Concertina players

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Will Fly
Date: 27 Aug 18 - 02:14 PM

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned my old friend and duettist - and Mudcatter - Alan Day, with whom I played for some years (before he moved to Suffolk).

Alan is a wonderful player of the Anglo, with a full chordal approach, and the composer of some great tunes, as well as being a leading light on Concertina.net. He has also been the force behind some important CD collections of concertina playing.

A superb player.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 27 Aug 18 - 11:41 AM

Simon Thoumire: doesn't so often get heard these days as he's so busy with Hands Up for Trad (Scotland) and organising such things as the Scottish Trad Music awards and Scotland Sings.
And all of the above!

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Jos
Date: 27 Aug 18 - 05:46 AM

Could I just point out that the GUEST,Jos above isn't me, and nor do I recognise any other posts from GUEST,Jos since 2006.
But I am not suggesting that this GUEST is not a genuine Jos, or that there is anything untoward about his/her messages.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: andyturner
Date: 27 Aug 18 - 05:02 AM

Belatedly replying to Dave the Gnome's question about Magpie Lane CDs. Yes they're all available (although a couple of the older albums are now only available as a download from Amazon, iTunes and the like).

Have a look at http://magpielane.co.uk/ml_record.htm for full details.

We've got a new one coming out before the end of the year.

And thanks to Andy M for the original mention. Glad you enjoyed our Sidmouth gig.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 26 Aug 18 - 04:44 PM

An EC player who really has impressed me, particularly on the song-accompaniment* front, is Ian Robb; he plays a tenor/treble and does amazing things with the bottom octave.

*Something that continues to elude me, tbh

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Phil Edwards
Date: 26 Aug 18 - 04:40 PM

An EC player you may not have heard is Phil Edwards, who...

damn, forgot to log out

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Aug 18 - 11:39 AM

Sock puppets galore.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,Jos
Date: 24 Aug 18 - 11:33 AM

Dick Miles and Lea Nicholson

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Richard Mellish
Date: 22 Aug 18 - 01:20 PM

Jack Burnaby, who accompanies Alison Frosdick, plays concertina accompaniments that are very simple but extremely effective.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Acorn4
Date: 22 Aug 18 - 12:31 PM

Someone who isn't often mention is Roger Edwards who plays/used to play anglo with Jane and Amanda Threlfall.

I think they don't gig much nowadays and deafness is becoming a bit of an issue, but I used to think he did some very tasty tunes and arrangements.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,Eric the Viking
Date: 22 Aug 18 - 07:57 AM

Chris sherburn, But Moshen Amini from Talisk is a really nice guy and quite phenominal, already going far.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: CupOfTea
Date: 19 Aug 18 - 09:21 AM

I second Brian Peters as a great versatile self-accompanist, though he's also brilliant on tunes, as evidenced on his concertina-starring album "Anglophilia"

Earliest love of concertina playing comes from adoring the performances of John Roberts and Tony Barrand. John's playing never steps on the song, just sort of underlines it.

For tunes, an early exposure to Noel Hill should have made me wanting to get an anglo concertina and do tunes, as I do now, but back in the day, for me, tunes were to dance to, not to play. Had I started then I might have become a decent player by now.

Joanne in Cleveland who is the BEST concertina player on her street. Only one, too.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,horse music
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 11:14 AM

Song accompaniment exponents who are good Steve Turner Dick Miles Brian Peters

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,Modette
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 11:04 AM

Niall Vallely
Terry Bingham
Jason O'Rourke
Tara Howley

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Andy M
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 09:51 AM

Wow! Thanks for the above. I saw Cohen B-K at Sidmouth, where as someone said, he was like a young John Kirkpatrick, and this is another dimension. Just hope he's not a villa fan (sorry, slipped in football there...)

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,bellowsfan
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 09:09 AM

I love Cohen's playing - if you haven't seen his university recital then check this out (from 5'40 ish) - 40mins of classical music transcribed for the melodeon and concertina(!) https://livestream.com/uol/final-recitals-17/videos/157705262?t=1511480906236

Alex Wade is a brilliant young English player too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2weghwmeXY

At the other end of the scale age-wise, I'm a big fan of Iris Bishop's Maccann duet song accompaniment, particularly on this recording with Shirley Collins from about ten years ago - https://youtu.be/Qeb4xSMVj-A

As a player I'm most interested in accompanying singing so Iris' playing and Rob Harbron's beautiful sense of chords are my two biggest influences.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,kenny
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 06:53 AM

There are so many great Irish players these days, many of them still quite young :

Liam O'Brien
Cormac Begley
Jack Talty
Zoran Donohoe
Edel Fox
Padraig Rynne
Michael O'Raghallaigh
Niamh ni Charra
Caitlin nic Gabhann
Michael O'hEidhin
Mohsen Amini [ Glasgow ]

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: GUEST,Peter Laban
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 06:04 AM

Jackie Daly played the concertina with us on a few occasions when Kitty Hayes were playing. On some nights he'd bring in his low pitched accordeon to play with us (we played below concert pitch) but on other night he would pick up a concertina belonging to someone who wasn't playing. Not a bother on him.

You probably know the story of the man who saw Jackie play the concertina and went 'Jackie, Jackie I didn't know you could play the concertina' to which Jackie replied 'ofcourse I can, ANYBODY can play the concertina'.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Andy M
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 05:58 AM

One comment say "pointless to compare"; why is that? It's a subjective 'who's your fave' I was thinking about. I agree that it's surprising that Magpie Lane have been so under people's radar.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 03:50 AM

Lots of good players - all better than me :-)

Magpie Lane, mentioned above, are great and I am surprised I have not seen them mentioned on here before. They did some CDs for the "Past Times" stores. Sadly the stores are no longer but I wonder if the CDs are still about?

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: The Sandman
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 02:45 AM

In my opinion the best EC player i have heard is Robert Harbron, as regrds Anglo, I have booked Jackie Daly 7 years running but never heard him play anglo live at all, for irish tunes I would choose Mary Macnamara, Mary Tisdall and chris Droney.
Brian Peters is a good anglo player. but all this is a matter of taste.
the EC can be good for morris too if sufficent thought is given to bellows reversals, after all that is what make the anglo naturally bouncy

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 04:24 PM

I'd endorse Andy's selection but would also mention Jackie Daly, admittedly more noted for his button accordion playing, but he's a killer anglo player too. Then there's Noel Hill, the man himself.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 04:21 PM

Yep, I'd go for Cohen, very much in the JK mould but for his age streets ahead. Basically though the style of JK and Ali and the great Irish players I'd say pointless trying to compare. They are chalk and cheese and all brilliant. To me as an anglo player of some 50 years they're all virtuosos and only they know who is better than who if there is such a thing.

Subject: RE: Concertina players
From: treewind
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 04:00 PM

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne.
The best Anglo concertina player I've ever heard.

But I like the other players you've mentioned too.

Subject: Review: Concertina players
From: Andy M
Date: 16 Aug 18 - 11:06 AM

Recently back from Sidmouth, one of the best for youthful energy.

The concertina is not an instrument I've put at the top of the list before, but who is your favourite concertina player?

At Sidmouth Blowzabella's dance was probably my fave gig, but I was knocked out by Magpie Lane (only one performance!) and their concertina player Andy Turner who was brilliant as an accompanist and tune player, warm and inventive - not words I've sometimes associated with the instrument, though I love John Kirkpatrick and Alistair Anderson's playing too.