UK's best Melodeon players

Subject: Uks best Malodeon players
From: breezy
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 02:24 PM

O.K. time to vote for your favourite.
Name and location please.
John Kirkpatrick.
Chris Coe.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: breezy
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 02:25 PM

Saul Rose, where's he gone?

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 03:04 PM

Hi Breezy - nice thread!
The Chris Coe I know doesn't play the Malodeon - Duet concertina - like Ralphie , and brilliant hammer dulcimer - but Pete certainly plays the Melodeon. And he is pretty nifty with the basses on it!
I have to vote for Anahata as the best - not because he would never play another accompaniment for my songs - but because he is the most amazingly good musician I have had the pleasure of working with.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 03:05 PM

I think you mean Pete Coe.

Chris is his ex-wife who plays hammered dulcimer and duet concertina
but, I can assure you, not melodeon.

JK is my favourite everything (almost) but the list of top melodeon
players has to include

Andy Cutting
Tony Hall
Simon Ritchie

Anahata
(that last names's not supposed to be part of the list, I wouldn't vote for myself)

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: CraigS
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 03:49 PM

I like John Kirkpatrick playing the melodeon - I can only imagine that a malodeon is a source of malodeur, in which case it's a good job you asked for UK players, which leaves out Spaw!

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: greg stephens
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 05:58 PM

Tony Weatherall, Gavin Lewery

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Mr Happy
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 06:03 PM

What's a Malodeon ?

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Ed.
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 06:05 PM

Tim Van Eyken's not bad

Breezy, Saul Rose got married, had a baby and had to get a 'proper job'

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,Bobby's girl
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 07:30 PM

I bet Saul is still one of the best, but Andy Cutting tops my list!

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 07:42 PM

A Malodeon is a musical instrument played with maloderous intent by people with cotton wool in their ears- usually for morris. There are only two more noxious instruments in this world - two Malodeons. (after Ambrose Bierce - Devil's Dictionary)

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Mr Red
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 07:43 PM

I would put Andy Cutting first, but JK is not a bad player either **BG**

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Mr Happy
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 07:46 PM

Mr Happy is the best Melodeon player!!

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: vectis
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 08:04 PM

Ted Clark is a good melodeon player. He is so economical in his movements and utterly reliable in his timing and pace.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From:
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 08:16 PM

Saul Rose.

Other than that My mate John, crap on the instrument. However, he is willing to buy beer on the spot, so that makes him great.

Paul

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Little Robyn
Date: 01 Feb 03 - 11:01 PM

Yes, JK is probably #1, closely followed by Pete Coe and Tim van Eyken but last weekend (at the Auckland Folk Festival) I heard a couple of others - pretty good too.
Pete Grassby, who can make that box sing, and Brian Peters who puts everything into it.
Well done guys!

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: NobleSavage
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 02:07 AM

Ditto Tony Hall. Also Rod Stradling.

NS

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Manitas_
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 03:40 AM

I heardf that Martin O'Connor was born in North London. That would surely make him eleigble for a pretty high place on the list.

How about Luke Daniels? An Danien Barber should be well up the list.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Lanfranc
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 03:57 AM

"The song is ended, but the malodeon lingers on!"

Is "good melodeon player" an oxymoron? Discuss.

Around Essex, I nominate Nick Whitely, Paul McCann and Steve Delarre. Not nationally notorious, but locally highly regarded.

Paul's arrangement of "Telstar" has to be heard to be believed!

Alan

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: banjomad (inactive)
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 07:14 AM

What about Sid Kipper on the tremelodeon

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,alex
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 07:47 AM

no mention of simon carre yet. I think he should be up there somewhere. Saul might have a proper job but he is still playing brilliantly with Chiltern Hundreds and Random

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,Source-ey
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 08:50 AM

To my ears most of the players mentioned so far are mediocre. Listen to Tony Hall, Dan Quinn, Kate Howson, Rod Stradling to hear how it should be played

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Schantieman
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 10:03 AM

1 John Kirkpatrick
2 J. Kirkpatrick
3 Kirkpatrick, J
4 JK
5 Tony Hall, Pete Coe, Simon Care, Pete Grassby etc etc.
5.5 Johnny Cope (my brother-in-law, who claims he taught Andy Cutting to play the melodeon)
6       )
.       )
.       ) everyone
.       )    else
.       )
n-1    )
n             me

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,LesB
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 11:51 AM

My favorits include J.K., Simon Care, Martin Ellison, Brian Peters, Sauk Rose, Tim Van Eyken & my mate George Garside (does the beginners workshops at Whitby). That Schantimans not bad either when can be bothered.
Cheers
Les

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: breezy
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 11:52 AM

Thank you all,yes I did miss-spell it, but was it on purpose?
And I really meant PETE Coe as well.
I've heard many of the names mentioned, btw where is Saul Rose living these days?
I'll be looking forwrd to hearing Anahata at our club in St Albans where he and Mary will be gueting on FRi28th Feb., until mid-night as Mary being Welsh will lead us into St David's day

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: breezy
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 11:56 AM

for 'gueting' read Guesting.
Gueting = 2 persons playing as guests!
I like Pete Grassby too.
The St Albans town crier? dont know his name.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 01:13 PM

I think a probelm with this is that there are different styles of playing and different boxes.

