october 2016 newsletter - accordion-club …20… · strating his accordion and some of the sounds...
TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 2016 NEWSLETTER
HAPPINESS at ALSI by Sharon Marotte
September 11 – a day we will remember forever. Our ALSI meeting was full of music
once again. Players around the village were: Brandel – Sharon Marotte - Cafeteria –
Vicki Eriqat. Bob Warner was the MC, Jack Marotte ran the sound board & mics,
Mary Lou Erwin was at the front table greeting folks as they came into Bailey Hall. -The first player of the day was yours truly, Sharon Marotte. My songs were:
Sweet Georgia Brown, Tarantella Napoletana & My Way. -Jerry Odling played next.
His songs were: Cabaret, Till There
Was You, Good Night Sweetheart,
Sound of Music. Jerry uses the
bass note only, no chord. Nice
technique. -Marilyn Harkins played
only one song….There is a Tavern
in the Town. Next time you must
play 3 songs!! Good job, you get
better every time you play. -Ron Griffin is back in
town!!!! He spent time demon-
strating his accordion and some of the sounds it can make – very interesting. He is an
engineer so this is right up his alley!!! He played: Your Cheating Heart, Besame Mucho,
Scuzi mi, Amore & Polkan Gar. Good job, Ron. Nice to have you back with us. -Al Jacobs had lots of time to play for us. He played Cabaret which has lyrics in
German, French & English. Some Italian songs – Volare, Oh Marie, Tarantella. Some Irish
songs –When Irish Eyes are Smiling and Irish Jig. He also played several songs from Fid-
dler on the Roof.
Volume 3 Issue 10
Happiness continued —
September 11 – a day we will remember forever. Our ALSI meeting was full of music once again. Players
around the village were: Brandel – Sharon Marotte - Cafeteria – Vicki Eriqat. Bob Warner was the MC,
Jack Marotte ran the sound board & mics, Mary Lou Erwin was at the front table greeting folks as they came
into Bailey Hall. -The first player of the day was yours truly,
Sharon Marotte. My songs were: Sweet Georgia
Brown, Tarantella Napoletana and My Way. -Jerry Odling played next. His songs were:
Cabaret, Till There Was You, Good Night Sweet-
heart, Sound of Music. Jerry uses the bass note only,
no chord. Nice technique. -Marilyn Harkins played only one
song….There is a Tavern in the Town. Next time you
must play 3 songs!! Good job, you get better every
time you play. -Ron Griffin is back in town!!!! He spent time
demonstrating his accordion and some of the sounds
it can make – very interesting. He is an engineer so
this is right up his alley!!! He played: Your Cheating Heart, Besame Mucho, Scuzi mi, Amore and Polkan Gar.
Good job, Ron. Nice to have you back with us. -Al Jacobs had lots of time to play for us. He played Cabaret which has lyr-
ics in German, French & English. Some Italian songs – Volarie, Oh Marie, Tarantella.
Some Irish songs –When Irish Eyes are Smiling &an Irish Jig. He also played several
songs from Fiddler on the Roof. -Gordon Kohl stopped by to greet all of the ALSI members. He stayed to
visit for a bit before continuing on his way. We had our coffee/cake break in the new addition dining room, right next to Bailey
Hall. All the tables had white linen tablecloths, plenty of room to sit and visit. Jane
Ford had bright colored tablecloths on the serving tables. It was very nice. The Accordion Band played after the break. Vicki Eriqat was the director & Lois Lahoud played
percussion instruments. Their songs were: 76 Trombones, Blue Tango, King of the Road – Al Piselli on vocals,
Janet’s Waltz, Happy Wanderer, Five Foot Two – Linda Hibbert on vocals, Bubbles in the Wine, Too Fat Pol-
ka – Vicki Eriqat on vocals, California Here I Come & Adios. We were all excited to hear Bob Page play his Showcase & especially to
have Lou Fanucchi with us again. We really enjoyed his playing.
