I sense another jag of fun events coming on, so I’d better radio in on the ones that have happened in the recent past. From the top, the extremely fun and informative accordion workshop in Eagle Rock–basically, Accordion 101, in the Eagles Lodge, Aerie #2188.
You got your history of conjunto, a breakdown of the parts of the accordion, both piano and button-box, a bunch of throwaway song and musician references from early accordion pioneers (Narciso Martinez), to norteño to vallenato to cajun/zydeco, and performances to boot.
It does not happen nearly often enough, in real situations, that life turns into a musical. However, the workshop, led by accordionist Otoño Luján of Conjunto Los Pochos, also featured some guests, including a cajun/zydeco accordionist member of the Hurricajuns, and a civil engineer/mariachi player turned accordionist/SAG actor, who had only been playing a year, yet could totally roll with the several numbers played, with the addition of a bajo sexto player, too.
I didn’t get the song names, because I put down my notebook at that point, and was either noodling with the accordion myself, or kind of sucked into the whole song, wondering how the guy next to me know all the words, which reason I would later find out.
It was a way convivial crowd of about twenty, many of whom came in hauling toaster-shaped accordion bags. And there were some beauties of instruments, both Italian and German (Hohner). Everybody got to play with the Castiglioni, keyed out like an Italian flag (above photo). People hung out to chat and swap cards afterwards. For a minute I had a “Japan moment,” as the business cards were flying. But then I remembered I had just seen two musicians plus guests play and talk for two hours, for ten bucks. And that’s not even close to the bargain of 5 bands for $10, and BBQ and all the Newcastle you can drink for $9. Whoa, labors of love.
Among the audience were a Chicano lit teacher and blogger, a kid wearing this t-shirt, with his mom, taking lots of pictures, another art-school kid with a piano accordion, a lady who works for the LA Opera and plays the bandeléon bandoneón, the leader of an all-women’s tango orchestra (again: whoa), and a bunch of old-timers with various models of accordion. The shocker for me was the one in beautiful marbled cough-drop blue and white, a Hohner.
Three of the things I really like best about Japanese music audiences in Japan were on view here, too: the mad commitment to hobbies, hell or high water; the super-promiscuous interest in different styles of music, even if you yourself only play Tejano music or polkas; and the span of ages, across generations.
It is refreshing to be reminded that not all popular music has to be a throwback to a teenager’s bedroom.
Posted by thesecretingredientiswater 
Posted by thesecretingredientiswater 
