What is a Jazz Accordionist anyway?

[Tom]

Accordionist: “I play accordion.”
Prospective Admirer: “Oh my, polka, lederhosen, Weird Al, spilled beer, see ya…”

Accordionist: “I play jazz.”
Prospective Admirer: “Oh my, intellectual, knows all 12 keys, cosmic, buy me a drink?”

What if the accordionist just SAYS he plays jazz but still plays the same music in the same way, (chorus, improvise, etc.), maybe dropping some of the obvious like Beer Barrel, and adding Take Five or Misty?

Get a business card and YouTube that says “Accordion Jazz” or “Accordion Jazz and More.” Would that make it easier to get restaurant, cocktail and winery type gigs? Get more respect?

Asking for a friend…..

 

[Thomas N]

I never play the same song the same way twice. I always improvise. I use a lot of jazz chords. I play a ton of Jazz Standards.

But in no way am I a jazz accordionist. Those guys have studied and put so much time into their craft that I feel it's a bit of Stolen Valor to call myself one.

 

[murathan]

I think some countries prefer some genres more in a business manner. Its an addition to your regular accordion music. But jazz players dont play regular style music generally. In Turkish we have an old saying "Don't make jazz" meaning don't mix the topics in a conversation to suit your ideas.

 

[Tom]

Ok, I can pick a number of Arrigo Tomasi songs, and play them in improvisational style. (I will never play them like Piotr, but never mind). Along with my regular repertoire (maybe ditch a polka or two).

Change my business cards from “Accordion” to “Accordion Jazz and More.” (Even if the “more” is 50%.). You can become what you say you are. Plenty of precedents I won’t name….

Highlight the “Jazz” on YouTube and buy some stylish clothes like Terry.

Buy a cordless amp and mic and announce the next jazz tune, maybe sing a song or two.

Go from “Accordion Man” to “Jazz Man.”

Double my price. Get the winery gigs. Be way cooler. What could go wrong?

Oh yeah, someone called this morning to schedule an Oktoberfest party. (That time already? Better break out the dreaded Christmas book.) Jazz and Chicken Dance? No problem!

 

[murathan]

Jazz is not mysterious anymore. It was 50 years ago. Its solved today. But still make you look sophisticated.

 

[losthobos]

I've a friend here calls himself 'the accordion man' and is quite happy to go out playing sickly corny singalongs the title in invokes here.....nice lad, always presentable, always smiling, he gets plenty of work....
And I wouldn't be bold enough to take the title "jazz" man either ....
My idea, to cut through the preconceptions and limited expectations would to be have business cards printed up with a statement like
Stylish vintage ambience for venues from beer gardens to cocktail lounges...
Couple of icons of little glasses chinking, beer glasses and an pic in one of the corners...
You've already spoken to the guy you've given the card too...he knows what you do....he just doesn't know to what extent yet...
So sell something unique and larger than the accordion.....and yeah get some natty threads... people don't wanna hear an accordion....they wanna be in the presence of intimate musical experience
P.S. I don't get that many gigs really....and no longer chase them either...

 

[breezybellows]

I know nothing about jazz and I don't really have the ear for it. My teacher Mike Zampiceni is one of the best jazz accordionists. Since I didn't know anything about jazz, I'm obviously not qualified to make that assessment. I'm just taking Cory Pesaturo's word for it. He introduced Mike to his class as "the best jazz musician you don't know".

Last month, Cory invited Mike up on stage to perform a duet at the Cotati festival.

Here's a sample of Mike's improvisation

 

[losthobos]

I don't think Tom is asking what a jazz accordionist is.... he's asking how to advertise himself in a classier manner than just saying
"I squeeze Bellows"
I may be wrong....much gets lost in translation... especially from my vantage point.

 

[Tom]

I know nothing about jazz and I don't really have the ear for it. My teacher Mike Zampiceni is one of the best jazz accordionists. Since I didn't know anything about jazz, I'm obviously not qualified to make that assessment. I'm just talking Cory Pesaturo's word for it. He introduced Mike to his class as "the best jazz musician you don't know".

Last month, Cory invited Mike up on stage to perform a duet at the Cotati festival.

Here's a sample of Mike's improvisation

Cool!

 

[Tom]

I don't think Tom is asking what a jazz accordionist is.... he's asking how to advertise himself in a classier manner than just saying
"I squeeze Bellows"
I may be wrong....much gets lost in translation... especially from my vantage point.