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Page 3
Hello ALSI music friends!
The season is changing here in San Diego. The early mornings
are “crispy” and the clouds are just blowing in the wind. For
me, this means the Oktoberfest season is here and the fun
events too. ALSI will be having a day of fun music in Balboa
Park on October 9th, Sunday. Accordionists will come and
play a variety of songs listened to at the world famous Ok-
toberfest held in Munich, Germany.
I hope that all ALSI friends will bring family and friends to take part in our fantastic
event. A visit to Balboa Park, the museums, walking areas, gardens and a world re-
nowned zoo will also bring us all out Sunday, October 9th. The accordion event will
be held over by the natural history and science museum, just west of a spectacular
water fountain. Please come early and enjoy time with your friends and accordion en-
tertainment.
All the Best, Gordon
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE - by Gordon Kohl
From the collection of Rena Walton, most accordion players seem to collect
these things, have any yourself ?
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Gordon Kohl Plays Casuals, Wedding Dances and Special Events. Gordon’s Combo is noted for their repertoire of
ethnic music such as Italian, French, German and Latin. Their specialty is Private Parties & Dancing Mu-
sic. (For more information and availability, please call Gordon at: (619) 395-0454.
Harold & Helen Estok Founders of A.L.S.I. — President: Gordon Kohl 619 395-0454
Presidents Emeriti: (Founder) Harold Estok, Ron Griffin, Kjell Holmes, Gloria Ensign
Vice President: Mary Lou Erwin 619 448-9588
Meeting Coordinator: Bob Warner
Treasurer & Band Director: Vicki Eriqat 619 563-5586
Recording Secretary: Sharon Marotte 619 286-3948
Newsletter/Webmaster: Bob Page, Lois Lahoud, Al Piselli
The REED BLOCK
c/o Mary Lou Erwin
P.O. Box 712571
Santee, CA 92072
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BOB PAGE SHOWCASE SEPTEMBER 11, 2016
Review by Bob Warner
For some time we have been
looking forward to having Bob do a
program for us. He was one of the
first members to buy a Roland reed-
less accordion, the model FR7x. Since
then I believe we now have a total of
5 members playing a Roland of one
model or another. Bob has devoted a huge
amount of time studying the extensive
capabilities his instrument has. He is a
regular member of the ALSI accordi-
on ensemble and has played frequent-
ly during the open mic sessions at our
meetings. I must say that his efforts
have produced excellent results. Bob
has a smooth style of playing using a
clean keyboard technique. His music preferences include the familiar contemporary ballads. He
pays particular attention to the voicings for his pieces where there is a lot to draw from with the
Roland. Although it is not necessary to use an external amplifier with the FR7x Bob chose to setup
with one. He began his program with a swing version of the ballad “MOONGLOW” using a bassoon
voicing and a smooth chord technique. In the old standard “TALK OF THE TOWN” he picked up
the swing tempo and used the same voicing. Bob likes to carry the melody and harmony using four
finger chords which is a signature of his playing style. With” AMAZING GRACE” he played a sin-
gle note introduction and added organ and orchestral voicings for the rest of the piece to demon-strate some of the versatility of his instrument. His arrangement of “LARA’S THEME” from the
movie Dr. Zhivago used a pre-recorded rhythm track that followed the harmony of the piece. This
was very effective.
Changing genre, Bob next played the beautiful ballad “SABOR A MI”, again using a pre-
recorded rhythm track. Everybody should have this beautiful song as part of their repertoire and
Bob does it justice. He continued with the sentimental song ”LA VIEN ROSE” which was made
popular by the French singer Edith Piaf. Augmented by a rhythm background with orchestra and
using a French accordion voicing this piece came alive. His version of “AUTUMN LEAVES” used an
orchestral background and swing rhythm backup. It produced a rich sound overall. His arrange-
ment of “LA PALOMA” with orchestral background and other instruments was performed beauti-
fully. Being able to create your own ensemble with the ROLAND and mix it with the accordion
sound is a significant feature of this instrument.
