Accordion in prog

[Monet]

Hughscore "Lullaby" (from "Highspotparadox", 1997)













Tune "Cabin Fever" (from "Lucid Moments", 2011)

[Zappathustra]

20 youtube videos in 7 hours. Hard to read whatever amidst the Svetonian onslaught

[Monet]

Aranis "Yosu" (from "Aranis", 2005)










Aranis "Labyrinth" (from "Aranis", 2005)

[LeFrog]

Rikard Sjöblom uses the instrument regularly, either with Beardfish or solo.

[per anporth]

20 youtube videos in 7 hours. Hard to read whatever amidst the Svetonian onslaught

Does Svengali Scissor know of what he does?

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ . Yupz. For every post I post there's a followup Svetpost. It's the nemesis of furlow, ahem.

[GuitarGeek]

Sorry to reference a non-Prog song, but my favorite accordion laced track of all time is "This Is The Day" by The The, in which Wix Wickens knocks it out of the park (especially the 5 minute plus extended version). The video is quite cool as well, even though it's the shorter version of this outstanding tune. The instrument as played here never sounded so good to me as it fits right into the bands sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43ZyUGOPyw

I found it mindboggling when I realized that was The The. I came to know that song from, I think it was an M&M's commercial that was done, oh I guess it's been something like 15 years ago now. Anyway, then I remember seeing the video on VH-1 Classic, and was astounded to find out it was The The, who I really only knew prior to that as the group (well, it's not really a group, it's Matt Johnson and backup musicians du jour) who made Infected, which I recall was much more...abrasive, I think is the word I'd use.

[Progbear]

The Japanese band Head Pop Up had two keyboard players. I believe the female one was the one who doubled on accordion. No videos, someone else [*ahem!*] is gobbling up all the bandwidth, but the long suite on their album definitely uses a bit of squeeze box.

Came to mention Lars Hollmer and Ton Scherpenzeel, always the first to come to mind when it comes to accordion in prog. Apparently it was common in European bands, particularly from Germanic and Slavic countries, for rock keyboard players to have started out on the accordion. Jürgen Fritz specifically mentioned starting out as an accordion player, but I don’t think he ever played one with Triumvirat.

[Mascodagama]

I’m still pimpin’ Harri:

[Mascodagama]

While I’m at it:



So it’s not prog, so sue me.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The Japanese band Head Pop Up had two keyboard players. I believe the female one was the one who doubled on accordion.

There was a LOT of Jap accordion during the 90s. Many bands, of all quarters (sympho-lympho, retro, neo, stupido, avant) used them. Even one of the "absurdist/chamber-rock" Nippon groups - Il Berlione - displayed the accordion to quite an extensive degree. I believe both Zypressen and Lacrymosa and Tipographica applied it too.

But the all-female trio (and sometimes more) Quikion had the accordion -AND- the bandoneon among their core instrumental assets. You'll hear a bit of Art Bears and even Miranda Sex Garden in their music. They're obviously not groundbreakers like Lars Hollmer or Bratko Bibic or, to the extreme, Rodolfo Moderos of Alas (and many others). But they use the instrument to full in terms of building compositions and arrangements around its timbre and tone.

[rickm]

There's a band I like a lot from Argentina called Pampa Trash who feature Bandoneon.

https://pampa-trash.bandcamp.com/alb...ngo-progresivo

They have another album in addition to this one, but it's not on Bandcamp.

I also like Ghost Rhythms a lot.

Bill

A bandoneon and accordion are not the same. To me a bandoneon has a much nicer sound, it is a more difficult instrument too. Astor Piazzolla, great Argentinean composer, created the
"progressive tango"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIfVzZWyHok



This one song is very known:

[Scrotum Scissor]

A bandoneon and accordion are not the same. To me a bandoneon has a much nicer sound, it is a more difficult instrument too.

Indeed. It's like the harpsichord to the celeste - the latter being an absolutely awful instrument to play if you expect touchdown power and release. And rage and fury and frustration. Or the French horn versus the Tuba, for that matter.

Salle Gaveau was formed by Kido Natsuki (virtuoso guitarist from Korekyojin and Bondage Fruit) and educated accordinist Sato Yoshiaki to explore some of Piazzolla's theoretical lore on technique and harmonics. They're effectively one of the most rewarding live experiences I had myself, although they don't even remind me of Jon Anderson's great grandma Olga.