Yes, thanks Terry. It’s true. for gigs it’s mostly background music, with the intimate presence of a musician. Most people won’t know or care if it’s jazz or traditional or whatever. There are lots of musicians around here who do this sort of background solo work.

Unfortunately the accordion (in the Midwest USA) is SO associated with polka. So you have to differentiate. You can’t say “Accordion Music that is not Polka.” You can say “eclectic,” “variety”, “international”, but these terms are pretty nebulous. “Jazz” is kind of a catch-all for “solo improvised instrumental standards and traditional songs”. Plus the venue owner gets to host “Jazz” rather than “Accordion which might be the dreaded polkas.”

What do the rest of you do? Do you have a one or two word identifier for your solo shows? Or do you just say, “Joe Schmo, Accordion.” Thanks!

 

[Thomas N]

An interesting thought: To play jazz you need to concentrate and often have a pained expression or maybe just one of deep thought. It very much detracts from the experience of the audience - unless they are all extremely into jazz. Keith Jarrett comes to mind. The playing Breezy posted is marvelous. Really great. But as an audience member I don't know that I'd come away from that experience with any thoughts at all. Kind of like the brilliant Nordstrom pianists of years ago that played beautiful classical music and show tunes to an audience that didn't really seem to care. Frank Marocco was engaging and Art Van Damme was as well. Not to the extent of a Myron Floren or Dick Contino. Those were showmen.

I think about this a lot. The overall experience is what *I* feel the audience wants. If that's telling a couple stories in between songs, singing, smiling, playing a lot of glissandos, or just being a showman in the essence of Tony Lovello, well that's what I believe I lean towards. Smiling is completely underrated.

And of course, I am certain Breezy's instructor might have a completely different on-stage persona when performing songs with minimal complex jazz voicings - and possibly even with those considering this is just a solitary video and who knows the circumstances.

 

[Tom]

An interesting thought: To play jazz you need to concentrate and often have a pained expression or maybe just one of deep thought. It very much detracts from the experience of the audience - unless they are all extremely into jazz. Keith Jarrett comes to mind. The playing Breezy posted is marvelous. Really great. But as an audience member I don't know that I'd come away from that experience with any thoughts at all. Kind of like the brilliant Nordstrom pianists of years ago that played beautiful classical music and show tunes to an audience that didn't really seem to care. Frank Marocco was engaging and Art Van Damme was as well. Not to the extent of a Myron Floren or Dick Contino. Those were showmen.

I think about this a lot. The overall experience is what *I* feel the audience wants. If that's telling a couple stories in between songs, singing, smiling, playing a lot of glissandos, or just being a showman in the essence of Tony Lovello, well that's what I believe I lean towards. Smiling is completely underrated.

And of course, I am certain Breezy's instructor might have a completely different on-stage persona when performing songs with minimal complex jazz voicings - and possibly even with those considering this is just a solitary video and who knows the circumstances.

Good points Thomas, thanks! Yes, all the things you mention make for a good, successful audience interaction. Congrats!

Again we need a word to let the prospective audience know “This will be solo accordion music which will not be polkas, waltzes and schottisches, and you probably won’t get to Chicken Dance.”

 

[Thomas N]

We share the same name and sentiments Tom! I think Jazz has seen its heyday. I used to be very into it, maybe around the year 2000 and even then most of the talk was about how little people cared for it recently. Now with a thousand different streaming services I find that if I want to listen to jazz it will be some 50 year old album. In fact just the other day I went on a run and put the Bill Evans trio recording onto my watch even though I've probably heard it 1000 times. Why I didn't grab some person's latest jazz release isn't really known to me. It's just - uninteresting. And that's from a guy that really likes jazz!

I'm defensive about the accordion precisely because of what you say. It's a polka machine. Good for a few laughs. The players that dress up for theme-specific events, gondola outfits, etc., always seem to amuse me. I understand why they do it and good for them and their choice but to me it seems like it cheapens the experience and feeds into stereotypes that probably never will go away. I want to be as far away from an accordionist wearing lederhosen and a felt hat with a feather as I can be.

I'm close to retirement now and plan to play in a restaurant. Outdoor patio with interaction with the audience. I don't want to play weddings or parties and haggle with people trying to pay you a quarter of what the bride's bouquet cost. I also don't want to be categorized as anything other than an accordionist. If I'm good enough and engaging then people will come back and to me it's that simple.

