Looking for recommendations of songs to add to repertoire

[Mike K]

Looking to add some more "Ethnic" music to my repertoire and maybe you can suggest some songs. I am going to list some of the ones I play and like in different styles so you can get an idea and maybe recommend similar songs.
,
Italian:
Mother born in Italy so I learned a LOT as a kid, have quite a few of those already, mostly older traditional stuff, O Marie, CiriBiriBin, Funiculi Funicula, Tesoro Mio....etc.

French:
Really like what I call the french Cafe' style music, would like to learn more. presently play:
La Vie en Rose
Under Paris Skies
Love is Blue
C'Est Si Bon

Spanish
Play some that are mix of Gypsy Jazz and Latin like Bossa Dorado but also:
Tico-Tico
Libertango
Besame mucho
La Partida
ElChoclo
Manha De Carnaval - Black Orpheus
Amor
Spanish Eyes
Perfidia
Malaguena - though it is tough getting my fingers to move fast enough anymore.
------not Lady of Spain

Eastern European
Have a number of polka of course but like some of the other folk music
Two Guitars
Songs from Fiddler on Roof
Hungarian Dance no. 5

NOt much from other countries, little bit of Irish. I am sure there is a lot more out there that fits the accordion well, tell me what songs are your favorites and I can try to find the music and learn them.

Thanks

Mike

 

[Geronimo]

Spanish
Play some that are mix of Gypsy Jazz and Latin like Bossa Dorado but also:
Tico-Tico

Uh, Spanish? A Brazilian song with Portuguese lyrics in Salsa rhythm?

Libertango
Besame mucho
La Partida
ElChoclo

Hm. You might be interested in the lead sheets from Mandrágora Tangos collection of sheet music.

 

[Jiri]

Hi, some more, that I like :

Italian: Bella Ciao
French: Une valse musette (Bredif)
Gypsy: Black eyes
Judish?: Hava nagila

Regards,
Jiri

 

[Mike K]

Alright.....really Latin not Spanish.....I guess I am speaking in general terms

 

[Geronimo]

Hi, some more, that I like :

Italian: Bella Ciao
French: Une valse musette (Bredif)
Gypsy: Black eyes
Judish?: Hava nagila

Thats not Yiddish but Hebrew. Klezmer can be either but Id not really consider Hava Nagila Klezmer as such [PostScriptum: come to think of it, its, like, totally Klezmer: dont know what I was thinking here]. Yiddish would be Shlof shoyn main yankele. Donna donna in the original is also a Yiddish song, I think by Shlomo Secunda? Dos kelbl. I think those really work better when you are actually singing but then Im partial to Yiddish.

 

[xocd]

More Piazzolla:
- Chiquilín de Bachín
- Adiós Nonino

 

[Tom]

Hi Mike,

A few more Italian ones that I play include:

Carnevale di Venezia
Piemontesina Bella
Rosabella del Molise
Serenata Aviglianese
Calabrisella Mia
Tarantella (Napolitana)
Vieni Sul Mar
Ho Detto al Sole

Hope this helps!

 

[JeffJetton]

No German/Austrian/Alpine in your repertoire?

You could rectify that with, for example:

• Freut euch des Lebens
• Heidenroslein
• Schneewalzer
• Anything by Strauss Jr., or Lehar, or Slavko Avsenik
• etc...

What's nice are songs you can learn that do "double duty", culturally. Learn "Carnival of Venice" for your Italian gigs, and you also get "Mein Hut hat drei Ecken" for your German gigs. Learn "Moon Over Naples" and you also get "Blue Spanish Eyes" (and it was written by a German!)

And no one knows what the heck language "Que Sera Sera" is supposed to be, so you can get away with that in also sorts of situations. {}

 

[Waldo]

Check out John Jorgenson's "Franco American Swing" DVD. No accordion, but great tunes.

 

[Mike K]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have been away quite a bit lately. I will need to try to dig up some of the music.