Continue next page —
Page 6
Although we played for free, we presented our accordion music under a small gazebo and
were well received.
POLKA DOTS performed at Grossmont Center September 18, 2016
Showcase Continued —
We were pleased to see that Bob had invited Lou Fanucchi to join him at this point in the
program. They began with “TWILIGHT TIME”, a THREE SUNS favorite. Lou added his variations
and frills as only Lou can do. Their next duet was the ever popular “AROUND THE WORLD IN
EIGHTY DAYS”. They finished with “SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY” using a nice swing tempo with
Bob on melody and Lou backing him up. Lou plays the same model Roland as Bob. Since we had Lou here it was only natural for us to have him play a solo or two. His first
number was an excerpt from Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto #2. He used orchestra background
along with the piano voicing. It was outstanding. The second piece was Anthony Galla-Rini’s ar-
rangement of “MALAGUENA” composed by Ernesto Lecuona. It was superb. It was our pleasure
to see and hear Lou again. We hope to hear more from Bob in the future. His elegant playing using the features of the
Roland was very enjoyable.
ALSI BAND Concert at Vi La Jolla on 9/25/16
Singing at Petco Park by Sharon Marotte
September 9, 2016
was an opportunity
that will stay with me
for a long time. I got
to sing the National
Anthem at the Padres
ballgame at Petco
Park. They played the
Colorado Rockies and lost, however. Of course, I did not sing a solo – I was part of the Lutheran
Choir night at Petco. There were 160+ singers in our group, all from different Lutheran churches in
San Diego, and some from Ramona. There were 11 of us from Ascension that attended. It is an awe-
some sight to be on the field by the second base line and sing with others. At times I felt like a kid in a
candy store…saying WOW!! We had to walk quite a bit, but oh well. We stayed to watch the game
and spent most of our time watching people, got on the jumbo viewing screen, sang along with songs,
etc. I hope to sign up again next year!!!
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We (Sharon, Erica, Ron, Lois, Jim, Ken, Linda, Loren, and Vivien) played from 2-3 pm. Under Vicki’s leadership,
the band took the music around the world beginning with Italy (Bionda), Finland (Finn Polka), Mexico (De Colores),
Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Polka), Norway (Polkan Gar), Chicago (Chicago), New York (New York, New York), Ger-
many (Happy Wanderer) Liechtenstein (Liechtensteiner Polka), Scotland (Harvest Schottish), back to California
(California, Here I come) before signing off with Adios, AuRevoir, Auf Wiedersehn.
It was a National Geographic excursion dotted with facts of life: Mack the Knife (a kitchen knife or a murder
weapon?), King of the Road (Al was not around to divulge the vagabond life
style in America. No pressure, Al), Too Fat Polka (Vicki gave women’s view
on fat men), Just Because (Got attitude, no need to explain anything), Bubbles
in the Wine (Too drunk to observe those wunnerful, wunnerful bubbles?),
Five Foot Two (Linda described a beauty in a small package), Hey, Good Looking
(Lois taught a lesson on flirtation), assorted dances and marches (Johnson
Rag, Soldier’s March, Janet’s Waltz, 76 Trombones, and of course the Beer Bar-
rel Polka).
The program was a huge success, thanks to the excellent rhythm support
from Jim and Lois, vocal presentation from Vicki, Lois, and Linda, and the diverse timbre from Ken and Linda’s
electronic Rolands, which intrigued the audience and added much to our sound-
scape. Did I mention the excellent musicianship of the band?
We got to sing Happy Birthday to our own Loren. We are not sure if Loren
turned 62 or 102, even Marilyn does not know for sure. That soon became less
important when the birthday cake showed up with bubbling champagne chilled
to perfection.
We were very happy to see Chris recovering nicely from her shoulder surgery. We miss the folks that were not
able to be a part of this festivity. In the meantime, Let’s get ready for the next gig!
