I bought my first accordion from John Hebert in the late 70's. I asked every old accordion player to teach me, they all said the same thing "you can't teach dat, you have to have it in your head." Well I had it in my heart but couldn't send that information to my fingers. I went to a 3 day Balfa Camp, had a good time drank some beer and didn't learn ****. Thanks to Jimmy Breaux, Steve Riley, Paul Daigle and a couple of lessons from Ray Abshire I learned how to play enough to play with other musicians. I have no use for Balfa Camp. But I appreciate the guys that taught me to play.

In case you didn't see this video that was on LPB


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkdG60Qd_-I


Also I wrote my fist song and it is available on iTunes and Floyd's Record Shop for 99 cents. The title is "The Chickens Know It's Mardi Gras" buy and support my music it cost a lot of money to get the thing on the radio..


Jerry

Good video Jerry. I hadn't seen this ever. Judy pulled at my heart the way she reacted while she was doing her spot. She obviously longs for the better times like we do. Portland Oregon? Geez she came a long way. Is there some kind of movement going on here where peeps from California, Oregon, Michigan come to South Louisiana to leave everything they know behind and start over. Something's going on. First migrant I ever met was Tina Pelione that works over at the Savoy Music Center. Lived out the back of a truck sometimes I think. Now she's making accordions like she was born on the Bayou Teche or something.

I really believe that the only way we will get back what was lost is to reject modern society, all learn to speak Cajun French again, and go back to doing hard work and playing harder. I don't see it happening. Too many people, too little space, too many points of view, and way way too much got dam money seeking and drug use above all else.

Great video Jerry. You and your wife really have it. I am most impressed.

G-Mac, I sincerely thank you for your comments. You are so right on.

In 2002, I was hit by a car while riding my bicycle to work in Sacramento. I moved back to Tokyo shortly after and could not play the guitar (I had played for money for many years but my left hand was munched), so on a lark I bought an accordion from Junior Martin.

I totally got into it, was completely mesmerized by the Cajun/Creole music culture. Because I was so very far from Louisiana, I started the Cajun Accordion Discussion Page which eventually morphed into this place. I practiced my butt off and got to be able to play okay.

But something always bothered me -- I am not a Cajun, this was not my culture, I'm stealing something here. When I moved back to California I went over to Danny Poullard's house a few times before he passed and he was most helpful. There were always a bunch of people from the Bay area who were very protective of their stand in that scene. It was very ingrown and once again, I thought, I don't want to intrude on another's culture that was rooted in deep, deep soil.

I stopped playing accordion until recently. Now I play again, but only at home for my own amusement. I'm Irish for the most part and Irish music has been completely submerged under a bunch of other folks. The music is there, not the culture and the blood, sweat and tears behind it. Please don't lose your culture to a bunch of folks who are not grounded in it.

I would love to hear you play. :- )

Sincerely,

Tommy Quinn

Tommy Quinn, I wanted to thank you for creating the Cajun accordion discussion page. I did not know it was you. Another unsung hero! I wish more Cajun musicians would come here, especially the professional accordion or fiddle players. They're either unaware of the bravenet, or they are avoiding it on purpose. I saw Jaime Bearb (Cajun fiddle, accordion, and vocalist) on here once trying to sell an accordion. He was in and out like a fart in the wind, didn't have much to say. Just trying to make a buck it seemed. No interest in staying to chat. It would help us all to hear these "big hitter's" input on the matters at hand. I can say for certain that there are a couple generations of Cajun accordion players that have a lot of concerns and gripes. Accordion players that had to start out on their own because they watched older family connected accordion players die off before they took interest in playing themselves. This accordion discussion is a great advantage to help iron out some uncertainties, and also to address the uncertainties yet to come.
Sorry about your left hand. I know an accordion player that lost his left hand pointer finger (he was going to be a fiddle man before the accident. He can play the seconds side, but struggles with them as he's missing the finger that plays the top chord button. He plays the keyboard just fine, I just can't help but to think that his rhythm will suffer over all. But he can tap his feet to make up. That's how fiddle players do it. Timing is kept with the feet and the fiddle matches up to that timing. Accordion players should do it the same way. "You got to learn to play your feet first", that's what my grandfather told me about the Cajun music. In other words, tap yo feet and get into the rhythm and burn those rhythm's into your heart, mind and soul. Very few accordion players both Cajun and non Cajun know this at soul level. If they did know it, we'd all be witnessing much better accordion playing and presentation out there! Keep it real Tommy Quinn. By the way, are you Japanese? You lived in Tokyo you had mentioned. Because that would be a first for me, a real life genuine Japanese Cajun accordion player. You'd be the talk of the jam sessions if you were. Laters, G-Mac..the G is for ganksta mother f@#$%^&. LOL

Big Thanks G-Mac. No, I'm just white trash Irish... -L- Grew up on an Ohio corn farm, moved to California to play music in the '60s, ended up in Japan for 20 years. Long story.

Years ago, there were a lot more "heavy hitters" on my page but the constant bickering by a few turned them off. There is still a nice core group here. Bottom line is that the music is great and so are the Cajun/Creole folks who have played it for a 100 years. I hope the same can be said a 100 years from now.