An interesting mazurka because a few of the bars are in 2/4. It must have a particular dance associated with it, which I would love to see.
The Western Sun (Waltz)
This is a waltz by friend Barb Truex that we have been playing for years. I’m playing it here on my new (to me) Castagnari Lilly, which arrived from Hungary JUST YESTERDAY! I am excited. I’m not sure what you can hear, but I can hear a sweetness from this small box, and I can feel its responsiveness under my fingers.
I’ve wanted a Lilly for years and years. Some people would just call up the factory and order one. I can’t do that for whatever neurotic reason. I have to wait until one shows up in my circle, and I determine it’s the right box at the right cost at the right time. Thanks to Péter for selling me the box and getting it to my home safely.
Welcoming a New Accordion into the Family
In honor of the pending new arrival here at Chateau de Chapin, I published this piece over on Medium. A bit of the absurd to start off your year!
New Accordion Coming!
Am I excited? Yes. I am excited.
Free Reeds Are Good for Humans: New Designs from the Accordeonaire Shop
I am super pleased to announce five new designs for tee shirts and merch in the Accordeonaire Shop. These use the charcoal sketch design from the FRLO shirts and declare to the world that free reeds are GOOD FOR HUMANS! There are three concertina designs (anglo, English, and duet), a melodeon design for melnetters, and an accordion design. You can get them on shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, phone covers et many cetera. Here are the rest of the designs.
Go to Accordeonaire’s Shop to purchase these.
The Return of the Free Reed Liberation Orchestra!
For October 2021, we have a piece learned from and dedicated to Frédéric Paris and La Chavannée. “les Vigneron” is a bourrée in 3 and super charming. Props to Janneke for bringing the harmonium into this “free reed” conspiracy. I invited folks to think freely about submitting counter melodies and accompaniment, and we ended up with TWENTY-SEVEN tracks, most of them video, but some just audio. Well done us! Thanks to Clive and Theo for their support on melodeon.net, the soil from which this plant sprang.
The FRLO is Anahata, Matthew Bampton, John Barber, David Barnert, Gary Chapin, Margaret Cox, Andrew Edgington, Eric Johnson, Howard Mitchell, Gren Penn, Julian Scholefield, Janneke Slagter.
Feel free to tip the orchestra at venmo @Gary-Chapin-7, or buy some of the sweet FRLO swag at The Accordeonaire Shoppe.
Directed by Gary Chapin
If you want to be in the orch, send me your email!
Playing at My Wedding
FRLO: Scottish à Catinaux & Scottish du Pére Rouxel
This one is suitable for dancing! The June 2021 edition of the Free Reed Liberation Orchestra plays two bog norm scottishes. The group this time is mostly stalwarts with one new member – hello, David Barnet!
The group is:
Anahata, Matthew Bampton, David Barnert, Gary Chapin, Margaret Cox, Andrew Edgington, Steve Gruverman, Eric Johnson, Howard Mitchell, Gren Penn, Julian Scholefield, Janneke Slagter
Leave us a tip at at the link above or buy tee shirts, mugs, and a bunch else at https://accordeonaire.threadless.com
We Got the Band Back Together: Le Bon Truc plays “Josefin’s Dopvals”
Oh my God! Steve and Barb and I were able to rehearse for the first time post-pandemic last week and it was amazing. Very emotional. Very fun. I went home feeling more light than I had since last summer. We played for many hours, and I tried to capture a bunch of footage. Here’s us playing the Roger Tallroth waltz. Aside from a few accordion stumbles at the beginning, it goes along quite well, until the 1:30 mark, when we turn the tune around, and suddenly we are levitating. So so good. (If I do say so, myself. And I do.)
The SEED Hour: Talking Free Reed Liberation Orchestra
How do you start a kickass international accordion orchestra – and why would you do such a thing?
A month ago I was asked by SEED+SPARK if I’d talk about the creation of the Free Reed Liberation Orchestra as part of their arts/ecology/creativity series The Seed Hour 2021. I did it and here’s the recording of that conversation. Steve Gruverman and Matthew Bampton, orchestra members, joined for the conversation. There’s a bit of front matter, including the wonderful Jasmine Gillison singing two songs, and then the accordion talk begins. Enjoy!
L'Accordeonaire 