Artist: The Cambridge Buskers

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Jan 08 - 05:59 AM

I first 'discovered' Piano Accordions when I was about 10-12. I mean gazing lustfully at the pretty red boxes with buttons thru the window! I was told that the family didn't have enough money, but it would have been about the time, or just before my brother came along. I suspect it was because the instrument was 'not a real one like the Piano'!

Anyway it was after I heard their first album that I was inspired as to HOW to play the P/A! Took many years before I acquired my first one.

Dag (David) was my main inspiration as to how to play the box. (I wonder what happened to him?) He is able to get an orchestral score of any size on a small piano accordion. The two of them are a perfect duo for minimalistic music. I can see why they would go well at schools.

The style works well for the type of music they do - They do the Toccata (but not the Fugue!) in D Minor! It depends on a basic 'melody line' (Michale) and a basic 'ground' (Dag). This however, actually is what a large proportion of music is made of. The 130 plus tunes range from Traditional to Folk to Classical to Pop, to Modern (even the Beatles)...


Wiki -
The Cambridge Buskers

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Compton
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 08:33 PM

Well, I wasn't far off with 40 then...not having counted then!!

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 09:01 PM

Looks like a standard cheapie 32 Bass 2 reeder.

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Compton
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 08:52 PM

The guy on the (small) piano accordian has changed hence the change to classic buskers, For a 40 ish bass Accordian, they both play a mean tune!

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 08:13 AM

Michael Copley played in my pit orchestra when he was at school.
Lawnswood School, in Leeds, put on a version of Dick Whittington, and I was musical director.
Michael, then a sixth former, auditioned for the flautist job and got it, (as if I would have turned him down!). The sore included a very early example of a performance of his superfast version of the Sailor's Hornpipe.
I wrote an overture for the pantomime, (consisting entirely of rip-offs of Broadway songs, Borodin etc.) so I can almost honestly claim that he has played one of my compositions.
I'm more famous than I thought I was- my previous claim to legit music fame was that I showed Simon Rattle how to tune his balalaika.
Cheers
Dave

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 06:23 AM

Michael's website is http://www.seaview.dial.pipex.com/classic_buskers.htm

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: treewind
Date: 09 Jan 08 - 02:54 AM

Better than being packing goop :-)

Anahata

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 08 Jan 08 - 11:23 PM

There is now a 4 CD compilation (about AUD$45) ABC Classics 480 0136 (ABC Aust) - over 130 tracks with what appears to be most of their stuff from 1977 to 1985 including the Deutche Gramaphon stuff - about 8 LPs worth! It should be available everywhere sooner or later, or overseas people probbaly can get it in a hurry from The ABC Shop (at abc.net.au).

The cover notes say that Michael is now teamed with Ian Moore as The Classic Buskers.

Loved these guys when they first surfaced on ABC National Radio back in the early 70's - but then Tom Leherer used to get a lot of play too!

I think they did tour Aus once, anybody know if Michael has a website?

BTW, the notes say that they worked on 123 TV shows with a German Comedian as "a backing goop"!!!

How many of you guys have ever been part of "a backing goop"!!!

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: MaineDog
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 05:02 PM

Wow, yes I remember them from the distant past. Actually, they were one of my principle inspirations to attemp to play modern and traditional music (as opposed to "*early*" music) on recorders.
MD

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Jack Campin
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 12:00 PM

I have Michael Copley's old G sopranino recorder (bought on EBay from an intermediate owner). His party trick with it was to occasionally blow it with his nostrils. He told me he still does this when touring schools.

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: treewind
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 09:16 AM

I used to know them a bit and remember seeing them perform in Churchill College Bar, about 1976 when they first stated busking as students.
Heard nothing of them for years, other than the Christmas season when they were doing the fill-ins between BBC TV programmes.

Michael Copley is a brilliant flute and recorder player and Dag Ingrams has an amazing knack for imitating an orchestral score of any size on a small piano accordion.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Emma B
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 08:48 AM

I've seen them perform in the past but unfortunately don't know them personally

They are still performing Robin but under the name of 'The Classic Buskers)

Subject: RE: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 08:36 AM

Fraid not.
They used to get a lot of telly play a good few years back. No idea if they are still performing.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: Artist: The Cambridge Buskers
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 07 Jan 08 - 08:34 AM

I've just picked up a 4 CD set of these guys - a small piano accordion and a flute.

Anybody know them personally?