North Staffs Accordion Club Newsletter November 2014

North Staffs Accordion
Club
Newsletter
November 2014
No 448
The North Staffs Accordion Club
welcomes all accordion enthusiasts playing or non-playing.
We hold a ‘Clubnite’ at Holditch Miner’s Welfare Club, Chesterton
at 8 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month
where entertainment is provided by club members or guest artists.
The venue also hosts 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.
Hi Everyone. I hope you
are keeping well.
October Clubnite
By Steve Hughes.
I can’t remember another clubnite with the absence of our editor, Lily
Lynch, but this was the case due to health reasons in October, the task
of recording and doing a write-up falling to
me. We wish you a full and hasty recovery, Lily.
The rough weather through the remnants of hurricane Gonzalo did not deter our
members, even Paul and Chris Hobbs who travelled all the way from Lichfield. It
did not deter our guest either, Malachy Cairns travelling from Coventry with his
brother Austin and their ladies, Breda and Marie, and it turned out to be a lovely
evening with a great atmosphere and the reports are that everyone enjoyed
themselves.
Departing from normal practice, Mike Richards, as compere, put our guest
Malachy Cairns on for the first spot. It was his first appearance at our club and his choice of music and
presentation soon got the audience foot-tapping, singing as he did, for most of the pieces he played. He had
come equipped with his Elkavox 83 electronic accordion (heavy, I bet) and a van full of electronic
equipment. As expected many of his pieces were Irish, but he also included many Northern and Scottish
songs.
After a break, the raffle was drawn (with a bottle of wine going to the Cairns party. The prizes included a
number of accordion adorned ornaments given by Wilf Gotham). Joan Bamford got the members off to a
good start, getting us all singing a nice rendition of I Believe. Although Joan is becoming quite forgetful,
her playing, all from memory, seems to get better and
better.
Next on was Lee Slater with his saxophone. It wasn’t a
full departure from accordion music as Malachy gave him
some backing. Lee played Over the Rainbow and Bye Bye
Blackbird. It’s nice to have a change in instrument,
especially when played so beautifully and it blended well
with the accordion. It was then my turn with the usual
results, clubnite performance falling short of those in the
practice room, my choice being Stranger in Paradise and Take Five (I can say these thing where others
might not wish to do so). Graham Butler played an almost sound barrier breaking version of Bel Viso
followed by a more sedate Teddy Bears’ Picnic with his nice bass accompaniment, and this was followed
by Mike Richards and Paul Hobbs playing Under Paris Skies, Cotton Eyed Joe and Island Waltz in their
usual composed style. Why do we mention all the pieces played? I’m told it’s because the players like to
know what they played the previous month when selecting pieces for the next.
Malachy obviously likes the Elkavox as for his second spot he brought out another accordion of that make,
this one being acoustic on which he played Cuckoo Waltz and Come Back to Sorrento. His (big) brother
Austin was then invited onto the floor (too much equipment for use of the stage)
and he played Irish numbers on his brass ‘tin’ whistle. This was a nice surprise and
with Malachy’s backing on the accordion it was obviously going to be another hit
with the audience. Malachy then finished off the evening on his electronic
accordion and was pleased to have Mike Richards and Barbara (left) jiving away
on the dance floor to one of his numbers. Altogether is was an evening well
enjoyed by the audience and when it was all over I think that Malachy was pleased
to have three or four of us helping to carry his equipment out.
The number of pieces that Malachy played over the two spots is too numerous to
list, but, to give a flavour, they included:
Bunch of Thyme, Wild Rover, It’s a Working Man I am, Annie’s Song, The
Song of the Clyde, Alpine Ski Run, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White, Fields of Athenry, Black
Velvet Band, and Irish Washer Woman.
Charity Concert 13th November
We look forward to a good night out at the charity concert in a few days’ time, and a big thank you to all
the members for their support through the purchase of tickets and donations received. We have a target of
getting an audience of 200 and a few days short of the end of October we have sold 150 tickets.
The Kidsgrove Victoria Hall, with its gallery, will hold just over 300 people so if anyone wishes to join us
and has not got a ticket they should be able to pay at the door. Please spread the word to family and
friends and let’s make it a bumper event for our chosen charity, RP Fighting Blindness.
Thank You
November Clubnite
The November clubnite will be a ‘players’ night’ and the theme this month is for players to
come up with pieces that we have NEVER heard them play before at the club. Quite a
challenge as we all have our favourite party pieces and are often tempted to give things a second
outing.
It would be a real challenge if that request could be extended to pieces that you think no one has
played before – but that might be a tall order.
Christmas Party
Tickets for the 2014 Christmas Party will be on sale at the
November clubnite. They will not be sent out to you this year but if
you do not expect to be at the clubnite and want tickets then ring
Steve Hughes on 01782 787935 or, if you can, email
[email protected]. For us to order the buffet we need to know who’s coming in good time
so please let us know as soon as possible.
