Monday, January 24, 2011

"What's the Difference Between an Onion and an Accordion?"

Robert Mihalek at the Cincinnati Enquirer quotes button accordion master John Whelan's answer:
“People don’t cry when you chop up an accordion.”
Had anyone gone onstage last night to try to chop up John's accordion, people would have cried and probably done a lot more.  

I know that lots of people wince at the thought of an accordion, but when you have the best in the world at anything, it's worth checking out.  Whelan was at the end of a long day of music at the Wendy Williamson Auditorium at UAA.  We got there in time to hear the act before Whelan and then Whelan.

It's not easy to see, but try to watch those fingers on both hands flying at the same time. 





It all starts again next weekend at the Wendy Williamson (link to schedule),  but there are events happening all week all over town.  Check out the Anchorage Folk Festival website for more details.

Next weekend's headline group is Seattle's gypsy jazz group Hot Club Sandwich.

For those who complain about the economy and the cost of living, there's no excuse for not taking advantage of this great entertainment with no admission charge.  (But they are more than happy to take donations.)

1 comment:

  1. Thanks Steve, for your reportage of the AFF. Great toe tapping music, had me bouncing in my chair.

    ReplyDelete

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