For me although it's years since I heard him, I liked Damien Barber's very fluent playing on a C#D box. When I heard Pete Coe, it was much more an English style using diatonic boxes which personaly I don't enjoy as much.

Jon

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Little Robyn
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 01:14 PM

I thought it was Henry Kipper on the tremelodeon?

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: greg stephens
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 02:20 PM

I'm presuming that melodeon refers to a diatonic push-me-pull-you box, and also to the style used on a one-row or a D/G or C/F type box. People who play C#/D or B/C I think I would call button-accordeon. One-row players who can play cajun are a bit unclassifiable, are they melodeon(English name) or accordion(Louisiana name)?
   Anyway, for mastery of the one and two rows, I stick by Tony Weatherall, for style and musical depth( he's got technique as well but that doesn't interest me vastly). And I've enjoyed Keith Chandler as well, and also a guy called Guy I last saw in Newlyn at the Smuggler (I might be wrong on the name of the pub or town, it was a while ago)..

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 02:39 PM

That's a good point Greg. Definitions do vary and I think the chromatic boxes are more likely to get termed button accordians.

I'm not so sure about the others though. I seem to remember someone, probably Bob Bolton here, saying that in the Honer Catalogue the only ones described as melodeons were the single row ones with the spoon bass.

Jon

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 02:53 PM

I'd just like to point out that Saul Rose and Andy Cutting were both sons of Herga Morris and Flowers of May, and Grand Union and Paget's. Johnny Cope was bagman of Herga after Ron Barnett, but I think Andy learnt quite a lot from the playing of Pete Thompson. But everyone learnt from John K.

Kitty

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,Eliza
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 03:46 PM

Saul Rose and Martin Ellison for me. And Chris Parkinson, and Dan Quinn. I prefer JK playing the concertina, because I think he is much more interesting when he is restricted a little bit.
cheers, ec

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Kernow John
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 05:39 PM

Breezy
Don't know about the best (prob JK for me) but I know the bloody worst! It's definately me!

John

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: pavane
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 06:23 PM

As mentioned above, there are different kinds of Melodeon. It took me years to realise that the reason I couldn't play like JK was that he had a 3-row with accordion basses (as invented by Jimmy Shand, I believe). At least, that's my excuse.

There is no way that a D/G box like my old Erica can sound like a B/C
or B/C/C# box. Still, I like to hear what Sharon Shannon or Luke Daniels can do. And yes, I remember seeing Tony Hall many years ago, and, like many performers, he was only too happy to pass on some tips.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 06:52 PM

Just trying to think of other styles... I mostly only get to the odd local sessions and don't spend as much time or money on recordings or attending performances as perhaps I should... Of "names", I've only heard Damien in that sort of setting and loved his playing. Another, completely different, but I enjoyed (though IMO, he was more of a soloist rather than a fit in) was the late Simon Knight. Any one else heard him? Some of his tunes were wonderful.

Jon

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 07:13 PM

Our own Gervais was for a long time the best melodeon player, because although he could, he DIDN'T - a true gentleman.

LTS

(who lives with 8 malodeons, 2 piano accordions and a bombarde. Thank heaven he got rid of the bagpipes).

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Ralphie
Date: 02 Feb 03 - 07:38 PM

No.....No.... I should resist...but, it's late at night...Oh Poo..!!

No particular order...OK...Alphabetically, (By Surname)

1. Martin Ellison
2. Tony Hall
3. Dan Quinn

Fine Fellows all...(and unsung heroes)

Honourable mentions to all of the above...except Mr Cutting !!

Love and OBE's

Ralphie x

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 04:10 AM

Greg: You're right about the button accordion, but for the purposes of this thread I'm rating JK as a fine player on the plain ol' 2-row D/G Hohner pokerwork, though he doesn't seem to be playing it much on gigs these days, and the 1-row which he does some amazing things with.

Eliza: thanks for mentioning Chris Parkinson - how could I forget his stunning "Golden Tango" - amazing! - and Dan and Martin were on a second list that I couldn't be bothered to post, but yes... (And Ed Rennie and many others)

Breezy:
John Kirkpatrick was on at Hitchin last night. And...supported by Robin Huw Bowen! WHERE WERE YOU??? Shame on you, not supporting your fellow countryman. I know where you were. I bet there weren't many Welsh triple harps at the White Bear. I hope it was worth it.
It was a splendid opportunity for John to sing "Here's your harp - welcome to heaven, here's your accordion - welcome to hell!"

Ralphie: what's the beef with Mr Cutting?

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Lanfranc
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 05:02 AM

Rats!!!

There are not many melodeon players I would travel far to hear, but the combination of JK and Robin Huw Bowen ..... must have been magic.

I treasure my copy of RHB's book "Tro Llaw" ( a collection of 200 Welsh hornpipes ) that I bought from him in the days of Mabsant (1987 - can it really be that long ago!).

