North Staffs Accordion Club Newsletter April2015

North Staffs Accordion
Club
Newsletter
April 2015
No 453
The North Staffs Accordion Club
welcomes all accordion enthusiasts playing or non-playing.
We hold a ‘Clubnite’ at
at 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month
where entertainment is provided by club members or guest artists.
We have a band rehearsal all other Tuesdays
and a beginners’ class every Monday at 7.30 pm and a class for
schoolchildren on Mondays 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Phone 01782 823668.
A t G o l d e n h i l l Wo r k i n g me n ’ s C l u b
Hi Everyone. I hope you are well and looking forward to the promised
warmer weather.
French Theme night
The April clubnite is another theme night – French music. Again the challenge is for
players to perform music within the theme. Do try to come along, and if you have not
already had a look at the Goldenhill club, now’s your chance. I’m sure that it will be a
fun night. There will also be the playing circle.
A reminder that there will also be brownie points for anyone who comes along decked
out in French attire!!
March Clubnite
Having had to leave the Holditch Miners’ Club, our home for the last 15 years or
so, the March clubnite took place in Goldenhill
Workingmen’s Club near Kidsgrove for the first
time. It was a first (and this time, hopefully a last)
for another reason; only two players took to the
stage throughout the night. The first was our
chairman, Mike Richards, who gave us a selection
of tunes from his wide repertoire as members came
in and settled down. The attendance was a bit on
the low side, at 35, but fears that the new venue was
to blame were allayed when we later talked to the
regulars who didn’t make it this month and whose reasons for not making it did not
include concerns about the venue or its location.
Our guest for the evening, Rosemary Wright, followed Mike. Rosemary was
certainly on form and gave a wonderful performance switching, as she did,
between her straight tuned Giulietti and her Brandoni musette accordion to suit the
piece being played. As a tribute to accordionist, arranger and composer Gerald
Crossman who was a great friend of her family, and who had died last December aged 94, Rosemary
played two of his compositions, Marcha Espanola and Fiesta Rusticana. She followed these with
Dvorak’s Humeresque, Spanish Waltz, Sierra de Gredos, Schubert’s Ave Maria and Malaguena by
Lecuona.
Scottish accordionist supremo, Jimmy Shand, was also a friend of the family, and Rosemary played two
pieces composed by him. The first was for her father’s 65th birthday, The Francis Wright Waltz, and the
second was for her own 40th, Rosemary Wright’s Two Step Birthday. Taking us up to the break she then
followed with the Italian Catari.
During the break a general discussion took place, with Mike Richards and Steve Hughes, for the
committee, giving the club members present a report on the reasons for the change in venue and the
places considered. Everyone present gave the Goldenhill WMC a ‘thumbs up’.
Rosemary then continued her playing till it was time to pack up, responding to requests and encores from
the very appreciative audience. Her repertoire also included:
La Vien Rose, a selection published in the Lawrence Wright Collection (Lawrence Wright being a
publisher with no family connection), Side by Side, The Blue Danube, The Rose of Tralee, an Irish
selection, Black Orpheus, Wallace and Grommet, Over the Sea to Skye and The Can Can Polka.
No sheet-music was used at any point during the impressive and long performance.
Thank you, Rosemary.
Steve
A New Beginning?
Goldenhill WMC, Kidsgrove Road. Goldenhill, ST6 5SH
It was the evening of 17 March and the time had come to set off for yet another ‘NSAC clubnite concert’;
but this time with a difference! Rather than going to the Holditch Miners’ Welfare Club, we were off to
Goldenhill Workingmen’s Club. Due to a change in circumstances, this for the foreseeable future is to
be our new meeting place.
Although we had heard that ‘It was a nice room’, we had our reservations. However on arrival we found
a large car parking area, with easy access to a warm spacious and well presented room. It was a room
that was both large enough to stage charity events and Christmas parties, but conversely at the same time
had a ‘cosy feel’, also suitable for quieter clubnites.
The room has a variety of lighting options to suit all occasions and a stage that can be seen easily from all
areas.
The seating is comfortable and has two raised seating areas on either side of the stage.
The ample bar area is located at the side of the room behind a screen that helps to block out background
noise and at the same time also prevents any distraction to those performing on stage. Likewise the
excellent toilet facilities are located in the corridor accessed from the back of the room.
This is a versatile room with an ample dance floor and surprisingly for such a large room, the acoustics
are very good.
In short the ideal venue!
Paul and Chris Hobbs.
