February - 2007 - Accordiionaires Accordion Club

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Sharps ‘N’ Flats
ACCORDIONAIRES
Monthly Newsletter Since 1996
Volume 2007, Issue 2
February, 2007
In this issue:
♦Our Players♦
♦Meet Bill Centonze♦
♦Coming Events and More♦
♦Club Dues Are Due♦
____________________________________________________
Articles appearing in the Sharps ‘n’ Flats newsletter may not necessarily represent the official
policies of the ACCORDIONAIRES CLUB. The CLUB and its officers are not responsible for
statements by the editor or contributors. All contributions are accepted in good faith regardless if
they are funny or true.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
FEBRUARY MEETING WILL BE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 7 PM
VICTORIO’S RISTORANTE, 10901 VICTORY BLVD.,
N. HOLLYWOOD, CA. 91606
(818) 762-9000 or (818) 762-9951
The Accordionaires, Est. 1996
Mission Statement
The Accordionaires meets informally, monthly for the purpose of enjoying accordion music and to
promote the accordion and its artists. All types of accordion music are appreciated including
electronic and midi accordions. Members are encouraged to join the Accordionaires Ensemble
which performs regularly at our meetings and other invitationals. All members and guests are
welcome to attend Accordionaires meetings of their free will and at their own risk.
We are sad to announce that earlier this month Sam Costable’s eldest son died, suddenly and unexpectedly.
As many of you may know, just after Christmas Sam had a rather serious operation. Carol and Walt had gone
to visit Sam and learned what happened when they arrived. Our condolences go to Sam and his family. Our
best wishes to Sam for a speedy recovery from his operation—we all hope you will feel well enough to be
back with us very soon.
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January 16, 2007
Our pre-meeting music was provided by Misha Pak and Paul Tripodi. Misha, as always,
kept us tapping our fingers and toes as many of the Accordionaires came early to enjoy the
music and have their dinner. More food is sold per hour while Misha plays—yes! It’s an
established fact: folks are not only tapping their toes, but also chewing faster, and ordering
more.
Our business meeting was waived for the evening. That means more time for
music!!
Our first player was Janet Hane s student, Claudia Ayala. Claudia provided us with
great renditions of Little Star and Small World. Janet continually reminds us that the
accordion is alive and well and being played by wonderful young folks (who just
might become Accordionaires a few years from now). A big thank you to Claudia
and Janet!
Father Militello was our next performer. He was ready with:
Flight of the Angels
Woodpecker Song
Besame Mucho
An interesting combination enjoyed by all. Thanks, Father.
Following Father Militello, Bill Centonze was ready with his Hohner Midi-Vox. Bill
sang and played:
Talk of the Town
My Funny Valentine
Hello Dolly
Pennies from Heaven
Bill is celebrating his 60th year as an entertainer, and as usual he gave a wonderful
performance. Bill, congratulations keep those songs coming.
Our club president, Ms. Pat Striplin, was next on the card. Pat was ready with her
trusty Sonola Rivoli. She played:
Twilight Time
12th St. Rag
Jazz Antino
Pat, as many of you know, has taught and entertained for years her
professionalism shows with every piece. Thanks, Pat please come back with your
Rivoli anytime.
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Janet Hane, the teacher, was now up front as Janet Hane, consummate entertainer. Janet used her Excelsior Symphony
to knock us dead with:
Oblivion (Frank Marocco arrangement
Carnival of Venice
La Vie en Rose
Excellent!!
Janet Hane was now joined
by Mr. Have Accordion, Will
Travel, Norm Panto. You
know this will be good. Janet
and Norm (with his Italo-American accordion) provided us with a
marvelous French medley which included such favorites as
Pigalle
Under Paris Skies
Poor People of Paris and more.
If these two had kept going til midnight, we would have spent the night there. Fantastic, wonderful please do this again
very soon!
Norm was really warmed and ready for more as Willa joined him on stage.
Willa charmed everyone with:
Once in a While
Cirirbirin
Make Believe
On a Day Like Today
A hearty thank you to each of you.
Joe Di Giacinto, with his daughter, Joann, and his wife, Lena, had once again
made the trek from San Diego. Joe had his Cordovox tubes glowing as he
played:
Dance of the Comedians
Make the World Go Away
Quick Silver
Clarinet Polka
Non Domenticar
Amapola
Joe, and crew, thank you so much for making the long trip so we could enjoy
your wonderful music. We hope to see you again, soon.
