{"id":2287,"date":"2021-01-15T11:55:45","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T11:55:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/stamford\/?p=594"},"modified":"2021-01-15T11:55:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-15T11:55:45","slug":"the-sound-of-musette","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pridemagazines.co.uk\/rutland-and-stamford\/highlights\/the-sound-of-musette\/01-2021","title":{"rendered":"The Sound of Musette"},"content":{"rendered":"

Enjoy \u2018un accord\u00e9oniste redoutable\u2019 this month as we introduce the incredible sound of Stamford accordionist, composer and singer Jonny Kerry, whose hugely talented gypsy jazz, bossa nova and French musette performances will be music to your ears\u2026<\/h3>\n
\"Accordionist
Accordionist Jonny Kerry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We May Have Let Europe, but Europe will never leave us. From Italian espressos overlooking the piazzas of Florence, Siena or Trieste to a night at the opera in Vienna, or a Bratwurst in a BMW by the Bundesbank, our continental cousins will forever remain in our hearts.<\/p>\n

And the soundtrack to Europe \u2013 at least in our minds \u2013 is the gallic sound of La M\u00f4me Piaf \u2013 Little Sparrow \u2013 herself. She\u2019s performing the bal musette by a little caf\u00e9, to the sound of an accordion, as a chap cycles past, wearing a beret and a blue and white stripy top, festooned with a string of onions around his neck. We\u2019re wild for the sound.<\/p>\n

The French are remarkable. Culinary geniuses, and fiercely protective of their language, fabulously romantic\u2026 but insanely irresponsible motorists, at least in Paris. There\u2019s no other country, no other folk, who could have popularised the stubbornly unusual accordion. It\u2019s unique, magical and, sadly, underrepresented in this country despite being popular elsewhere in the world, as Stamford\u2019s Jonny Kerry knows very well.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople associate the instrument almost exclusively with France. But in fact, it\u2019s an instrument of German origin, and is even more popular today in Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stamford resident Jonny knows exactly what he\u2019s talking about. That\u2019s because he himself is an accordionist, and not just any accordionist, but one of the world\u2019s top 100 Jazz accordionists and one of the UK\u2019s best performers on the instrument overall.<\/p>\n

Just recently Jonny was competing in the world-class 1st International Troph\u00e9e Richard Galliano competition hosted by the veteran of the instrument, with his huge continental following. Accepted into the competition were 32 world-class accordionists, including Jonny, who ranked eighth in the competition when an overall winner was announced in late-December.<\/p>\n

There are just three things to know about Jonny. Firstly, he\u2019s devastatingly handsome; remarkably so, in fact. Secondly, his voice is phenomenal.<\/p>\n

Search for, and listen to, his performance of The Shadow of Your Smile on YouTube and you\u2019ll hear that for yourself. His truly mellifluous vocal performance makes a Michael Bubl\u00e9 jazz standard sound like an Ed Miliband speech. Never mind any of the song\u2019s past custodians \u2013 Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Perry Como, each of whom sound mediocre in comparison \u2013 the Stamford accordionist outclasses them all. Thirdly; Jonny really truly has found his musical soul-mate in the accordion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a certain offbeat charm to the instrument, like someone who writes in green ink instead of blue or black,\u201d he says. \u201cI don\u2019t know what it is about the instrument, there\u2019s just a sort of general uniqueness to it, it has a certain\u2026 je ne sais quoi.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonny was born into a musical family in Grantham, with mother and father Phillip and Tracy performing the pedal steel guitar and the bass respectively \u2013 alongside his aunt and uncle, Carolyn and Michael Ashwin \u2013 in a four-piece band, favouring more acoustic songs and folk among their repertoire. Commendably, Jonny\u2019s parents never pushed him in the direction of a career in music, instead allowing their son to discover the joy for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always had an upright piano in the playroom and I found my way to it,\u201d he says. \u201cMy parents always said that I was different to other children in approaching it, as I could pick out a single note or melody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also had a recording studio in our family home, and dad was a songwriter who would compose his own music and record it. He occasionally toured, but mostly worked in his music shop in Nottingham, playing all the instruments in the shop between customers. I enjoyed exploring the studio as a kid, trying out the different instruments there, and then at secondary school I\u2019d always spend my lunchtimes in the music room playing on the piano.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did have some formal tuition in the form of piano lessons, but I\u2019ve never been able to read music \u2013 I\u2019m not sure if it\u2019s a form of mild dyslexia as the notes just seem to jump around and distract me whilst I\u2019m trying to coordinate my fingers on the piano keys \u2013 so I guess I almost tricked my piano teacher by playing by ear, when I was supposed to be reading music.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed the piano and I loved performing classical music, but one day my grandfather Paul came home with an old accordion he had purchased from an antiques shop. I was 14 and it seemed absolutely amazing, the sound was unlike anything I\u2019d heard before. It was defiant and different, a sort of non-conformist. I began listening to Edith Piaf and Yann Tiersen\u2026 I was hooked on the sound and I still am!\u201d<\/p>\n

The long-lost cousin of the accordion is the Asian Sheng, which was introduced to Europe in 1777. It led to the creation of a group of instruments including the harmonica and the accordion. A similar instrument \u2013 bar a few technical differences \u2013 the concertina soon made its way around Germany. It was used in popular dance genres like the polka and in Italy it was common in the Tarantella.<\/p>\n

