Peter Bufano ran away to join the circus more than 20 years ago, making over 1000 appearances as a clown for Ringling Brothers, Circus Smirkus, and others. But he’s no longer just clowning around; today, he composes and plays accordion with his gypsy/klezmer-inspired circus music ensemble Cirkestra. According to Bufano, writing scores for the circus poses unique challenges:

“Often I have a month to write two hours of music. And it has to be flexible. It’s not like Broadway where you’re playing the same thing every night. Some nights the guys jumping through the fiery hoop make it and some nights they don’t, but the music has to keep going.”

(MP3 removed at artist’s request.)

Without releasing a record, Brooklyn’s La Strada has already built a loyal New York City following; so their fanbase should balloon after the release of their self-titled debut EP next Tuesday, February 24th. With swelling strings, soaring harmonies, and (of course) plenty of accordion, this passionate seven-piece is well on their way to removing the word “next” from their “next big thing” promise. To me, their sound is somewhere between Beirut and DeVotchKa — marrying old-world folk/Balkan stylings with modern American rock and then running away with it to join the circus.

La Strada: The Sun Song mp3

Buy La Strada by La Strada

While the headlines around yesterday’s Grammy Awards focused on the artists featured during the CBS telecast, we’re turning the spotlight on those noble, accordion-toting winners who flew under the radar at the pre-telecast ceremony.

It was no surprise that Jimmy Sturr walked away with his 18th Grammy for Best Polka Album. This was Sturr’s fourth consecutive win and, at this point, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where anyone else wins this category. (Per our interview with Jimmy three years ago: “I’ll [step down] when the New York Yankees do.”)

Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra: Hank’s Magic mp3

Buy Let the Whole World Sing by Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra

Meanwhile, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet took home the Grammy for Best Zydeco/Cajun Album. (Initially, we heard that Steve Riley won this award, but it turns out there was some confusion because both albums have the same title.) Unfortunately, I don’t have any clips from their winning album — but I did find one place where you can buy it online:

Buy Live At The 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival by Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet

Conjunto legends Los Tigres del Norte won once again for Best Norteño Album. They’ve already collected numerous Latin Grammys over the years and appear to have extended their dominion over the main awards ceremony as well.

Los Tigres del Norte: Rumbo al Sur mp3

Buy Raíces by Los Tigres del Norte

One of our longtime favorites, They Might Be Giants, won their second Grammy, this time for Best Musical Album for Children. The Here Come the 123s album and DVD has been in heavy rotation in our household for months and nothing calms our fussy baby faster.

They Might Be Giants: Hot Dog! mp3

Buy Here Come the 123s by They Might Be Giants

If you know of any other accordion artists who won hardware at the Grammys last night, let us know!

We’re just starting to explore the vast world of children’s music, but Pint Size Polkas by Uncle Mike and his Polka Band already sounds like a must-have for our collection.

Creator and Wisconsin polka musician Mike Schneider first heard polka music when he was five years old and, even then, the bouncy rhythms made a lasting impression. He recorded Pint Size Polkas “to help children and their families discover the good, clean fun that you will experience with polka music.” With songs like “Alphabet Polka,” “Numbers Schottische,” and “Tiny Bubbles in the Tub,” children will learn about the alphabet, numbers, and even hygiene while dancing to a polka beat.

If you’re in the Midwest, keep an eye on your local news — Mike’s been doing a number of local TV appearances over the past few weeks. If you miss those appearances, you can catch the video for “Jolly Lumberjack Polka” on YouTube.

Uncle Mike and his Polka Band: Jolly Lumberjack Polka mp3

Buy Pint Size Polkas by Uncle Mike and his Polka Band

We’re two weeks away from the Grammys and, while you probably won’t see Cedric Watson on TV, he could walk away with the Best Cajun/Zydeco Album award. A skilled multi-instrumentalist — he plays both accordion and fiddle — Watson is part of the recent Cajun/Zydeco youth movement that includes his old band the Pine Leaf Boys, Feufollet, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and many others. On his self-titled solo debut, Cedric creates music with strong Creole roots, playing a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material and Creole traditionals.

Cedric Watson: Cedric Zydeco mp3

Buy Cedric Watson by Cedric Watson

It’s hard to believe we haven’t mentioned The Gourds before, but the release of their excellent new album, Haymaker!, is the perfect occasion to make amends. Hailing from the musical melting pot of Austin, the Gourds’ music runs the gamut from straight country to swamp rock to Cajun, with a few stops along the way. As the Gourds enter their second decade, they continue to extend their fanbase with a reputation built on clever, heavily-referential lyrics and high-energy live performances.

Today’s download is “Country Love,” the opening track from Haymaker! In addition to Claude Bernard’s accordion, it features some of my favorite star-gazing lyrics since Wilco’s “California Stars.”

The Gourds: Country Love mp3

Buy Haymaker! by The Gourds

If you’ve ever thought “they just don’t feature enough throat-singing accordionists on Let’s Polka,” today’s your lucky day. Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun is a famous throat singer from Tuva (a southern Russian republic) who sings in the kargyraa style, a deep undertone technique. Oh, and he sings while accompanying himself on the accordion. Oiduppa’s singing is more emotional and less traditional than typical kargyraa but, then again, Oiduppa was a non-traditional guy, spending more than half of his life in jail. This song, written by Oiduppa and dedicated to the Tuvan people, comes from the album, Divine Music From a Jail.

Oidupaa Vladimir Oiun: How the Shadow is Clear mp3

(Special thanks to the guys in our local accordion/funk band, Sex With No Hands, for introducing us to Oidupaa.)

After the success of last month’s accordion advent calendar, we’re starting a new regular feature for 2009: MP3 Monday! Every Monday, we’ll kick off the week with a downloadable track from an accordion artist we think you should hear. This week’s song comes from French accordionist/composer Jacques Pellarin. Trained as a classical accordionist, Pellarin has branched out well beyond his roots to mix French, new tango, gypsy, and even klezmer influences into his music. Like many classical accordionists, Pellarin plays the bayan, the accordion’s chromatic Russian cousin.

Some sad holiday news to share: Swedish accordionist and Accordion Tribe member Lars Hollmer passed away on Christmas Day. I know he had been sick for some time; earlier this year, Seattle accordionist Amy Denio took Hollmer’s place on Accordion Tribe’s European tour.

Known for his improvisational and avant-garde work on accordion and keyboards, Hollmer was part of the pioneering Swedish prog rock group Samla Mammas Manna (and its subsequent offshoots) and collaborated with numerous artists over the course of his 40 years in music. Most of his recordings were made at his unique home and studio outside Uppsala, Sweden, called “The Chickenhouse.” One of my favorite Hollmer songs is “Boeves Psalm,” written around 1977 and dedicated to an uncle of Hollmer’s who had just passed away. There’s an all-accordion version on the first Accordion Tribe album, but I just can’t resist this beautiful orchestral arrangement.

Lars Hollmer: Boeves Psalm mp3

Buy Accordion Tribe by Accordion Tribe

(Thanks to Lauralee for passing the news along.)