Bobby Dietsch and his wife took the bobsled down the hill from Crestline.
However, because of the ice (no kidding) he did not bring his accordion.
You have to walk quite a away from Bob s house to his slippery driveway.
So with the Scandalli tucked away at home, Pat Striplin offered her Rivoli for
Bob s use. As always, Bobby was ready and played with his heart on his
sleeve.
Beer Barrel Polka
The Band Played On
Good Old Summer Time
The Sidewalks of New York
Bicycle Built for Two
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Alley Cat
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Chattanooga Choo Choo
I bet when Pat put her Rivoli to bed later that night it was ready for a good long rest. Bobby just great!!
Next up our new member, and now regular player, Mr. Paul Tripodi. Paul s
Stradovox was home with a cold, so he used his Titano to play a couple of
tunes for us.
O Sol a Mio
Al Di La
Paul, thank you, we have be accustomed to enjoying your music at our
meetings. See you next month!
Misha Pak was back for an encore and finish off our evening with three of
his favorite, and ours too, songs.
Rosalie Polka
A Man and A Woman
Girl from Ipanema
As always, Misha s Excelsior Midivox had received a good work out this
evening. Misha, thank you for the pre-meeting music and your regular
performance!!
Well, folks, our next meeting is Tuesday, February 20 the day after the
President s Day Holiday. Add a little extra fun to your three-day holiday
and be here for another great meeting.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
ACCORDIONAIRES
OFFICERS
Pat Striplin, President
661-943-8004 ([email protected])
Mrs. Gunn Magnusen, Treasurer
818-832-4592
Bill Centonze, Vice President
661-252-8940
[email protected]
Ron Schwarz, Secretary and Editor
951-924-5939
[email protected]
OTHER CATEGORIES
Janet Hane, Ensemble Director
818-889-1565
[email protected]
Niel Spinner, Sergeant at Arms
818-789-8955
___________________________________________________________________
AD POLICY
Any member, or non-member (at the Club’s discretion), may place an ad in the Sharps ‘n’ Flats. The
deadline for placing ads is two weeks after the monthly meeting. Ads must be submitted in writing
or with appropriate camera-ready copy and pictures.
Category A (Members)
Members may place a FREE TWO-MONTH classified ad limited to 5 lines. If you wish to have the ad
run longer, there is a fee of $5 for two additional months.
Category B (Members)
Need more space? The following fees are MONTHLY
¼ page
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full page
$10.00
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$40.00
Non-members may select ad specifications from Category B at 2 times the member rate.
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COMING EVENTS
•June 3-8, 2007—Rose City
Accordion Camp, Silver Falls, Or.
Call 530-293-0322 for info.
♦June 18-21, 2007--Las Vegas
Accordion Convention, Gold Coast
Casino and Hotel. STARRING:
Leo Aquino, Daniel Desiderio, Tony
Lovello, Walter Ostanek, Mario
Padone, Soundscape Accordion
Trio
and Sammy Thomas. ALSO
FEATURING: Art Van Damme,
Peter Soave & Mady Soave, and
Pete Barbutti
Seven meals, seven concerts, all
special events and classes are included!
Single Attendance $435, $60 Reservation Deposit;
Couple Attendance $765, $85 Reservation Deposit.
Evening-Only Options are available—contact us for details! Special Room Rate ONLY $45
per night!
CALL FOR MORE INFO: TOLL FREE 1-800-472-1695
•July 22-26, 2007—Galla-Rini Accordion Camp, Dominican University, San Rafael, Ca.
Details will follow shortly.
♦Aug 13-18, 2007, ATG (Accordionists and Teachers Guild), Coupe Mondiale, will be held in
Alexandria, Va.
Contact: American Accordionists’ Association (AAA), 201-991-2233, or [email protected]
201-991-2233 fax: 201-9911944__________________________________________________________________________
Our thanks to Joe Blasco and Betty Ellis for encouraging our newest member:
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Marocco-Ballarini Accordion Camp Update
by Lenny Feldmann, aka The CordeenMan
The following article is courtesy of Frank Marocco (if you haven t already
done it, check out FrankMarocco.com) and Mr. Lenny Feldmann (be sure
to visit his website too, Cordeenman.com)
Editor
I just returned home from Mesa, Arizona where I attended the MaroccoBallarini Accordion camp. I can tell you that it was an unqualified
success!! I had the pleasure to meet and get to know other fine
accordionists from 11 different states. There were a total of 38
participants. Frank Marocco did a magnificent job of putting together
several group arrangements which everyone rehearsed beginning
Wednesday night and group/sectional rehearsals on Thursday, Friday and
Saturday in preparation for the Gala Concert presented to an audience of
over 100 on Saturday evening in the LaPosada Ballroom at the Dobson
Best Western Hotel and Resort in Mesa.
