Gorni Kramer.... 30/40s Italian rebel bandleader...

[losthobos]

 

[Deleted member 48]

Thanks for posting, beautiful version of this classic !

 

[Dingo40]

LH,
Absoloootely dreaaamy!
Thanks for posting!

The dance bands were still playing this stuff at times when I was a lad: ahh, the memories!

 

[maugein96]

Hi Terry,

I'd never heard of Gorni Kramer until relatively recently. As you say, it would have taken a lot of rebel spirit for an Italian accordionist to break out of the local traditional fare in those days.

I believe one or two in Scotland tried it, and became very adept at dodging flying whisky tumblers!

Great stuff. I now know where you got some of your inspiration and playing style.

 

[losthobos]

I'd have gladly got my style frim listening to Gorni had i not only discovered him yesterday... However my aural diet is the bands, combos and trios from this period... So you couldn't have given me a bigger compliment.. Thanks
As to Gorni he wanted to play jazz abd the facist dictatorship was havi g non of it back then... He claims to have learn from working the docks where the american ships came in and learnt thr tunes and style from any musical sailors... Pursued his passion and was shunned every after... Did go on to arrange for films though and made a few quid later on in life 
Theres a whole catalogue on youtube which i shall use the rest of quarantine to devour...
And from photos seems he was a thumb on the rail CBA man....

 

[Dingo40]

We had a purpose-built, large commercial public dance hall (highly polished & waxed hardwood dance floor with tables and seats around the periphery) called "Stardust " in  our neighbourhood and "Stardust " was their band's signature tune.
The big public dances were held on Saturday nights, and it was one of "the places " to meet girls!

(It was all DIY in those days: social media, dating sites, dating apps, blue tooth, the web, none of it was even a dream  :huh

Ahh, those were the days!


Fonzie (of "Happy Days"), eat your heart out!

 

[maugein96]

I'd have gladly got my style frim listening to Gorni had i not only discovered him yesterday... However my aural diet is the bands, combos and trios from this period... So you couldn't have given me a bigger compliment.. Thanks
As to Gorni he wanted to play jazz abd the facist dictatorship was havi g non of it back then... He claims to have learn from working the docks where the american ships came in and learnt thr tunes and style from any musical sailors... Pursued his passion and was shunned every after... Did go on to arrange for films though and made a few quid later on in life 
Theres a whole catalogue on youtube which i shall use the rest of quarantine to devour...
And from photos seems he was a thumb on the rail CBA man....

Terry,

Scotland never needed any Mussolinis, just audiences who demanded you played local or got "persuaded" off the stage. I was surprised to learn that a young Scottish accordionist won a jazz trophy somewhere recently. It's maybe calmed down a bit in recent times. 

Funny how a lot of the world's great musicians had to battle against political obstacles. 

I could hear some of his chordal work being similar to yours. I could never discipline myself to play those slow numbers, and many of my "chords" are two finger substitutes. 

I think I discovered him on You Tube a few years back when I was looking at Italian players fairly regularly. He was from the north, where no thumb playing on CBA would have been the norm in his time. Wolmer Beltrami was another thumbless wizard from a slightly later era. I don't know when it became "thumbs up" time in northern Italy, but all the modern players now use it to very good effect.

 

[losthobos]

Just got kicked into touch.... Listening to Gordi Kramer when the phone rang... 
Picked up and the first thing a friend said was... 
Lucky you.. The ice cream is outside...we haven't seen one since lockdown began....