Mmm......what a experience listening to this CD!!! Just to give you an Idea, here is some of the text from the CD cover: "Come and visit us on DEAD END AVE-anytime. Just look! You'll find us! Perhaps in the concert hall or in the subway; at your favorite bar and grille or on the street; in front of your favorite shoe store or in your church, or maybe at your favorite frozen custard stand. Just look! Wherever there are accordions, you'll find us." I think that you would have to hear this CD more than once in order to make up your mind about it. After the first hearing, I wasn't quite sure what it was all about, as the music is quite unusual and extraordinary. All the pieces are written and performed by William Schimmel. The musical language he uses is ultra modern, on the edge with contemporary. Therefore explanations about every piece are written in a very modern style on the cover. Two examples of this are: "ACCORDION BOY" A young lad, about to be hanged for cattle rustling, is urged by his mama to play one final song on his accordion-perhaps as a plea for mercy. The young lad plays a beautiful waltz based on Beethoven's NINTH. His mother beams with pride as he plays and plays: They hang him high! They hang him slow! Hideous torture! Of course he's innocent!" or "BADGE SEVEN FOURTEEN" The city of L.A.-violence-fire-looting-justice-television-police, etc. The thought crossed my mind that some of the pieces would be very good as film music. I especially liked "Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue(s)", a well known piece played in a blues-jazz-cajun style. William Schimmel earned his Doctorate of Music from Juilliard. A composer, author, lecturer, philosopher and virtuoso accordionist, he performs in a wide variety of styles from classical to pop. He is a prolific composer from the concert stage to Broadway theatre and is a founder of the renowned Tango Project. |