The ever popular Tony Marchell will be our guest artist. Tony, from the Stockport area,
teaches the accordion, guitar and other instruments. He has been our Christmas guest several times over the
years but with his shoulder injury no longer plays the accordion and, as in recent years,
will be entertaining us with his guitar. He certainly knows how to get a party swinging.
If you are a player, of any standard, bring your accordion along for the communal
playing of Christmas carols. If you are not a player, we will arm you with song sheets
for you to sing along. We are also expecting a performance by the Youth Section and
you will have the opportunity to join in with some dancing. Also, Bill Lucy will be
demonstrating one of his roll organs.
We can expect a plentiful buffet, and this, with all the entertainment for the princely
sum of £7.50 (children £5). Where else could we get food and entertainment for that
price?
Do book your place, and help make this a night to remember.
Newcastle Festival for Music,
Speech and Drama 2015
The syllabus has now been published for the Newcastle Festival for Music Speech
and Drama 2015 to be held in March and with an entry date of 26th January. If you
have children or grandchildren, or possibly a student, who have a talent in any of
these fields, then please pass on the information to them. This year also features
competitions for composition of either music or poetry.
For further information and a syllabus download see www.newcastlefestival.org.uk
Talent in the Beginners’ CLass
– Bill Lucy
(CONTINUED)
Continuation from last month’s newsletter of the article about Bill Lucy
Other items he had made included a 5 ft model yacht, and a steam boat ‘Lady Ann’
of the same length (making the steam engine of a size
that could be held in his hand, and all of its parts,
himself of course) and also a similar size replica of the
Titanic (right) powered by a 12 volt electric motor. He
also purchased the hull of a real canal longboat and
fully restored it. Not satisfied with this he made a second one, this time
purchasing the sheet metal which he then shaped and welded, making
the hull from scratch.
The skill required to do such a professional job has been acquired by
Bill over the years from the age of 15 when in 1952 he started as a machine shop engineering
apprentice with a manufacturing company, White & Collins, of Fenton. From there he undertook a
mechanical engineering course at the North Staffs Technical College followed by three years on air
traffic control in the RAF. On leaving the RAF he enrolled on a teachers training course at
Birmingham University on completion of which he became a lecturer at a College of Further
Education initially in Essex and later in a similar college in Newcastle under Lyme. He also
undertook Open University technology modules to boost his knowledge of areas of interest to him.
This highly skilled perfectionist has now moved house, no longer has his beloved workshop and is
working, with difficulty, on picking up the ‘pat your head whilst rubbing your belly’ problems of
playing the accordion. One of these days I am sure it will suddenly click. Good luck with that, Bill,
and thanks from Graham and me for an enthralling and educational afternoon.
At the end of our visit we admired a lovely and delicately painted picture of three tigers on the wall.
Bill casually said, “Oh yes, my wife painted that”. The painting
was so professionally finished; it is remarkable that there is so
much talent under one roof! I did take a photograph of the
painting but unfortunately it did not turn out.
(This final picture is of a tenor recorder). A more extensive set of
photographs are available by clicking the following https://www.dropbox.com/sh/81efqk28skpuroa/AAAkW85FfNTWkx7jl
QkSiSM1a?dl=0
If the link doesn’t work for you by clicking just copy and paste it into the internet address box.
Steve Hughes
p.s. Bill has kindly agreed to bring at least one of the roll organs to the Christmas party to give a demo.
Basford tennis players, both aged 80, play latest
game in a series going back 20 years
Our member, John Plumb, hits the news.
SMASHING: Octogenarian tennis foes John Plumb and Derek Newport have locked horns and played
their latest match in a series going back 20 years. Members of Basford Lawn Tennis Club, both aged 80;
they have played together with other club members nearly every Saturday for the past 35 years and have
been challenging each other to formal matches for two decades.
At 60 years of age, they arranged a three set singles match between
themselves… which Derek won. 10 years later, Derek was also victorious…
and a suggested rematch at aged 80 was considered! But John was uncertain
as to his ability to play at such an age, so the match was ‘booked’ at aged
75… when John just beat Derek. A challenge match at aged 80 was then
agreed upon… and so the day arrived in 2014!
Derek had waited until now for his chance to regain the trophy!
John's daughter Anne-Marie Hasson-Plumb, from Timbersbrook, Cheshire
said before the match, "They now have to use adapted rules but we can bet
they will be out come rain, hail or shine. We've even heard that Derek has
had a few sneaky lessons to make sure he's ready."
The final score was 6-3, 6-3 to John Plumb…levelling the last four
competitions at 2 a-piece! Roll on the tennis balls in 2019 for ‘the decider’!
John emphasised..... "People shouldn't think it's just people like us at Basford though – we have a great
junior section as well."
Both say that they retain their ‘active youthful activities’ by playing with happy members of Basford Lawn
Tennis Club who often are 40+ years their junior.
Thanks to Betty Nixon who spotted this article and photo (with John pictured in white) in The Sentinel
newspaper.
Annual Broken Cross Charity Concert
The annual and very popular charity fund raising Stockport Accordion Band concert in aid of the East Cheshire
Hospice at the Broken Cross Club, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 8TU, takes place on Friday December 5th, 7.45pm.