Friedrich Buschmann of Berlin and Cyril Demian of Vienna are both credited with the accordion\u2019s invention in 1822 and 1829 respectively, and it soon gained a reputation as a sort of low-brow instrument. That\u2019s perhaps because it became associated with street music and performances at raucous dance halls of the era. The instruments were also taken to war where they would be used to entertain troops.<\/p>\n

Unlike pianos, accordions could travel around with musicians on their backs to be played everywhere, which included ad hoc performances in drinking venues.<\/p>\n

Along with the fact that the instrument was used in raucous venues and for lively new popular genres like polka and gypsy jazz in Germany and Italy, it later became associated with the risqu\u00e9 new dance genre of tango. It also had an uptake in France, most notably among the Auvergne. This included people who left their old province to seek a fortune in Paris running caf\u00e9s and bars.<\/p>\n

Many of these would be clustered around the 11th and 12th arrondissements, the former especially regarded for its fashionable caf\u00e9 culture and nightlife. There was also a good cluster around the 5th arrondissement, popular with the bohemian students of the schools and universities \u2013 including the Sorbonne \u2013 exactly where Henri Murger\u2019s Sc\u00e8nes de la vie de boh\u00e8me, and subsequently Puccini\u2019s La Boh\u00e8me was set.<\/p>\n

Entertainment in these venues would typically include dancing to the bourr\u00e9e to traditional instruments like the cabr\u00e9tte and vielle \u00e0 roue (a bit like the English hurdy gurdy). The emerging music style of the caf\u00e9 bars was the bal de familles \u2013 latterly bal musette \u2013 the genre featured in music halls too and it would later transition into gypsy jazz.<\/p>\n

Because of the slightly seedy \u2013 let\u2019s be charitable and say bohemian \u2013 culture, some of Edith Piaf\u2019s oeuvre features slightly risqu\u00e9 cabaret songs or lewd subject matter. Indeed her performance of Michel Emer\u2019s song L\u2019Accordioniste was about a prostitute finding love with a journeyman accordion player. Thankfully the instrument has a rather more respectable following these days\u2026 which brings us back to Jonny.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe instrument really enjoys great popularity with Brazilian audiences,\u201d he says. \u201cChoro forr\u00f3 is a popular instrumental genre, and still enjoying his enduring popularity is the French-Italian accordionist Richard Galliano \u2013 who gives his name to the competition \u2013 still active, he\u2019s just turned 69.\u201d Galliano has released more than 50 albums and has nearly 50 million views on YouTube… though it\u2019s worth saying that Jonny himself has over a million views!<\/p>\n

\u201cBut still the accordion doesn\u2019t have the same profile as other instruments, and is often seen as a bit old fashioned. I\u2019ve been performing at some weddings or corporate functions and have been asked what I\u2019m playing; some people have never heard of the accordion. It\u2019s still used by modern musicians \u2013 particularly folk-rock groups like Mumford & Sons and The Levellers \u2013 but typically it\u2019s a background instrument. I want to bring it to the fore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a more modern instrument than, say, the violin, so its design and technical performance has improved greatly over the last hundred years. It\u2019s easy to learn initially, but it\u2019s an instrument that has its own style and so not every song will suit it,\u201d says Jonny. \u201cSome songs work, but others just don\u2019t. It\u2019s best suited to those which are rhythmic and have ballad-like melodies, accompanied by guitar strings being picked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been performing in a band called Mani\u00e9re Des Bohemiens, based mostly around Nottingham and with a band called Caf\u00e9 Manouche, with my brothers on guitar and double bass respectively.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThree years ago, I formed the Jonny Kerry Quartet. I play alongside Harry Diplock on guitar, Ducato Piotrowski & Mike Green on double bass. The band has performed at concerts and festivals all over the UK but some of our work comes from corporate events and weddings, bookings for which have been limited over the last year for obvious reasons.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe time away from performance has been unfortunate but it has at least given me the opportunity to work on solo material too. I\u2019ve already released one instrumental solo accordion project which explores the French Caf\u00e9 accordion musette, tango & jazz music from the 1920s to the 1950s. The repertoire consists of well-known, easy-listening songs, but now I want to introduce vocals too.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve recorded material to create and release a second album and I had intended to release it in 2021, but because of all the disruption that we\u2019ve seen in 2020 I may wait until 2022.\u201d<\/p>\n

The music industry is suddenly conducive to self-publishing artists. For about \u00a360 you can release music to a publisher which will administrate and pass on royalties from services like Spotify and iTunes.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s difficult to raise your profile significantly if you\u2019re a conventional popular music artist, the likes of which you\u2019ll see on X-Factor or Pop Idol \u2013 you\u2019ll just be lost in the crowd of wannabe youngsters \u2013 but if you\u2019ve a unique, unusual (and good) offering, like Jonny, it\u2019s comparatively easy to release and monetise your music, especially if you\u2019ve a good social media presence\u2026 which, we\u2019re happy to report, Jonny does.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe appeal of artists like Piaf and Tiersen is their uniqueness and the accordion has that lovely sense of gratuitous difference and non-conformity. It\u2019s a little anarchic and absolutely evocative.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI love the sound and happily I\u2019m finding that I\u2019m not alone,\u201d says Jonny. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to more people hearing my material in 2021 and to introducing the instrument to a whole new audience!\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonny Kerry is the Stamford-based accordionist and singer who performs his solo material, plus covers, and performs with the Jonny Kerry Quartet. For more information on the artist, see www.jonnykerry.com and search for Jonny Kerry on YouTube or his social media channels.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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