The only thing left is how to deal with the inevitable packing up and somebody waltzing over (pun intended) to tell you all about their uncle that used to play the accordion in the Midwest and how huge his following was and how he toured, etc. I swear that has happened to me 100 times on gigs of my younger years.

 

[Tom]

We share the same name and sentiments Tom! I think Jazz has seen its heyday. I used to be very into it, maybe around the year 2000 and even then most of the talk was about how little people cared for it recently. Now with a thousand different streaming services I find that if I want to listen to jazz it will be some 50 year old album. In fact just the other day I went on a run and put the Bill Evans trio recording onto my watch even though I've probably heard it 1000 times. Why I didn't grab some person's latest jazz release isn't really known to me. It's just - uninteresting. And that's from a guy that really likes jazz!

I'm defensive about the accordion precisely because of what you say. It's a polka machine. Good for a few laughs. The players that dress up for theme-specific events, gondola outfits, etc., always seem to amuse me. I understand why they do it and good for them and their choice but to me it seems like it cheapens the experience and feeds into stereotypes that probably never will go away. I want to be as far away from an accordionist wearing lederhosen and a felt hat with a feather as I can be.

I'm close to retirement now and plan to play in a restaurant. Outdoor patio with interaction with the audience. I don't want to play weddings or parties and haggle with people trying to pay you a quarter of what the bride's bouquet cost. I also don't want to be categorized as anything other than an accordionist. If I'm good enough and engaging then people will come back and to me it's that simple.

The only thing left is how to deal with the inevitable packing up and somebody waltzing over (pun intended) to tell you all about their uncle that used to play the accordion in the Midwest and how huge his following was and how he toured, etc. I swear that has happened to me 100 times on gigs of my younger years.

Very good! Yeah, I understand completely. I get that story almost every time I play. (Not the story of how big they were though, mostly Grandpa played.).

Will you then bill yourself as “Thomas N., Accordionist”? Good luck at the restaurant, let us know how it goes!

 

[breezybellows]

I don't think Tom is asking what a jazz accordionist is.... he's asking how to advertise himself in a classier manner than just saying
"I squeeze Bellows"
I may be wrong....much gets lost in translation... especially from my vantage point.

Oops. I totally missed that.

 

[baldlightning]

Wisconsin Tom -- Reeds player
Jazz Standards and More

There's your business card...

 

[OuijaBoard]

Well, a business card that said something like "Accordion Jazz" would set a tone that diverged from stereotypes of "Beer Barrel Polka," if that's the concern. But then one will need to deliver the music and ambience held out by the card, flier, or self-description.

Joking aside, whether the jazz accordionist is playing Django swing, mid-century Frank Marocco style, avant post-bop, Ornette Coleman-style Free Jazz, or whatever--serious jazz accordionists like Richard Galliano aren't playing jazz to get a classier image. They're playing jazz because that is the music that floats their boat, the music that called to them in terms of why they got into the whole musician thing. They don't declaim that they're not oom-pah accordionists, they just get on with it.

Real, actual jazz is very difficult and demanding to play credibly. But one doesn't need true jazz chops to work up a repertoire of a couple/few dozen very atmospheric pieces that evokes a certain ambience and stays far away from obnoxious stereotypes. Not anyone can play jazz, but anyone can play "jazzy" selections. And one can work up a self-presentation to complement that roster of performance pieces, including one's card logo, etc. Vintage clothing always helps. Don't forget the haberdashery--Beret, fedora, etcetera. That is what people like Dan Newton and his Cafe Accordion Orchestra do. They are far from the sole example. A casual individual player can do the same.

It helps if one's repertoire comes out of their own affinities rather than out of a wish to avoid a stereotype. When I play out I'm playing what drew me to play the accordion-French musette, klezmer, Balkan, gypsy, tango, etc. I've never gigged wearing anything but vintage clothing. I also do trad from a couple branches of the Celtic family in separate settings related to those traditions. Blue jeans for sessions with other Irish/Scottish maniacs, vintage splendor for gigs.

 

[OuijaBoard]

Remember, your accordion is longing to stretch its wings into roles as a fashion accessory and theater prop.

 

[Pipemajor]

Accordionist: “I play jazz.”
Prospective Admirer: “Oh my, intellectual, knows all 12 keys, cosmic, buy me a drink?”

That would be better if they said " buy you a drink?"

 

[Tom]

Flyer for this weekends Sunday Service.....note...NO mention of an accordion or accordionist anywhere....
We're all fighting the same stereotypes

Except that sharp looking guy in the corner!!! Best of luck to you Terry!!!!