Pearl Fawcett-Adriano, Walter Perrie and Helen Rich will perform solo spots. Tickets are available as usual from
club member John Jones, the organizer, on 01625 618 691.
Graham and Geoff Go to Mundesley
Graham Hughes and I made our way to Mundersley with a little sadness, to think this was the last
accordion festival at this venue. Speaking for myself I am a relative newcomer to these events, but the
amount of friends I have made is unbelievable, and these include the top artists. Getting back to the festival
itself, to say it was a success is an understatement, every artist and workshop was so joyful, and the amount
of effort everyone put into it was wonderful to see.
The artists and entertainment in the evening were superb. All this will be sadly missed. To conclude we
commend Heather and her team. A big thank you for your hard work, and expertise that you put into it.
The next festival is at Blackpool, and all of you must make an effort to attend. I think the future of the
accordion is in your hands, so pull all stops out, and make an effort to get there.
Geoff Millward
Ron Slack
It is with sadness that we have to announce the death of Ron Slack aged 87. Ron was a very active
member of the club from its early days - he was a regular at our clubnites and he played in the band - but
eventually problems with his eyesight meant that he couldn’t drive to the Holditch from his home in
Cheadle.
Although in recent years Ron found it difficult to attend our club nights, he did keep in touch, and about
three years ago he contacted me because he wanted to sell his accordion - a Giulietti Classic 127. He
wanted me to help, so I agreed to sell it for him.
I placed an advert and arranged for a potential buyer to view the accordion; however, the inevitable
happened - I started to play the accordion and I fell in love with it. So, I gave Ron the money and I now
play my Giulietti on a regular basis in our band and elsewhere.
It's great to have Ron's accordion because it's a superb instrument and it reminds me about Ron and the
George Karklin era - the early days of our club. Sadly, Ron and George are no longer with us but memories
of their music and their contribution to our club in the early days, live on. In fact, I have an enduring
memory of Ron's superb rendition of Valse Lyrique at George's funeral. Ron was a carpenter by trade but
he was an excellent accordionist and at one point in his youth he had considered turning professional.
Mike Richards
Charlie Watkins
It is sad to hear that Charlie Watkins of WEM passed away on Tuesday 28th October. Charlie was a
regular at the accordion festivals up to a ripe old age and was famous not only for his amplification
equipment (he supplied not only the humble accordionist but the big names such as the Rolling Stones),
but also for his rendition of 'Blaze Away' on his beloved Galanti Super Denominator accordion. Our
condolences are sent to his wife, June, and family. RIP
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
Every 1st Thursday of month 1 p.m.
Thursday November 13th
Tuesday December 16th (clubnite)
Tuesday January 20th 2015
2015
Accordion classes for young players at Holditch
Beginners’/Improvers’ night at Holditch
Band rehearsal at Holditch
Clubnite at Holditch
Solo Session, Knutton Ex-Servicemens Club
Charity Concert, Kidsgrove Town Hall
Tony Marchell – Christmas party
Harry Hussey
30th anniversary year of our club
Members’ Adverts
Accordion Tuition.
Pauline Hardwick
Tel 01782 397248 Accordion and/or piano
Stefan Andrusyschyn Tel 07958261024 Accordion and/or piano
Mike Gibson
Tel 01782 660865 Piano
For Sale
Hohner Atlantic IV DeLuxe accordion, black, 120 bass, 11 treble couplers, 3 bass, double octave straight tuning, highly
polished metal casing, case, £500.
Tel. 01543 276500 or email [email protected]
Cooperativa Super Cesare 501 piano accordion. 37 treble, 96 bass, 4 voice musette, handmade reeds, 11 treble couplers and
wrist coupler, 5 bass couplers.
White mother of pearl, chest pad.
One owner from new, little used. £1950. Tel Brian on 01538 382610.
Red Weltmeister Stella 60 bass accordion for sale. It has 3 bass couplers and 5 treble couplers. It has recently had new leather
straps. A hard carry case is included.
£150.00 ono. Phone 01538 360462
Weltmeister 72 bass accordion in very good condition and has only been played for 12 months. It has 5 treble couplers and 3
bass couplers. The only reason for the sale is the need for a lighter one. It has a good hard case and padded shoulder straps.
£500 o.n.o. tel. 01782 920668
Roland FR-18 Diatonic V-Accordion for sale £1000 tel. 01625 432530
Barcarole Dominante 96 bass, 11 treble couplers, 3 bass couplers. Includes case and is in good working order only needs seeing.
£250 (no offers). Phone 01782 323046
President
Brian Shufflebotham
Chairman
Mike Richards
Treasurer (acting) Mike Richards
01538 382610
01782 642101
01782 642101
Committee
Tony Britton, Helen Brown, Graham Butler Graham Hughes, Steve Hughes,
Lily Lynch and Greta Moseley.
Web address Editor Lily Lynch
www.northstaffsaccordionclub.co.uk
email - [email protected]