Fourth year for the Band at the Festival
Looking
through
the
programme
for
the
Newcastle-u-Lyme Festival
for Music, Speech and
Drama was enough to tell
us, and all bar one of the
other five competing bands,
that we would not win. That
honour would go to the
Stafford Grammar School
Big Band which year after
year wipes the floor in the ‘Open Band’ class of the festival, as does that school with almost all of the
classes in which it competes. The school’s barbershop singers were adjudged to be ‘better than’ the
barbershop singers who won a recent televised national competition, and the Big Band again turned up
trumps in the class in which we competed.
Two of the bands did not turn up and we therefore became the last competitors to take the stage after
another amazing performance by the Stafford Grammar School Big Band, an excellent performance by
the Co-op Wind Band who ended up a close second, and a woodwind quartet, The Reed Warblers, who
joined us in joint 3rd place, both of us with a mark of 85% (a convincing performance technically and
artistically). For us, this was not quite as high as last year but was still a creditable performance.
The references to the other bands are not excuses but go to show what a lively and interesting event the
festival is with a wealth of performing talent. We do not go there just to win but to take part, to show
what our instrument can do, and to experience the performances of others, benefiting from the comments
of the international standard adjudicators. Many of these adjudications turn out to be mini master-classes.
In his preamble to the adjudication of our band the adjudicator, Philip Dewhurst, said what a wonderful
instrument the accordion is and how it is accepted by the Royal Academy of Music and Trinity College
and is the choice of some exceptional players. This is what he wrote about our performance:
‘A great opening. Well directed. There was good ensemble throughout. If you can, bring out the melodic
lines more. The transition between sections were well managed. Some effective dynamic contrast and
shaping. A very enjoyable account which showed solid preparation and good ensemble awareness.’
Steve
How I Came to play the Drums.
By
Phil Hodges
Born in Shelton as the war came to an end I was as a young boy introduced to church music when I joined
the local St. Judes church as a chorister in 1955. At 15 I started work at Staffordshire Public Works Co.
Ltd, Campbell Road in Stoke in the mechanical engineering department.
Coincidentally my interest at that time in music became somewhat concentrated on rock
and roll when I first purchased my Dansette record player. The Beatles were my idols
then along with many other bands and
singers. For some reason unexplained I
took an interest in band drummers and
was always tapping out tunes on my
mother’s cake tins using her knitting needles before
eventually asking my older brother in 1962 to sign a hire
purchase contract for a new drum kit. My interest in music
was reinforced when I worked in the same offices as Terry
King of Terry King and the Saints and Barry Seargent, the
drummer out of the Shondells
Mother, refusing my new drum kit’s entrance into the
house, eventually gave in after it was delivered to my
auntie’s in the next street, unplayed for two long weeks.
The drum kit cost thirty two pounds and came from Chatfield’s on the corner of Hope Street in Hanley. It
included bass drum and pedal, high hat pedal, floor tom, tom tom, ride cymbal and snare drum, plus all
the stands
After my initial interest my ambitions to become a drummer faded as other things in my life including
marriage and career took precedence. However some eight years ago I became a member of the Praise
Band at St Lukes Methodist Church in Clayton and purchased a new Premier drum kit. This preceded my
joining of the North Staffs Accordion Band
Then some three years ago, after meeting Mike Richards during a meeting at work, I brought my kit to a
practice night and with very kind assistance from Geoff Millward, who was the conductor at the time,
became a band member.
I have really enjoyed being a band member for a number of reasons including being associated with a
very nice and friendly group of people and having the opportunity to be musically creative.
Since my retirement I have also become an artist painting in mainly acrylics. This is also another journey
I am on which, not unlike music, is creative and fulfilling as work is in progress. (Phil is pictured working
on a large painting of a scene from the Amalfi coast in Italy)
Members’ Life Support Training
Pictured are club members on the Emergency Life Support training session at the
Bradwell Workingmen’s Club on the 2nd April, held by John Corden, who has
12 years’ experience as an NHS First Responder volunteer, and who is also a club
member (see article in March newsletter).
Two further training sessions for members are planned.
Accordions at the Castle
Don’t forget that ‘Accordions at the Castle’ will take place again this year
at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool from the 10th to the 15th of May.
There is still time to book for this fabulous festival and not too far away
either.
As always the entertainment is top class in the
evenings and during the day workshops and
various group activities will be available or you can just
relax and please yourself.
The organ trade show as well as the accordion trade area will be there again
and Caroline Hunt will be exhibiting her fabulous vintage accordion
collection some of which are pictured above.
