French Top 10

[maugein96]

OK, we all know Galliano is number one in France, but who is in second place? This includes accordionists past and present, and I think you may be surprised. 

In second place is Alexandra Paris, and I would reckon she has achieved that by returning to the old fashioned musette and chanson type repertoire.

I remember her as a chubby kid learning to play under the guidance of her tutor, Maurice Larcange. She began recording at an early age and played jazz for a while on an old Fratelli Crosio box in a small jazz combo. 

In recent years she has come to the fore playing some of the older material in a slightly formal setting as here:-

Sorry about the sound quality. When she switches on both of those LL reeds together about 1:48 it should sound a lot better than it does in the clip. Ive always liked her personality, and she just laughs when she plays the odd bum note, as she does here, more than once!:- 


You can still hear the Larcange influence in her playing at times.

 

[losthobos]

Always wanted her for a sister... Belle belle
Great if you can find me some of that jazz combo shizz...
Oh...and for me ma I'd like Toos Endlich... ?

 

[maugein96]

Always wanted her for a sister... Belle belle
Great if you can find me some of that jazz  combo shizz...
Oh...and for me ma Id like Toos Endlich... ?

Terry,

Here she is in Trio Paris Swing in Prague (crap sound). I thought she was your sister! Looks relatively recent and shes using a Crosio with couplers on the front and cracking bassoon reeds.



Heres your ma, Toos Endlich, with a nice simple medley 


Shes using a Belgian harness Clips to back of box with quick release clip in case you fall in the canal with the box still strapped on!

 

[OuijaBoard]

Toos Endlich was just lovey . . . wish there was a solo  recording . . .

 

[maugein96]

Toos Endlich was just lovey . . . wish there was a solo  recording . . .

Never heard her play solo. Even when she was playing in peoples houses there would usually be other instruments there, or even another accordion. She regularly got together with the Duo Heesbeen in Rotterdam and they would play in Henks house. I found a very short clip of her playing outside a cafe in Groningen, but the combination of that big Accordiola Grande Concerto with what appeared to be all the voices switched on, combined with cafe customers singing along was too much for whatever device was being used to record it. 

As a consolation, here is a clip of her friend, Henk Heesbeen, playing a medley in his house on a big Accordiola;-

 

The box she played had what they call Amsterdam tuning and takes musette tuning up as high as it will go. Big chords, big sound, and a big loss to the accordion world. She was 81 and had played along with some of the greats like Johnny Meijer. 

Dont know if that style is still being learned by youngsters these days, but here is a young looking guy with a credible rendering in that same vein. Hes only using what sounds like two flute reeds, which is probably all he needs in that room. Toos liked to check the putty in the windows was still OK when she played, as she usually gave it full volume on master or musette. 

 

[losthobos]

Neat...

 

[OuijaBoard]

OK, I wish there was an entire Toos recording even if not "solo." Love that warm, slower jazz sound and the tone of those big ole Accordiolas. . .



RE the thread topic--Would these be, our Top 10 favorites? I don't like the hyper-frenetically-fast playing of many of those that get airtime as accordeon "stars" in France. It seems to me Galliano's slower style is one of the reasons he is first on many a the list nowadays, and does also seem to be rehabilitating the image of the accordion . . .I dunno. Perhaps it's not always so much the speed, but the cheesy disco electronic arrangements of some of it.

I like Murena, Privat, Prudhomme, Vacher. Big fan of Daniel Colin, Marcel Loeffler, very much like Erwan Mellec of Swing of France.

 

[maugein96]

Hi,

Unfortunately the two miles a minute guys have been there for a long time, and they seem to command a lot of respect from budding players. Im not going to go into names, but I dont care much for them either. 

The French Top 50 accordeonistes are listed in the French edition of the US Stars Illustrated online magazine. This would appear to be a new venture by Google books, and they are starting to put articles on about various French musicians. I came across it by accident and never knew it existed until the day I put the post on. Ill put a link to it, but the page concerning the top 50 is currently about page 159. It obviously moves down the list as a new topics are added.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...eon musette virtuoses paris 1944-1954&f=false

The Top 50 players are apparently based on the opinions of the French public at large, and are not confined to the views of accordion enthusiasts. The list contains more than a few non-French players of all genres, and some of the former big-names are not on it, probably because the younger generations may not have heard of some of them. 

The first four names you mention need no introduction. Daniel Colin has always been respected for his playing, although it seems he had to develop his own unique playing style due to his very short stature and small hands, which was never copied by the young set. Id never heard of Marcel Loeffler until fairly recently. Gypsy jazz introduces an element which I did appreciate in earlier years, but my interest in it has waned of late, without really knowing why. Perhaps it is the sheer number of worldwide retro style bands who have flogged it to death, but Im just not sure. Erwan Mellec is an outstanding player, although I would love to hear him playing in another style. 

These days Id rather listen to light jazz versions of the old chansons rather than wall to wall pompe. I have a similar issue with Scottish accordion. It just doesnt vary enough. 