Having no harp nor malodeon, I play them on mandolin.

Must watch out for other JK + RHB gigs.

Alan

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 05:07 AM

Andy Cutting's first melodeon tutor was Pete Thompson - I was around when he had his first lesson. It was on a canal trip to the IWA National Rally at Hawksbury Junction, near Coventry. It was the year they re-opened Blisworth Tunnel and we had a wonderful floating Folk Session (about 6 boats), stopping at pubs lunchtime and evening. There were quite a lot of Herga members involved. Andy became Pete's apprentice (marine diesel fitter), but eventally left to persue his playing career. His later tutor was Ian Dedic.

I once asked Pete Thompson what he thought of his pupil's rise to fame. "What a waste", he said, "He had the gift to be a wonderful diesel fitter, and he threw it away - great diesel fitters are rare - anyone can learn to play melodeon". Mind you Pete does work on some lovely engines - his own boat has a Bolinder and he's the acknowledged expert on early Listers.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 05:36 AM

Ah - Ian Dedic! Now, in a contest for the LOUDEST melodeon, he's in a class by himself. It was his influence, combined with the failure of my Hohner pokerwork to compete with traffic noise in Richmond when playing for Hammersmith Morris, that led to the aquisition of the Oakwood box that I play now.

Of course Ian is another who must have learned a lot from John K.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: fogie
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 06:35 AM

I thought I'd throw in a name not widely enough known. If you really want to know what can be done with a 2-row G D then may I point you to a CD by a friend called Ben Averis, called "Self contained". Ben has one of the the most musical minds we are likely to hear in a folk club, and therein lies his problem. As a botanist in Scotland he has not pushed himself forward, and probably cares not a fig for what reknown should come to him . I know he has corresponded with Tony Hall, and J.K. and they know of him. If you can imagine a Reginald Dixon (theatre organ) concerning himself with composition, analysis, and variations upon almost any tune you could imagine, then you have an idea how Ben plays. I admit that I personally find his style too taxing mentally, and find myself asking WHY DOES HE WANT TO PLAY THIS ON A MELODEON? Why not make life easy and play it on keyboards, and is this what I would want to attempt myself? more technical than simple and happy- but that's Ben for you. He needs to be considered, even if he makes everyone uncomfortable.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 06:50 AM

SIMON KNIGHT
R.I.P

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 07:16 AM

Fogie : Yes, please do point me to s CD by Ben Avery. Sounds interesting. Where should I look?
(Google is about to be the first place)

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 07:28 AM

Oops, Averis not Avery - got it now

See
http://www.8ung.at/diatonica/disko.html and search down the page if anyone else wants to know...

Bulgarian music on a D/G melodeon?
I'm not alone!

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 07:36 AM

If it was a choice between Tony Hall and John Kirkpatrick, it'd be a hard choice. I think I'd go and hear Tony Hall, because there are more chances to hear John.

"Malodeon player" would be a great name for someone who played really badly. Better not have any nominations for that.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: GUEST,T-boy
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 08:09 AM

All blokes so far. Any decent women players?

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 08:19 AM

Katie Howson was mentioned earlier.

I can think of other women melodeon players, some very competent but I think they'd be very surprised to find themselves in a "best in the country" nomination.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: breezy
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 08:48 AM

Well how about Huw Williams isnt he worth a mantion?
Yes White bear threw up Judy who flew in from Knock and sang us a brace of traveller songs.
So only Sharon Shannon got a mention amongst the women, but is she not disqualified by nationality?
There must be some girls out there worth a mention.

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: treewind
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 09:02 AM

Depends whether you count the Irish style (B/C, C/C# or C#/D chromatic boxes, no left hand) as melodeon playing. If you do, there's lots of superb players - somebody mentioned Mairtin O'Connor, I've heard Joe Burke and there are lots I don't know about but it is a very different musical style.

Then there's Tim Edey, a young player I met a few years ago who was playing Irish music on a D/G Saltarelle, Again not much left hand but brilliant, in that musical style.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Uks best Malodeon players
From: IanC
Date: 03 Feb 03 - 09:21 AM

I'm never very keen on the "who is the best ..." threads but, unlike the guitar thread (where I think I finally established myself as he best) I can't honestly say I'm the best at this as I actually play the instrument.

Also, as far as the melodeon is concerned, there are a number of different reasons for - and styles of playing.

If we're talking (and surely that's all we can be) about our favourite melodeon players then my favourite of all time (single row, for dancing) is George Tremayne. His rhythm and, in particluar, his use of harmony are absolutely exceptional. I don't suppose many of you have heard him.

Bob Cann has always been a favourite too (2/3 row dance and general music), and I learned a lot of tunes from him.

Tony Hall deserves a mention. He's a virtuoso player on the 2-row but it's an entirely 2-row style.

Finally, Gren Morris, a friend of mine who taught me to play over 25 years ago. He has been recorded, but only occasionally playing the melodeon, I think.

Just my thoughts
;-)