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ALSI MEETING CALENDAR
Gwendalle Cooper 10/3 none - no members were married in October
Jane Ford 10/3
Vivien Steger 10/4
Erika Bailer 10/6
Barbara Odling 10/17 Gloria Ensign 10/19
October Birthdays Anniversaries
October 9th Octoberfest Celebration at Balboa Park, starting at 11:30 AM. Gordon will be a fea-
tured player. Practice your Oktoberfest music so that you can add to the festivities at
this event. Tents an chairs will be provided for your listening comfort. Come early as
parking can be a challenge later in the day.
November 13th ALSI Heritage Day or Festival Day. We will have sub sandwiches and members will
bring dessert.
December 11
Look forward to some Holiday Music.
OTHER DATES TO REMEMBER
January 21-22 2017 Dates have been confirmed for the Oktoberfest in Yuma, Arizona presented by the
Das Bratwurst House. Our members who attended had a great time last year. We
hope more of us will be inspired to attend this one. Gordon will be have the stage on
Saturday. There will be a concert given on Sunday by the ALSI and Arizona clubs.
Yolanda and Carlos Meneses
Carolyn and Larry Kaiser
Page 9
In order to save on postage and also create less work for
our publishing staff we request that you evaluate your need
for a hard copy. If you wish to receive a computer PDF file in place of your
printed copy, please contact Lois by phone or email.
Lois Lahoud (619) 582-1427 or [email protected].
Please update your ReedBlock subscription preference.
ALSI
Statement Of
Purpose:
ALSI is San Diego’s
forum for appreciat-
ing and performing
accordion music,
including the MIDI
electronic accordion We welcome mem-
bers who enjoy lis-
tening to or playing
accordion music. We have an accordi-
on ensemble group,
monthly meetings,
local concerts featur-
ing local and interna-
tionally famous per-
formers, an annual
picnic and a monthly
newsletter.
Page 10
Heritage Day Accordion Festival
November 13, 2016
ACCORDION LOVERS SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL (ALSI)
PROUDLY PRESENTS OUR 21ST ANNUAL HERITAGE DAY.
Come dressed up in your ethnic costume, bring a friend, and enjoy an afternoon
of fantastic music, special guests, and delicious food for just $8.00 per person with advance reservations only. No food tickets at the door. RSVP as soon as possible to join us
at The Bailey Hall Auditorium.
Highlights Accordion Music from around the world
Ethnic Costumes
Crescent Sandwiches with meal ticket
Please bring your favorite dessert to share
Time: 1:00—4:00 PM
Where: BAILEY HALL AT MT. MIGUEL COVENANT VILLAGE
325 Kempton Ave., Spring Valley, CA 91977
Contact person: Mary Lou Erwin Phone: 619.448.9588
Heritage Day Festival Registration Form —
November 13, 2016 at 1-4 pm in Bailey Hall at Mt. Miguel Covenant Village in Spring Valley.
Advance Tickets $8 per person
Names in party:___________________________________________________
Number attending:__________
Amount Enclosed: $_________________
Please forward this form and payment to:
ALSI c/o Mary Lou Erwin at P.O. Box 712571 Santee, CA 92072
by November 4, 2016
Quick Notes: October 9th
Meet in Balboa Park for our Oktoberfest
program from 11:30 to 4:00
Gordon Kohl will be featured.
* ALSI Band will also play for us.
ALSI is on the WEB at www.accordion-club-sandiego.org
Time for 2017 Membership renewal Dues to remain the same at $25 for US and Canada
International—please check for rate
Name(s): _________________________________________________________
Address, if new or changed: _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Important dates for above names (birthdays, anniversaries, etc), please
specify name with dates: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Email, if new or changed: ____________________________________________
Newsletter preference: _______ mailed printed copy ______email copy
Please forward this form and payment to ALSI:
ALSI c/o Mary Lou Erwin at P.O. Box 712571 Santee, CA 92072