When Louis Ferrari, the only PA player ever to make it big time into the French accordion world, played stuff like this, it was classed by some as too up beat, but it will always be the type of music which epitomised French musette to me. 

 

His Italian style wasnt copied much by CBA players, although his cousin, Tony Murena, played in a similar vein to the end on CBA. The Italian influence on French musette at that time was quite noticeable, but that was in the days before the speed merchants you mention took over. Ive never really been able to get into Gallianos material either. It is a different style altogether.

 

[maugein96]

Hi,

Unfortunately the two miles a minute guys have been there for a long time, and they seem to command a lot of respect from budding players. Im not going to go into names, but I dont care much for them either. 

The French Top 50 accordeonistes are listed in the French edition of the US Stars Illustrated online magazine. This would appear to be a new venture by Google books, and they are starting to put articles on about various French musicians. I came across it by accident and never knew it existed until the day I put the post on. Ill put a link to it, but the page concerning the top 50 is currently about page 159. It obviously moves down the list as a new topics are added.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...eon musette virtuoses paris 1944-1954&f=false

The Top 50 players are apparently based on the opinions of the French public at large, and are not confined to the views of accordion enthusiasts. The list contains more than a few non-French players of all genres, and some of the former big-names are not on it, probably because the younger generations may not have heard of some of them. 

The first four names you mention need no introduction. Daniel Colin has always been respected for his playing, although it seems he had to develop his own unique playing style due to his very short stature and small hands, which was never copied by the young set. Id never heard of Marcel Loeffler until fairly recently. Gypsy jazz introduces an element which I did appreciate in earlier years, but my interest in it has waned of late, without really knowing why. Perhaps it is the sheer number of worldwide retro style bands who have flogged it to death, but Im just not sure. Erwan Mellec is an outstanding player, although I would love to hear him playing in another style. 

These days Id rather listen to light jazz versions of the old chansons rather than wall to wall pompe. I have a similar issue with Scottish accordion. It just doesnt vary enough. 

When Louis Ferrari, the only PA player ever to make it big time into the French accordion world, played stuff like this, it was classed by some as too up beat, but it will always be the type of music which epitomised French musette to me. 

 

His Italian style wasnt copied much by CBA players, although his cousin, Tony Murena, played in a similar vein to the end on CBA. The Italian influence on French musette at that time was quite noticeable, but that was in the days before the speed merchants you mention took over. Ive never really been able to get into Gallianos material either. It is a different style altogether.

Have never been able to find a CD of Toos Endlich. Johnny Meijer sometimes played that style (rumour has it when he had to), as here in 1984 in Amsterdam:-


It was a shame the way he ended up. His son, a drug addict, kept ripping him off and he maintained his dog was the only friend he had left. He hit the booze with a giant sized mallet. A married couple in the same building took him under their wing and the guy, a plumber, used to drive Johnny to his gigs and play bass for him.  One night (of many) Johnny was the worse for wear and began screaming and shouting at him because he was getting the notes all wrong. The cafe owner asked Johnny why he played along with such a terrible bassist, and Johnny said, I know hes crap, but he has a car! From a man who was once a world champion accordionist to that was sad. 

 

[debra]

Don't forget Ludovic Beier, great jazz accordionist and accordinist!

 

[maugein96]

Dont forget Ludovic Beier, great jazz accordionist and accordinist!

Hi Paul,

Yes, one of the young upstarts! Great player as you say, and has done a lot to promote the accordion. Believe it or not hes not in that French Top 50 accordionists! Maybe the younger set thinks hes German, as I did until about 10 years ago!

Thought Id treat you to your favourite accordion sound. Member ouijaboard said he loves this stuff. 

You may remember it as a Jaap Valkhoff hit, but this instrumental is in the style of the late Toss Endlich (I think). Dont know who the player is, but a decent job, on one of the tamer Accordiolas Ive heard for a while. 

 

[debra]

Dont forget Ludovic Beier, great jazz accordionist and accordinist!

Hi Paul,

...
Thought Id treat you to your favourite accordion sound. Member ouijaboard said he loves this stuff. 

You may remember it as a Jaap Valkhoff hit, but this instrumental is in the style of the late Toss Endlich (I think). Dont know who the player is, but a decent job, on one of the tamer Accordiolas Ive heard for a while. 

That Accordiola is not nearly tame enough for me to tolerate it beyond the 10 second mark...

 

[maugein96]

Dont forget Ludovic Beier, great jazz accordionist and accordinist!

Hi Paul,

...
Thought Id treat you to your favourite accordion sound. Member ouijaboard said he loves this stuff. 

You may remember it as a Jaap Valkhoff hit, but this instrumental is in the style of the late Toss Endlich (I think). Dont know who the player is, but a decent job, on one of the tamer Accordiolas Ive heard for a while. 

That Accordiola is not nearly tame enough for me to tolerate it beyond the 10 second mark...

Oh well,

I had you down for 5 seconds, so I was wrong again!

 

[OuijaBoard]

[[[Don't forget Ludovic Beier, great jazz accordionist and accordinist! ]]]

Yes, great one I left out! I have several of his wonderful recordings!