Leon Sash "finto" question

[dunlustin]

Am I right in thinking he played a 3 row CBA disguised as a PA and was this to be accepted as a serious player?

 

[JIM D.]

Yes the box he used was indeed a 3 row CBA with PA keys. At the time in the US a button box was considered "Foreign" and PA's where the norm. Leon had his box custom ordered, made in Italy by Zerro Sette and imported by Giulietti.

 

[KLR]

I started a whole thread here about Finto-Piano accordions. Curious little guys, Im thinking of the same principle applied to other instruments now - I guess a 6 string banjo is similar in a way, guitar players can use the chords they know on them without having to learn anything new. Most banjos have 4 or 5 strings and are tuned differently. An acoustic guitar that looked like an electric on the outside would be a similar bit of deception, sorta.

Man but Leon Sash could play. George Shearing gave up on the accordion after hearing him.

 

[losthobos]

Gutted...Leon Sash has always been king for me....used the excuse i couldn't get his sound was because i play CBA...no more excuses...
Leon Sash, joe Mooney, George Shearing all blind..... best poke my eyes out with a stick....

 

[JIM D.]

Some may not know - Joe Mooney played both Hammond B3 and PA accordion. Also George Shearing's first ever recording was on an accordion and not a piano.