Global Accordion: Early Recordings in Bloomington, MN

There's always been a lot more to the accordion than bad renditions of
"Lady of Spain"
; in fact, since its invention in 1829, it's been one of the most widely played instruments in the world, truly global, and this 26-track album shows just how it's been used, and how it's adapted to many different cultures. Kicking off with
"Caridad"
by
los Boriquenos
, from Puerto Rico, it slips over to Ireland, showing just how versatile the accordion (in all its forms) can be. Standouts are the rough'n'ready rural stylings of Brazil's
Luiz Gongaza
, Greece's
Papatzis
, and, naturally, some wonderful Cajun music, from
les Beaux Freres
with
"Fais Do-Do Negre."
Europe is, naturally, strongly represented, not merely with the sounds of Germany, but also
klezmer
and Polish music, and the way it prefigured the now-ubiquitous guitar in West Africa is amply illustrated in the highlife/
juju
of
George Williams Aingo
. But perhaps the most unusual piece here comes from the best-known musician --
Leadbelly
, who's far more famous for his 12-string playing, but here turns in a very creditable performance on accordion on
"Corn Bread Rough."
Add in some excellent sleeve notes, and you have a package to convince even the most die-hard accordionphobe that the instrument is wonderful. ~ Chris Nickson