The guests and artists will include Giancarlo Caporilli (Italy), Gennaro
Rufollo (Italy), Jean Dauvin (France) (pictured left), (plus Madame
Therese Dauvin, who sings Edith Piaf and other French popular songs with great style), Steve Roxton,
David Vernon (Scotland), Denise & Stefan Andrusyschyn, Rosemary Wright, Harry Hussey, Bert
Santilly and Alan Young.
There will also be dancing and late night jazz.
To book tel: 01780 782093
World Accordion Day event
Pearl Fawcett-Adriano Concert
Pearl Fawcett-Adriano is the guest at Stockport Accordion
Club for a concert on May 6th – a World Accordion Day event.
Pearl intends to include a tribute to Adrian Dante, her late
husband, who wrote and arranged a lot of music for the
accordion, published by MAP Editions.
The venue is Woodley Methodist Church, Chapel Street/A560
Hyde Road, Woodley, Stockport, Cheshire SK6 1NF. Please note that the concert
begins at 7.30pm, and admission is £5.
John Romero Comes to Goldenhill
Our clubnite guest in May will be our new member, John Romero. If you
were unfortunate in missing our clubnite last November I remind you of our
account of it in the December newsletter:
‘At the end of the evening we were introduced to a visitor well known in the
accordion world – John Romero. John is a well known entertainer
classically trained, and a prior winner of the British Accordion Championships. He has moved to
Middlewich and had come to pay us a visit. He was persuaded by Chairman Mike to play a couple of
pieces and he wowed us with Lolita and Bel Viso. He then finished the evening with a few members in a
mass busk and got the whole audience singing’.
John is now a paid up member and we are confident that his knowledge and contacts will be of great
benefit to this club.
Antique Mariano Dallape diatonic accordion
Caroline Hunt, collector of antique accordions and owner of the Antique
Accordion Museum of Scotland commented on our article in last month’s
newsletter about the Mariano Dallape diatonic accordion saying, “There are a few
of them around and I have a couple in my collection. If it is in good condition, all
the notes working and in tune then you have a quality instrument. They were very
well made. Anyone able to play a diatonic accordion, with the different note on the
push and pull, should be able to play it. Unfortunately, here in Scotland a lot of the
houses did not have central heating and the dampness caused problems with the accordions. It may have
fared better in England.”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Antique-Accordion-Museum-Scotland/118968591492498
John Plumb commenting on the title of last month’s article wrote,
‘In the rush to publish, my ‘Acquisition’ is hardly accurate, since at all times the ownership of
Granddad’s accordion remains with Lesley & her family!
Diary
Every Monday 5.00pm-6.00 pm
Every Monday 7.30 p.m.
Tuesdays other than 3rd 8.00pm
Every 3rd Tuesday of month 8.00pm
2nd Thursday of the month
12 noon
Accordion classes for young players at Holditch
Beginners’/Improvers’ night at Holditch
Band rehearsal at Bradwell Workingmens Club
Clubnite at Goldenhill Workingmens Club
Chord Workshop followed at 1 p.m. by
Solo Session, There will be no session in May
17th to 19th April
21st April
May Sun 10th-Fri 15th
May 19th
Nov 7th to 9th
2015
NAO UK Championships, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool
Clubnite – French Night at Goldenhill WMC
‘Accordions at the Castle’. Norbreck Castle Hotel, Blackpool
Clubnite - John Romero
Midlands Accordion Festival, Dudley
30th anniversary year of our club
Members’ Adverts
Accordion Tuition.
Pauline Hardwick
Stefan Andrusyschyn
Mike Gibson
John Romero
Tel 01782 397248 Accordion and/or piano
Tel 07958261024 Accordion and/or piano
Tel 01782 660865 Piano
Tel 01606 270148 Accordion
For Sale
Roland FR-18 Diatonic V-Accordion for sale £1000 tel. 01625 432530
Barcarole Dominante 96 bass, 11 treble, 3 bass couplers. Includes case and is in good working order - only needs seeing.
£250 (no offers). Phone 01782 323046
Fratelli Alessandrini modern accordion. Blue. 96 bass, 4 voice, musette,
9 treble couplers, 3 bass couplers, Hohner gig bag, full decoration, miked for amplification. Modern keyboard – black notes are
blue.
£1800. Tel. Rob Borrett 07428 079752
President
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Brian Shufflebotham
Mike Richards
Steve Hughes
Mike Richards (acting)
01782 642101
01782 787935
01782 642101
Committee
Tony Britton, Helen Brown, Graham Butler, Graham Hughes,
Lily Lynch and Greta Moseley.
Web address Editor Lily Lynch
www.northstaffsaccordionclub.co.uk
email - [email protected]