[NogbadTheBad]

Alec K Redfearn and the Eyesores
Aranis
Samla Mammas Manna
KTU
Hamster Theater

All great stuff.

Guess has slipped back into his old bad habits.

[Monet]

Belgrade's band called Naked plays a progressive funk stuff with accordion, live in studio:



Naked "Too Fun'k 4 Ya" 2011

[Scrotum Scissor]

his old bad habits.

svetbusters.jpg

Wow! It came out twice no matter what!

[NogbadTheBad]

9 YT heavy posts in 24 hours! Enough!

[Monet]

An ingenious song by Italian band Profusion, featuring guest vocalists and an accordionist, as a great example of blend of ethnic and jazzy elements into Profusion's progressive metal approach; a cool video too:


Profusion "Nomen" (feat. Mamuka Ghaghanidze & Zurab Gagnidze from The Shin and Jakub Mietła) (from "Phersu", 2015)

[Zappathustra]

I counted 17 but I am biased

[Zappathustra]

Kido Natsuki is God. The latest Korekyojinn kills. Kido kills. No accordion crap in there, just pure electric guitar carnage 😃

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ I've seen Kido live in action twice, and it's an absolute revelation to do - especially when you're a guitarist yourself. I never saw the other two Jap axegods (Tsuneo Imahori of Tipographica and Kazuhisa Uchihashi of Altered States), but Kido was sincerely sensational in every respect; he's technically near-perfect (although he perhaps somewhat too obviously strives to sound not to be), utterly daring and "attemptive", creative even within the smallest tenets of tone and movement, and magnificently full of force in approach to variations and attack in his playing. He NEVER outdoes anything, just runs through and enhances where needed.

Kido's input with Korekyojin and Salle Gaveau is outstanding, but he's truly -shocking- on that P.O.N. release from 1995 in what practically amounts to the most demanding charts I've ever heard for "rock group" as experimental unit. I saw Mick Barr do some insanely crazy shit, but the thing with Kido is the overall sense of control around the instrument and its several roles. He's extraordinarily gifted.



Better than that 'Mars' guy from Mötley Crüe, even.

[progmatist]

Antony Kalugin's many bands and projects feature an accordion player as part of the lineup.

[dt2]

Probably my favorite accordionist is Amy Denio, with my favorite project she was in being (EC) Nudes.
Also, not really "prog" Guy Klucevsek is worth a listen.

[Zappathustra]

^ I've seen Kido live in action twice, and it's an absolute revelation to do - especially when you're a guitarist yourself. I never saw the other two Jap axegods (Tsuneo Imahori of Tipographica and Kazuhisa Uchihashi of Altered States), but Kido was sincerely sensational in every respect; he's technically near-perfect (although he perhaps somewhat too obviously strives to sound not to be), utterly daring and "attemptive", creative even within the smallest tenets of tone and movement, and magnificently full of force in approach to variations and attack in his playing. He NEVER outdoes anything, just runs through and enhances where needed.

Kido's input with Korekyojin and Salle Gaveau is outstanding, but he's truly -shocking- on that P.O.N. release from 1995 in what practically amounts to the most demanding charts I've ever heard for "rock group" as experimental unit. I saw Mick Barr do some insanely crazy shit, but the thing with Kido is the overall sense of control around the instrument and its several roles. He's extraordinarily gifted.



Better than that 'Mars' guy from Mötley Crüe, even.

What a remarkable, precise homage to a great musician! Yes, that P.O.N. record is a lost gem and a favourite of mine. I really think though you should listen to the new Korekyojinn. It is a record that tries to close once and for all the whole case of the power guitar trio story. I am not saying it does, but the huge, crazy ambition is there, and we're not talking about some youngsters here. They're all near their 60's now.

But without an inch of a shame I like this Mars guy from the Crew! Maybe Kido does too.

[Monet]

Antony Kalugin's many bands and projects feature an accordion player as part of the lineup.

Karfagen is my favourite project of talented Ukrainian multi-instrumentalist and composer Antony Kalugin. Inspired by the great composers like Edward Grig, Sergei Prokofiev, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Pyotr Chaikovskiy, Antony's compositions are always vibrant and contemplative. As you said, the sound is often enhanced by accordion (also the instruments like bassoon, oboe and pipes) which blends with electric guitar and synthesizer in favour to create a sympho-rock heaven:



Karfagen "Aleatorica" 2013