**The sectional rehearsals were conducted by Lynn Ewing (San Carlos,
CA), Janet Hane (Westlake Village, CA) and Sharon Greyhosky
(SanFrancisco, CA). In addition to the group instruction by Frank Marocco
(Lake Balboa, CA) there were several educational and entertaining
workshops:
**Nick Ballarini (Dallas, TX) presented a terrific workshop
on "Basics and Musicianship for the Accordionist"
**Stella Allison (Sykesville, MD) and Joan Grauman (Potomac, MD)
teamed up to present "Duets and Don'ts - Much More Than Just
Playing Together"
**Frank Marocco did a wonderful workshop on "Left Hand
Accompaniment Ideas for Improv Playing"
**"Accordion 911 - Emergency Accordion Repair and Maintenance"
was an extremely interesting workshop by Dale Wise (Burr Hill, VA)
**Yours truly (Lenny Feldmann - Southfields, NY) presented a workshop entitled: "Introduction to Jazz Improvisation the
Basics to Getting Started" If you would like a copy of the Workshop Handout that I used during the workshop, just send
an email to [email protected] and put Workshop Handout in the subject and I'll send you the same handout that I
used at the M-B Camp.
Long story short... the Saturday evening Gala Concert was a great success. This is a testament to the hard work that
Frank did in the rehearsals and to the effort of every participant. Here is the Saturday Night Gala Accordion Program
Star Spangled Banner - Frank Marocco Arr.
Chiquilin de Bachlin - Frank Marocco Arr.
Liverpool Medley - Frank Marocco Arr.
Soloists:
Dale Wise
Sharon Greyhosky and Lynn Ewing (duet)
Stella Allison and Joan Grauman (duet)
Janet Hane
Moon River - Frank Marocco Arr.
Frank's Samba - Frank Marocco Arr.
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Nick Ballarini
John Simkus
Tatsian Lashkevich
Frank Petrilli
Lenny Feldmann
Slaughter On 10th Avenue - Frank Marocco Arr.
Stars & Stripes Forever - Galla Rini Arr.
Soloist:
Frank Marocco
The Marocco-Ballarini Accordion Camp proved to be such a great event that we have scheduled to do it again next year...
same time... same place (details will be released in the near future). Not only were the Accordion activities wonderful; but,
being from the frozen Northeast, it was a pleasure to
thaw out in high 60's - low 70's sunshine for a few days. I returned from Arizona 1/31/07, landing at
Newark (NJ) airport and a balmy 26 degrees (Brrrrrrrr). My personal thanks to Frank, Nick, Dan, Joan, and Stella for doing
a fantastic job putting the entire event together and having me as an active participant. I look forward to doing it again
next year... and seeing all the new Accordion
friends that I made this year who will be returning.
Long Live the Accordion!
Lenny Feldmann
The CordeenMan
www.cordeenman.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accordionaires At Camp
From an interview with Janet Hane
Jan 24-28 the Accordionaires were well represented at the Marocco-Ballarini Accordion Camp in Mesa, Az. Frank
Marocco has been a member of the Accordionaires for years and also joins our ensemble when his busy performance
schedule allows. So our folks were delighted to have the opportunity to attend his first camp. The Accordionaires were
represented by Janet Hane, Karen Lee, Bob Moloznik, Elwyn Ellis, Donna Massey, Mike Roche, Mickey Birnbaum, Alicia
Wollerton, Joe Blasco, Betty Ellis, Paula and Nicola Yankopolas, and Mr. Rich Selfridge. Accordionists came from 11
states with 38 people playing, so you can see the Accordionaires were there in force.
Everyone enjoyed the workshops, camper performances, dance night, sectional practice sessions, orchestra rehearsals,
and the grand finale concert. Our group had a great time and is planning to the next camp. Frank said the camp was a
complete success, and thus plans have already begun for another meeting next year.
