the relationship between jazz and folk in his music, with emphasis on his involvement in klezmer:

“Playing klezmer has certainly changed the way I play the accordion. Among other things, I’ve learned to spit out runs of notes, to play peppery, dry, percussive chords, and to use ornamentation to tease out harmonic color. Many of these musical nuts and bolts are interesting and quirky, but what’s really fascinating is how they create such compelling effects — how they punch through our daily existence and help us to have these musical and emotional experiences that are so fulfilling.”

Most of Will’s original work is with the Will Holshouser Trio, which includes skilled improvisers Ron Horton on trumpet and David Phillips on bass. Their latest CD, Singing to a Bee, was recorded live in Faro, Portugal, during the Jazz No Inverno Festival in December 2004. To show you their versatility, here’s a track from that album that teeters between zydeco and jazz:

Will Holshouser Trio: Far Away Home (MP3 sample)

Enjoy jazz or showtunes? Check out Daccorduett — a new project from singer Konni Deppe and accordionist Andreas Hermeyer. Together, they give warm treatments to classic melodies like Henry Mancini’s “Crazy World” and “You and Me” (both from Victor/Victoria). They’ve played a handful of shows in Germany so far and are hoping to release a full album sometime this summer.

Daccorduett: Crazy World (MP3 download)