A few comments from our folks included:
Paula Yankapolos, wonderful camp, good attitude, everyone was so helpful, Frank was great to work with
next year.
m ready for
Joe Blasco: a camp for everyone, experienced players and novices. It was great.
Elwyn Ellis: I learned so much about playing in an orchestra surrounded by extremely talented musicians. So many
new songs to learn and to take home. I m looking forward to next year s camp.
Janet Hane: It was a rewarding camp experience in every way. Relaxed and friendly atmosphere allowing you to absorb
information while at the same giving you a great opportunity to achieve your potential. We enjoyed the wonderful
company of accordionists from eleven states.
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MEET Bill Centonze Entertainer for 60 years AND an ACCORDIONAIRE
Learned was first attracted to the accordion while in 7th grade. One of his classmates brought an
accordion to school for Show and Tell Bill immediately knew he wanted to play the accordion.
Bill s dad was not impressed with his son s enthusiasm because earlier Bill s brother had begged for
a guitar, got one, and then lost interest. So Bill s dad didn t intend to be burned twice, put his foot
down, No accordion! Bill didn t know what to do, but about six months later he decided to take the
bull by the horns.
Just down the street from Bill s home was the Shadlin School of Music, which, in the fine city of
Jersey City, N.J., back in the old days, taught accordion as well as many other less important
instruments. Bill decided to check out the facility. Mr. Shadlin was surprised to see a potential student without his
parents, but obviously recognized that boy was determined to learn the accordion. He helped Bill put on a student
accordion and said Bill would likely do well, but Bill s parents had to enroll him. Back home Bill s dad put up a valiant
fight, but he also recognized his son s determination to learn the instrument. Bill was
signed up for 10 weekly lessons. The Shadlin School allowed students to come in every
day and practice with the school s accordions, so there was no need to rent or buy the
first box yet. And yes, 10 weeks later, Bill had his own 12 bass accordion. And yes,
later that accordion could be traded-in on a bigger box better suited for the everimproving young accordionist.
Just one year later Bill s father was one of his biggest fans telling everybody they ought
to hear his son play the accordion. One of the people Bill s dad knew well, had a band
that played in local restaurants, pubs, etc. and was in need of an accordion player. Bill
was approached, auditioned, and hired while in 10th grade! Once, in the middle of a
school day, the guys from the group showed up at Bill s high school and told the teacher
he was needed at home immediately. As soon as they were out the door Bill found out
the group had an audition for a good paying job, but they had to show up NOW. Minutes
later they were off to Bayonne, NJ where the job was located in the Hobart Tavern. They
were hired, got their union cards, and had their first good paying gig. The year was 1946.
After high school Bill was a member of one group or another for many years. At times the group would work full time, but
for the most part there was always a day job and the group at night. One of the groups, The Drifters, stayed together for
years. They performed at a local club called Cagies that also had a weekly radio program on WEAT featuring Bill s group.
Later Bill joined with Chet Tyler and specialized in country swing. Their accomplishments included being contestants on
the Arthur Godfrey s Talent Scouts Show (1953), and playing regular gigs at Coney Island. Several seasons went by at
the Shamrock Irish House restaurant in Coney Island (50 ft away from Nathan s Hot Dog House). Extended road trips
included nearly a year hitting high spots like Decatur, Il, Springfield, O., and Menominee, Mi. After one long year Bill s
wife Connie said if they were to stay married, he was going to stay home. From then on Bill stayed close to home working
NJ supper clubs and night clubs like Molinari s in Union City (the same Union City famous for Frank Sinatra at the Rustic
Cabin night club). In 1956, after one member of the group relocated to Los Angeles, Bill and Connie went out for a visit
and then decided they were ready to move west.
Once in California Bill had a myriad of day jobs over the years: pattern cutting, running a music store, swap
meet entrepreneur, studio work and (of course) band musician. Bill joined the first US accordion club, FOTA
(began by Frank Marocco), and has been a member of the Accordionaires from early on. All of us look
forward to Bill’s performances which always include a vocal or two along with his accordion playing (Mr.
Hohnervox). Bill’s current group, The Playboys, have entertained the Accordionaires several times including
two Christmas parties. As you can tell, this man is dedicated to the accordion. Starting with 7th grade Show
and Tell when he first fell in love with the accordion to today, some 60+ years later, the Accordionaires and
thousands of people along the way have heard and enjoyed Mr. Bill Centonze. And we’re proud to say, “Bill
Centonze IS an Accordionaire!”